The Seamstress of New Orleans

De: Diane C. McPhail

Narrado por: Jessica Marchbank

The year 1900 ushers in a new century and the promise of social change, and women rise together toward equality. Yet rules and restrictions remain, especially for women like Alice Butterworth, whose husband has abruptly disappeared. Desperate to make a living for herself and the child she carries, Alice leaves Chicago far behind, offering sewing lessons at a New Orleans orphanage.

Constance Halstead, a young widow, has thrown herself into charitable work. Meeting Alice at the orphanage, she offers lodging in exchange for Alice's help creating a gown for the Leap Year ball of Les Mystérieuses, the first all-female krewe of Mardi Gras. During Leap Years, women have the rare opportunity to take control in their interactions with men, and upend social convention. Piece by piece, the breathtaking gown takes shape, becoming a symbol of strength for both women.

But Constance carries a burden that makes it impossible to feel truly free. Her husband, Benton, whose death remains a dangerous mystery, was deep in debt to the Black Hand, the vicious gangsters who controlled New Orleans's notorious Storyville district. Benton's death has not satisfied them. And as the Mardi Gras festivities reach their fruition, a secret emerges that will cement the bond between Alice and Constance even as it threatens the lives they're building . . .

©2022 Diane C. McPhail (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A southern Classic and a fun read as a local New Orleanian.

The story was well thought out but repeated some aspects over and over. I knew exactly how it was going to end when I was half way through and that’s when it started to repeat. I was hoping I was wrong and the hook would have shockingly changed the ending, however, it ends exactly as you think it will.
The southern charm is elegantly portrayed, but it could have been shorter or had more substance. Knowing the New Orleans history, some events did not match chronologically, but that’s part of fiction.

Predictable

****SPOILERS*****
I had the plot figured out imediately. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if not for the narrator. Her style of reading is a little irritating to me. The children's voices were painful to listen to and her version of Constance's characters voice made the character sound dumb and timid. The language of times did not fit her renditions. Constance was bold enough to master a disguise, fool police and keep her off their radar. The read is much better than the listen. I ran to B&N to pick up a physical copy just to have a quick read over and it reads just fine. I m not at all happy with the Authors decision to keep Alice silent. This is a Lifetime Movie, not a major motion picture.

Of course, the ending

A little too slow moving and the story prattled on a little bit too much

Interesting

Carries you along. Some is obvious and other parts were different than what I expected.

fascinating sweeping tale, nice voice

I wasn't sure what to expect from this title after reading the one other review. I was pleasantly surprised -- the narrator's voice is smooth and enjoyable to listen to, and wihle not everyone might agree with how each character 'should' sound, the story flowed well. There were some unexpected twists, but really the most major plot twist or reveal felt like it was obvious, and a long time coming. I am glad I stuck with it because there was some nice stuff toward the end that I particuarly enjoyed. (I don't want to do any spoilers.) I give this a 4 overall, a 3 for some of the predictable plot devices, but this narrator is easy to listen to and I look forward to hearing more from her.