by Siri Mitchell
Publisher: Bethany HouseRelease Date: March 1, 2011
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
My Review:
The elegance of Madame Forza's gown shop is a far cry from the downtrodden North End of Boston. Yet each day Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana enter the world of the upper class, working on finery for the elite in society. The three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream--and their chance for love. But the ways of the heart are difficult to discern at times. Julietta is drawn to the swarthy, mysterious Angelo. Annamaria has a star-crossed encounter with the grocer's son, a man from the entirely wrong family. And through no intent of her own, Luciana catches the eye of Billy Quinn, the son of Madame Forza's most important client. Their destinies intertwined, each harboring a secret from their families and each other, will they be found worthy of the love they seek?
My Review:
It's difficult to write a review when you just want to write "This book
is so awesome!" But it's so much more than that, so I'll try to explain
why.
I loved that the book is about everyday life and situations in 1918, it's not about politics, exact dates, and other thing we've already learned in history books. It's about women's lives at home, at work, in love, and with friends. This is what I love to read about!
There are a lot of characters in this book, the three women who work in Madame Fortier's dress shop, and two older women, Madame herself and her customer, Mrs. Quinn. All of the women are very different and lead very different lives, but they all come together at the dress shop.
The romances in this story are absolutely swoon-worthy! The little moments are just so romantic. And all three of the the ladies' love stories are completely different from each others'.
This tale doesn't read like Christian fiction. These ladies make all kinds of mistakes and are able to learn from them instead of being preached at. The message is still there, but it's much more realistic.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: It's an eye opening look at city life at the time and glimpse at a piece of history we don't often see. Lovely characters with engrossing stories make this book a keeper!
I loved that the book is about everyday life and situations in 1918, it's not about politics, exact dates, and other thing we've already learned in history books. It's about women's lives at home, at work, in love, and with friends. This is what I love to read about!
There are a lot of characters in this book, the three women who work in Madame Fortier's dress shop, and two older women, Madame herself and her customer, Mrs. Quinn. All of the women are very different and lead very different lives, but they all come together at the dress shop.
The romances in this story are absolutely swoon-worthy! The little moments are just so romantic. And all three of the the ladies' love stories are completely different from each others'.
This tale doesn't read like Christian fiction. These ladies make all kinds of mistakes and are able to learn from them instead of being preached at. The message is still there, but it's much more realistic.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: It's an eye opening look at city life at the time and glimpse at a piece of history we don't often see. Lovely characters with engrossing stories make this book a keeper!
I'm so happy that you enjoyed this novel. I will be reviewing it in the next couple of weeks. i enjoyed She Walks in Beauty and I'm sure I'll like this one, too.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! I really hope that Siri keeps writing these books set in the early 20th century because she's struck gold with them! I really loved She Walks in Beauty too. Great review as always Carrie!
ReplyDeleteXOXO~ Renee
Now I want to read this one, and I'm glad you say it doesn't read like Christina Fiction, I got nothing against it but I like more subtlety than knowing it's CF book.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this is going into my list! Thanks for the review
I'm so glad to hear you loved this book. I loved She Walks in Beauty, so now I'm eager to read this too! Yay!
ReplyDeleteI get it :D Sometimes "this is awesome" is all I wanna write and how I try I just can't convey that into many words
ReplyDeleteGreat review. Awesome is somethimes just enough. ;)
ReplyDeleteYour review makes me want to read the book! I have the author's other book , She Walks in Beauty, on my TBR.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! This sounds like a book I’d adore :)
ReplyDeleteThis does sound like a good book though your "Christian fiction" comment makes me a little weary. I'll have to look into it more. Have you read Clara and Mr. Tiffany
ReplyDeleteby Susan Vreeland? That was also a fantastic book that dealt with working women in the late 1800's.