The Dressmaker: A Novel

I loved this book. The story is set in an Australian country town and some of the content is quintessentially Australian, so not everyone may understand references to Aussie peculiarities. I am an Aussie by the way. As other reviewers have said, it is a story about a talented dressmaker who returns to her hometown after 20 years' absence to look after her mother who is ailing. My impression is that she doesn't come back to town to seek revenge, but it ends up that way. I'm wondering if those who've said she returns to seek revenge have actually read the book or are basing that impression on the movie. Rosalie Hams' descriptions are masterful - for example - describing Irma Almanac's arthritic hands as "like ginger roots" - the image immediately pops into the reader's mind. Her style of writing is wonderful - descriptive, easy to read and intelligent. Reading novels that are grammatically incorrect or that contain misquotes like "another thing coming" instead of "another think coming" adversely affect my enjoyment so an intelligent writer is very important to me. There are is some sadness in the book, but it is appropriate for the overall story. Generally, I don't really like to read depressing books and I wouldn't categorise this as depressing. I would recommend this book, it is a terrific read.

I did this via audio, and it honestly took a couple of times to get the hang of the characters and keep up with the plot. But once that was done, I really enjoyed this one. I always love a good underdog story and this was exactly that with a bit of a twist. Myrtle “Tilly” Dunnage was run out of her small town years ago, and has returned as a dressmaker. She doesn’t plan to stay long, but things change, and soon those that banished her want her dresses. Per usual. However, Tilly begins to get revenge on these people that treated her so badly, as they clearly have not changed their ways after all these years. She also is falling for the town’s football star, and befriends the Sergeant, who oddly enough loves fabrics as well. It is all of these quirks that made me just adore this story. Whoever heard of a Sergeant loving fabrics? But it works really well here. You slowly begin to learn why Tilly was banished from the town as similar events happen again, and you become even more endeared to her as well as her mother. You also begin to despise the town folk as much as Tilly does. But as she begins to exact her revenge it is oh so good, and it culminates in the final blow in the very last sentence and it is absolutely amazing. This is such a well written book, excellent story telling, and I connected with the core characters so much. I’ve had this one on my TBR shelf for a couple of years now, and I finally got around to reading it, I am so very glad I did.

I was drawn to this book because of upcoming release of the movie in South Africa, and found it be a nice book with an unexpected ending. I knew something was going to happen, however wasn't entirely sure which way it would go. There did seem to be too many characters, and most of the time I gave up trying to work out who was married or related to who, and only read. That said, the characterisations were good, and I didn't mind that they were stereotypical.

I couldn’t get a handle on ‘The Dressmaker’. The characters are all described, or what they are doing is described. We do not get any insight to their motives; their interiority. Reading it was a process of going along and tripping over the author’s misuse of some words, wayward third person pronouns, and the want of better punctuation. Oh for some semi colons to separate out the author’s reconsidered second object to the subject of her sentences. Where was the editor? At about the halfway mark I thought I had it; that the book was about gathering all these types of possible people in an Australian country town in the 1950’s as analogous to gathering oddments of fabric to make some strange patchwork gown that is symbolic of something. I figured it could only be a witch’s cape. But then the novel changed tack. Out of the blue, the author kills of the romantic lead. Very odd. The book goes down hill from there; tripped into poor slapstick. Mad Molly, the mother, who has been good for a chuckle with her absurdities, suddenly goes all mumsy and then dies of a stroke. Others in the town get bumped off by the author – or by the Grecian ‘Fates’ hooking them on their flaws. Some of this is very funny but best of all is when the limp OCD wife of the Councillor, now wised up by Tilly, unleashes on her philandering husband. Oh such delicious bitchery. And a nasty way to waste him at the Achilles tendon – more Grecian gods of devilry. It is all out of tone of the first part of the narrative. Overall, the novel is not well structured and needed much better editing. It is all a bit too silly but there are some nice crazy people in it and there are some good laughs to be had – possibly inadvertently. It is the characters and particularly the cross dressing town policeman who earn the two stars.

The Dressmaker is about a women's return to her village ofter being taken away from it many years before. It is set in a town in Australia and is about big dreams and aspirations and small-minded pettiness. It's about creating beauty in place that is essentially really ugly. It's funny and sad and clever all at once. I love how real the characters are and if you've ever been exposed to small-town mentality then you'll definitely identify with it here. Bordering on frustratingly so! Each of the characters is irritating, sad and funny in their own way. I found the story almost too sad at times but, life can be - and taking the story anywhere else may have made it too predictable. I enjoyed that it definitely wasn't and had a number of twists to keep it interesting. I couldn't put it down and am really looking forward to seeing how it's portrayed in the movie.

I have not seen the movie. I liked the book. I thought the story of Tilly returning to a small town could be set anywhere. It’s a town of small minds but also some big secrets - well not really secrets. Like many small towns the secrets are only secrets to outsiders. There a many “characters” like Tilly’s mother Molly, Sergeant Farrah, Trudy, Marigold, Lesley, the pharmacist with Parkinson’s, and they add some humor to what would otherwise be a pretty grim tale of cruelty and isolation. And then there is the fashion. I can see why this would be a movie. It begs to be seen. Though I enjoyed the book, I have a few quibbles. Tilly has been gone for twenty years - which makes sense for her character - the couture and life experience - but makes the other women’s actions seem too juvenile for what should be their age - the men too. They should all be mature men and women in the post-war 1950’s. I missed inner dialogue. All these interesting characters - maybe too many as I couldn’t always keep them straight - were just that - characters. You are left to guess what made them who they are. Lastly, the ending. It is a dramatic denouement that I think missed an epilogue, not of Tilly, but of the town. Still, I recommend it. It’s an enjoyable, sad, sometimes gritty read that reminds us of the uplifting and sometimes frightening ways that experiencing art can change lives.

This is an awful read it made no sense and was disjointed, awful writing. Characters not developed, too many of them. Who wants to read page after page of what materials, velvet cloths were there and who wore them? Not I. Very hard to follow. I would not publish this horrible stuff. Whoever thought this would make a good movie must have been Crazy. Don't buy this book. Would not recommend this book even to my worst enemy if I has one.

I was really looking forward to reading this as I had read her previous book "Summer at Mt Hope" and was really please that one had been made into a movie. Unfortunately although I did enjoy the read it also reminded me of all the things that had annoyed me in the previous book. There are some amazing characters but I don't think they get treated with with enough depth, the plot has some amazing twists but the never really get developed, and the fragments we learn about Tilly's past, which underpin the entire story, are only ever treated superficially. I would have liked to see a much better developed story and a better paced ending - I feel it was resolved far too quickly and simplistically - my main criticism of "Summer at Mt Hope" - it feels like there's a word limit that can't be exceeded and the story has taken up too words so the ending must be crammed into the small number of words left. It left me unsatisfied. Am now going to see the movie and hoping that perhaps some of these issues are resolved in the script.

livro bom, com um enredo mediano. mas a escrita é cansativa. poderia ser mais curto. mas a descrição dos personagens chega a ser excessiva, e vc acaba não se prendendo tanto a protagonista. é bom, mas poderia ser melhor.

What a brilliant book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want to put it down at any point. I love the characters, Tilly of course, Molly and the Sergeant, and Teddy and Barney. Although at first I found there were so many of them, I couldn't always keep track of who was who. The story was sad in parts , but also very comical. Most of Dungatar turns against Tilly when she first arrives, but she brings them round slowly with her dressmaking skills. Unfortunately fate is against her, and she finds herself isolated, except when the amdram group need her to make their costumes for them. Judging by the descriptions of the clothes, cars, houses etc, the story is set in the 1950's. I should imagine small outback towns like Dungatar are quite insular, and most city dwellers would find life difficult. The book expands on Tilly's back story more than the film does, but for me the film brings the characters to life. The ending which sees Dungatar in flames, and Tilly's final scene with the ticket collector on the train (which isn't in the book) is poignant, but very funny. I would dearly love to know where Tilly went, and how she fared after leaving Dungatar.

I watched the movie first, and it was weird, quirky and enjoyable. Plus, Liam Hemsworth shirtless. Just sayin'. I read the novel afterwards, and it was weird, quirky and enjoyable as well. Having the visual references from the movie made the book more enjoyable for me. It's different from what I usually read, and I really really enjoyed it. :)

Meraviglioso libro storia incredibile e coinvolgente. Un libro che si legge tutto ad un fiato particolare ed emozionante.lo consiglio caldamente

The story is unique and the author adds humor to it making it delightful to read. Very well collaborated and presented. The packaging was good and delivery on time.