The Dressmaker

In this romantic debut novel a reserved provincial French tailor falls head over heels in love with a woman who''s hired him to create her wedding dressClaude Reynaud is a bit of a throwback an old-fashioned dressmaker working in a cluttered studio outside modern-day Paris quietly designing his famous gowns by hand. Every spring he ushers pretty young society brides into his studio measures them and designs their dresses without ever contemplating for himself the sort of romance that will lead these ladies and their grooms to the altar. But one afternoon a woman arrives who shatters his composure: Valentine de Verlay is charming beautiful a lady of society and of course engaged. She comes with no instructions for her wedding dress just a beautiful figure a long graceful neck and total faith in her dressmaker. Claude forty-six years old devoted to his work and long since deserted by his wife finds himself smitten. As Valentine''s wedding approaches his commitment to her dress makes it impossible for Claude to keep a safe distance and everything he''s come to rely on in his small focused life looks ready to collapse. Worse still as he is welcomed into her circle of friends and family it appears that the betrothed Valentine may share his feelings. The Dressmaker is a perfect gem of a novel an enchanting portrait of another world and above all a sly and irresistible love story.