Libby's Reviews > The Gown

Jennifer Robson’s novel is rich in details about the society and culture of England post WW11 and the country’s efforts to regain its footing in a tough new economic and political era. The people are just getting by and many things such as sugar, butter, bacon, meat, and tea are being rationed. Hardships and the grief of loss abound, but Robson will focus on the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten, an exciting event that helps to lift the country from its despair. She does so through the lives of two seamstresses that will work on the royal wedding dress; Ann Hughes, a young lady who first come to work at Hartnell’s at age 14 as an apprentice, and Miriam Dassin, a young Jewish woman recently come to England from France. It is a long time before Miriam can speak of the horrors she experienced under the Nazi occupation. Both these women work for Norman Hartnell, the designer of the famed wedding gown. Both will meet young men but only one will find true love.

What I appreciate most about Robson’s novel is her commitment to bringing to life the work of ordinary women engaged in an extraordinary task. These seamstresses and embroiderers are everyday people, but as they are caught up in creating this beautiful gown, a work of artistry and imagination, they become something more, a symbol of the rewards of perseverance. Robson elevates them and uses them to make us think of what the lives of other common folks might have been like after this horrible war.

My mother worked as a seamstress in textile mills close to where we live most of my growing up years, so this novel really spoke to me, especially the lush descriptions of the fabric and the work of creating the embroidery. The fabric obtained was “duchesse satin from Winterthur in Dunfermline for the gown, as well as a heavier satin for the appliqués from Lullingstone Castle.” The embroidered star flowers and blossoms along with crystals and thousands of seed pearls made this gown exquisitely beautiful and unique. The silk tulle train also embroidered was fifteen feet long. The life of a seamstress is long hours with little recognition, so it was fun to see how the work of these women was acknowledged. When one of the characters becomes a renowned fabric artist, I couldn’t help but think of some of the quilt artistry I’ve seen over the years. I admire the people who create these fascinating and imaginative works of art.

A 2016 storyline finds Heather Mackenzie inheriting some embroidery handiwork from her grandmother. Nan never said much about her life in England after the war. When Heather finds that the embroidered pieces match that of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown, she becomes determined to find out just how her grandmother came to have them. That means a flight from her homeland in Toronto to England. A journalist, who’s just been ‘let go,’ Heather is ripe for the adventure.

I love how Robson unspools the threads of Heather’s search, a deconstruction that will lead her to the essential ingredients of her Grandmother’s life in 1947. I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Marisa Calin. She has a clear, easily understandable voice that added to a pleasant listening experience. I read the last third, simply because I got the book from the library and can read a little faster than I listen. The wedding gown symbolized rebirth and growth for Great Britain. While this book gave me an excellent perch to watch England’s post WW11 history unfolding, and I learned a little about England’s austerity measures, the deep and abiding pain of austerity is perhaps not fully acknowledged here. I enjoyed the book for what it was, a genuine and intimate look into the lives of seamstresses who labored to create the elaborately embroidered wedding gown of Princess Elizabeth. I'm happy to see these women gain some much-deserved attention.