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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
I did really enjoy this book and it probably deserves 4 1/2 stars but I felt it ended a bit abruptly. It was a really good book but I was a bit dissapointed with the ending.
I'm so in awe of this book, it is beautifully written and so charming to read, it's simple yet so full of life and themes that really speak to me. The persona of each character shines through and I almost felt as if I was feeling the book, rather than simply reading it. I am also a strong believer in The Signals, and can relate to both Ella and Katrina in a number of ways. I would so love to meet Fabia, and will be exploring York with a fresh outlook on my next visit, even though I have already spent the first 21 years of my life being a frequent visitor.
This book is nothing like I was expecting. The description is quite misleading as the story really is not centered around a particular dress. The mentioned dress could be one that comes near the end but it still wasn't featured much. I thought the writing was good, but didn't feel like there was much of a story to the book at all. There is a secret hidden but no real urgency to it. I kept forgetting about it until reminded now and then. When it comes you wonder why it was such a secret in the first place.
This is an unusual book, and I kept changing my mind about it. The beginning was quite slow, and it took me some time to get into the story. I then read the second half very fast. I disliked the increase in drama as the book went on, but the ending charmed me again.
The story focuses primarily on the attempts of Fabbia Moreno and her daughter Ella to build a new life in York. I love the city of York, so I enjoyed that element of the setting. Fabbia has a number of secrets which are hinted at throughout the book, but Ella has been kept in the dark about her mother's true past and some of her current habits, and she is anxious to know the truth.
The parts that interested me the most were Fabbia's workings with "words" and her vintage clothes; The Signals; the tarot cards and her past in her true home country... unfortunately much of this was not developed particularly thoroughly and felt like a sideline to the much more well-travelled plot of outsiders trying to fit in. That said, I could sympathise in particular with Ella; we've all felt like an outsider at times and her struggle to find a place for herself was well portrayed.
Nicholls' writing style is lovely, very smooth and easy to read. Her characters are imaginative and well presented and the story reached a pleasant end, even if some of the more interesting elements of the plot remained unresolved. I understand there will be another, connected story however, so perhaps we may be given more development of these plot points in future. I give it 3.5 stars overall, and I do think I will be investigating the next book when it appears.
The story focuses primarily on the attempts of Fabbia Moreno and her daughter Ella to build a new life in York. I love the city of York, so I enjoyed that element of the setting. Fabbia has a number of secrets which are hinted at throughout the book, but Ella has been kept in the dark about her mother's true past and some of her current habits, and she is anxious to know the truth.
The parts that interested me the most were Fabbia's workings with "words" and her vintage clothes; The Signals; the tarot cards and her past in her true home country... unfortunately much of this was not developed particularly thoroughly and felt like a sideline to the much more well-travelled plot of outsiders trying to fit in. That said, I could sympathise in particular with Ella; we've all felt like an outsider at times and her struggle to find a place for herself was well portrayed.
Nicholls' writing style is lovely, very smooth and easy to read. Her characters are imaginative and well presented and the story reached a pleasant end, even if some of the more interesting elements of the plot remained unresolved. I understand there will be another, connected story however, so perhaps we may be given more development of these plot points in future. I give it 3.5 stars overall, and I do think I will be investigating the next book when it appears.
I really wanted to like this book. I have a soft spot for dressmaker stories, and the details and imagery in this book are lovely. But the story doesn't GO anywhere, and my interest finally waned and withered before I finished.
Magical realism from a woman's point of view. A mother and daughter move to York to start a vintage dress shop and a new life. However, both hide secrets, including the mother's Iranian birth. The fully-English daughter is pulled between the mystery and magic of her mother's strange world and just wanting to fit in, like a "normal" teenager. Loved it.
I had a bit of a rocky start with this book, picking it up and putting it down only after a few pages, because it seemes so much like Chocolat by Jacqueline Wilson, I couldn't believe it. But thankfully I gave it a second chance and it developed into an amazing, compelling story.
This book tells a story of a mother and daughter moving to a new place and trying to settle down, in a society that doesn't always accept strangers easily. After my initial frustration with how some elements seemed taken out of Chocolat (and what's even worse is that it wasn't necessary - some of them didn't bring much to the story at all), the book tuly drew me in. It's partly a coming out of age story (on Ella's part) and partly a story about finding your place on earth (on Fabbia's part).
The book isn't one that you would breeze through, but rather one that could be read and savoured slowly. I liked that, because I grew to like the characters and was curious to see what's going to happen to them. I also enjoyed some elements from the Middle Eastern culture and myths that were included, as well as bits of magical realism.
I'm happy that I gave this book a chance, and I will definitely pick up the continuation, as soon as I will be able to get it!
This book tells a story of a mother and daughter moving to a new place and trying to settle down, in a society that doesn't always accept strangers easily. After my initial frustration with how some elements seemed taken out of Chocolat (and what's even worse is that it wasn't necessary - some of them didn't bring much to the story at all), the book tuly drew me in. It's partly a coming out of age story (on Ella's part) and partly a story about finding your place on earth (on Fabbia's part).
The book isn't one that you would breeze through, but rather one that could be read and savoured slowly. I liked that, because I grew to like the characters and was curious to see what's going to happen to them. I also enjoyed some elements from the Middle Eastern culture and myths that were included, as well as bits of magical realism.
I'm happy that I gave this book a chance, and I will definitely pick up the continuation, as soon as I will be able to get it!