Reviews

The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean

efrankel's review against another edition

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4.0

An interesting way of telling stories. The jump between past and present was a bit confusing at times, but overall really good. The last ~quarter made me laugh, and the last few pages made me sob. 

Would recommend 

amotisse's review against another edition

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5.0

On a grey Saturday afternoon I lounged in our window seat and finished this book. I loved the idea of it as soon as I read the back and the further I got into the story the more inspired I became.
It's a fairly simple girly read but there are wonderful warm layers to the characters and their little histories as much as there are for the dresses.

I have already started to imagine little stories to compliment my vintage photos and other creative offerings. It seems to me that inanimate objects soak up the energies around them like earth soaks up rain. This is surely why some houses feel the way they do when you enter them, why second hand books ooze charm or why some pre-loved dresses feel like they were waiting for you.

Thank you for this story and the desire it has given me to create some of my own.

lizaroo71's review against another edition

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4.0

a delightful and quick read.

dora is raised by her grandmother mimi after losing her parents as an infant. mimi has a shop that sells vintage dresses. it is in this atmosphere rich with history and fashion in which dora grows up.

dora is a senior in college when mimi has a stroke and is bedridden. dora immediately returns home and without thinking twice, takes over the store. it is in these weeks of caring for her grandmother and looking over the shop that dora realizes her place in life.

one of the best discovery's on dora's part is that mimi has given the dresses secret lives - stories that say something about the history of the dress.

the author maintains a blog: www.dressaday.com

egould1's review against another edition

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3.0

A sweet story overall. I think a few things could have been edited better to help the details of the book - like the stories of the dresses themselves could have better connected to the present day, or more clarity could have been provided for the reader during the whiplash back-and-forth-in-time sections, or to the author could have more clearly stated what was going on with Mimi. I also found a few typos, which is rare and distracted me. In the end, these things distracted from the main point of the novel.

hmonkeyreads's review against another edition

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2.0

It's a cute concept but the whole book seems forced. Didn't hate it but I don't really recommend it either.

lorathelibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

I needed a little light summer reading and this definitely filled that need. It was a cute story of a woman just graduating from college returning home to run her grandmother's vintage clothing store.

While reading all I wanted to do was go out and shop for vintage clothes. And now after I'm done with it all I want to do is wear dresses all the time. I loved that the author really made me feel that way while reading the book.

There wasn't anything outstanding in this book, but it was filled with heart. It was also filled with a lot of clothes, which is something I LOVE. This is definitely something I'd recommend to friends, especially ones just out of college or a few years older. Twenty-something would really love this book.

charlmax's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

valeriew's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a pretty good book. The only thing I didn't like about it was the one character (Maux) who had a pretty bad mouth sometimes. Other then that I really enjoyed it.

onceuponasarah's review against another edition

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4.0

Sweet light read. A bit sad, but overall a pleasant escapist book.

emmaaxtco's review against another edition

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2.0

Perfect book to have when you're sick and you just don't want to think. Painfully predictable though.