The grandmother's story was interesting. The modern day one was not.

I'm a sucker for historical fictions set in WW2 era and also for stories that take place in Europe. So giving this book a try was a no-brainer. I will say that the story-line from Harriet's perspective was weak for me. I found it hard to connect to her. This book takes place in current day and Harriet is interning in Paris and becomes connected to her grandmothers past through her new roommate. That coincidence was a little bit weird to me but what kept me interested was the storyline that took place in the past, told through Harriet's roommates grandmother who lived with Harriet's grandmother. I found it really odd that Harriet is SO invested in uncovering her grandmothers past (like so invested that she found a photo of her grandmother in front of a building in Paris and then goes to Paris to live in that same exact building..) but lets months go by learning these details through a 3rd person. Why did it take so long for Harriet to finally meet her roommates grandmother, the only living person who can give Harriet all of the information that she so desperately wants to learn? Besides those technicalities, it was an okay read. I do personally think the author tried a little TOO hard to connect Harriet to her family's past. The last chapter or two was almost unbearable, it was repetitive word vomit of trying to drive the "meaning of the book" home.

Dentro do género já li melhor.
Lê-se bem, mas houve certas coisas que não me fizeram sentido no presente.
Quanto à história do passado é mais uma, recheada de gente valente, que apesar do medo não se deixou controlar totalmente. É inspirador!!

Ignoring the modern story, the WW2 story is interesting and reminds me, during a pandemic, that most of us have never truly experienced suffering.

Ms Valpy has written another amazing book seeped in history and tragedy against the backdrop of France during World War 2. Set in two different timelines, the reader will appreciate the search for identity as Harriet moves to Paris from England, gaining employment within the fashion industry in the actual building where her grandmother lived and worked many years ago. Telling the story from dual POV, Claire, Harriet’s grandmother has her own sense of self to discover as we live the horrors, and moments of love, laughter and friendship during this time.
Closely linked to Fiona Valpy’s The Beekeeper’s Promise, The Dressmaker’s Gift can be read as a standalone.
A wonderfully written book, telling a story full of hope.

2.5 stars rounded up. Harriet travels to France to work in the fashion industry to find herself and information about her family. She uncovers the story of her grandma Claire and Claire’s friends Vivi and Mirielle. Started slow, the modern timeline acids depth and the coincidences that moved the plot just a little too unbelievable.

I swear if I have to read one more WWII book that goes back and forth between modern day character trying to figure out their relative’s history and that relative’s horror story, I may scream. Why are there so many books like this? As in other books that use this format, the WWII portion of story (the grandmother and her friends resisting the Germans) was riveting while the modern day story (this time it’s Harriet the granddaughter) contained way too many convenient coincidences to be believable, as well as just being dull and…for lack of a better word, whiny. Also, apparently the phrase “inherited trauma” must have been a hot topic when the author was writing this book because it was mentioned about 27 times in a very short span.

The book felt as if it were written by two different persons in its retelling of the past events in WWII and the current experience of Harriet. It did not have a fluid engaging effect and I found myself more interested in read more of the WWII story and the life and experiences of the women of the Resistance. At times I just wanted to skip the chapters discussing Harriet's personal experiences and realizations as they were often mundane and un-necessarily drawn out. When the WWII ended and the final chapter was focused on Harriet, I had to force myself to finish the book.

Maybe you might like the book, but to be honest, Harriet as a character was boring.

Loved it. Great historical fiction of a French perspective in WW2.

I feel I would have liked it more if I would have read it rather than listened to it on Audible.