Fashion's Lady

By Sandra Heath

Impoverished Susannah Garland is in love with her dashing cousin, Miles Devereux. Fearing for her life at the hands of her ruthless uncle, she flees when Miles is forced to marry into money. Her skill... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451118294
• ISBN13: 9780451118295
• Release Date: October 1982
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

The devil is in the details . . .

It was certainly not the thing for a young, unmarried female to go into business for herself during Regency times. But Susannah Garland has little choice in the matter. Orphaned, and left to the care of uncaring uncle, and in love with her cousin Miles Devereux, Susannah's only skill is that of dressmaking. When the weak Miles (who loves gambling more than anything) is forced to marry for money, Susannah chooses to run away rather than face whatever devious plans might be devised by her uncle. Her extraordinary skill with pencil and paper (in addition to needle and thread) soon lands her a position with the tight-fisted Madame Hilary. Firmly stuck in the past, Madame's designs cannot begin to compare with the lovely and innovative styles created by Susannah, which of course, doesn't sit so well with the other staff. Except for one, Annie Jones, who quickly becomes Susannah's friend. Time passes, and things are going reasonably well, until Susannah scores a minor triumph with a radical design for one of the Princesses. A fashion war is declared, one that Susannah cannot possibly win, until Sir Jeffrey Stratton comes to her rescue. For reasons of his own, he decides to support Susannah in establishing the New House of Fashion. They quickly become the talk of the town, even though the relationship is strictly business. Miles discovers Susannah's location, and tries to convince her of his unhappiness with his marriage and the world in general. As some people do, he decides that if he can't have Susannah, neither will anyone else, and his blatant misbehavior soon leads to a challenge from Sir Jeffrey. This is a meaty novel of life in the early 1800s. It is certainly a romantic novel, if not quite the current definition of a `romance'. It is an excellent exposition of the history of fashion during that time, when fashion was a very big deal, indeed. There is a touch of gothic about it, too. But what really makes it stand out from other books of this type are the hundreds of little details that combine to make this a very satisfying reading experience. It should easily appeal to any reader of any age.

Sensational Book!!!

Backflap: A proper young lady did not go into trade. But what was Susannah Garland to do, when she had only her dressmaking skill to keep her from the streets? A proper young lady also did not enter into partnership with a notorious seducer like Sir Jeffrey Stratton. But what was Susannah to do, when she desperately needed his aid to open her establishment? And, above all, a proper young lady did not listen to the wooing of another lady's husband. But what was Susannah to do, when Miles Devereux, the young lord she long had adored, asked her to help him forget his mockery of a marriage? Susannah had to learn the price of making a profit in business - and the high cost of falling in love... I adore this book. It has all my favourite ingredients: an independent woman who is NOT a bore or nasty, a lovely hero who believes in the woman/heroine, a good story line and characters who come alive. Susannah stands up for herself, over and over, confidently slaying the dragons that pile up before her. The story flows in perfect harmony and perhaps the only grudge I have with the story is that the main characters could have realized and surmounted their misunderstanding a bit sooner. However, having said that, I actually enjoyed that the book dragged on just a bit in the end because I did not want the story to end!! This is absolutely one of Ms. Heath's best endeavours, and I highly highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed.