The Dressmakers of London

By Julia Kelly

Book Overview

The author of the "enthralling" (Woman's World) The Lost English Girl returns with a heartfelt new novel about estranged sisters who inherit their late mother's dress shop in World War II London.

Isabelle Shelton has always found comfort in the predictable world of her mother's dressmaking shop, Mrs. Shelton's Fashions, while her sister Sylvia turned her back on the family years ago to marry a wealthy doctor whom Izzie detests. When their mother dies unexpectedly, the sisters are stunned to find they've jointly inherited the family business. Izzie is determined to buy Sylvia out, but when she's conscripted into the WAAF, she's forced to seek Sylvia's help to keep the shop open. Realizing this could be her one chance at reconciliation with her sister, Sylvia is determined to save Mrs. Shelton's Fashions from closure--and financial ruin.

Through letters, the sisters begin to confront old wounds, new loves, and the weight of family legacy in order to forge new beginnings in this lyrically moving novel perfect for fans of Genevieve Graham and Lucinda Riley.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1668032724
• ISBN13: 9781668032725
• Release Date: February 2025
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Loved this novel of sisters, fashion, and forgiveness

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own. Loved this London-based World War II novel of sisters, fashion, and forgiveness. This page-turning historical fiction alternated between the two sisters’ points of view. Additionally, letters the sisters wrote to each other heightened the story’s progress and added depth to their relationship. While this well-written story takes place during World War II in London, it doesn’t focus on the Blitz. Yes, there are blackout curtains and all sorts of ration restrictions. But in addition to Izzie’s experiences as a conscripted young woman, the story alternates with Sylvia’s efforts to keep their mother’s dress shop afloat. Author Julia Kelly’s expert research of rationing regarding clothing, fabric, and even the dress designs reveal a lesser-known component of the time period. The book contains the resilient concept of “legacy” as the estranged sisters agree to work together to save the dress shop they unexpectedly inherit from their mother. Themes of class, gender inequality, and romance are woven into the novel to provide a satisfying and heartwarming ending. I highly recommend!