Diane C. McPhail

I love historical fiction, and I am an avid sewist myself, so I thought I couldn’t lose with this story. The premise is a good one: it is 1900 in Chicago and New Orleans, where two women have husbands disappear under different circumstances. Fate brings the women together, and they develop a friendship.
One of the problems I have with it is the writing style. The author repeats ideas, thoughts, and even dialogue, not just a couple of times, but incessantly. If the repetition was removed, the story would likely be a lovely novelette, or even short story. Next, the villain is removed “offstage,” which gives it less impact. The ending (SPOILER!) leaves one of our characters less forthcoming than the other, which also bothered me. And lastly, I always have a problem with cover art that does not reflect the actual story. The dress on the cover has nothing to do with the dress being sewn throughout the story, which is described in great detail. Overall, I really wanted to love this story, but it was just okay.… (more)

An interesting story of two women, both abandoned (in different ways) by their husbands, who find each other, build a friendship, and create their own sort of family. Constance is a modestly wealthy woman in New Orleans, grieving after her husband's murder. Alice is left nearly destitute in Chicago after her husband disappears without a trace. Alice travels toward New Orleans, seeking news of her husband and work for herself. Her path crosses with Constance's and the two women form a friendship as Alice creates a magnificent grown for Constance to wear to an upcoming New Orleans ball. A decent read overall, but the final twist was very predictable (at least for me).… (more)