Friday, January 22, 2016

The Dressmaker's War by Mary Chamberlain narrated by, Susan Duerden


The Dressmaker's War by Mary Chamberlain narrated by, Susan Duerden
Soon to be available in house.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Spanning the intense years of war, The Dressmaker's War is a dramatic tale of love, conflict, betrayal and survival. It is the compelling story of one young woman’s resolve to endure and of the choices she must make at every turn – choices which will contain truths she must confront.
London, spring 1939. Eighteen-year-old Ada Vaughan, a beautiful and ambitious seamstress, has just started work for a modiste in Dover Street. A career in couture is hers for the taking – she has the skill and the drive – if only she can break free from the dreariness of family life in Lambeth.
A chance meeting with the enigmatic Stanislaus von Lieben catapults Ada into a world of glamour and romance. When he suggests a trip to Paris, Ada is blind to all the warnings of war on the continent: this is her chance for a new start.
Anticipation turns to despair when war is declared and the two are trapped in France. After the Nazis invade, Stanislaus abandons her. Ada is taken prisoner and forced to survive the only way she knows how: by being a dressmaker. It is a decision which will haunt her during the war and its devastating aftermath.

My Review of the audiobook:

This book hooked me right away and I had a very hard time putting it down. This was a different war story as the majority of the book is set after the war is over and it is an English woman who was a prisoner in Dachau, she was not in the camp she was in the commandant’s house but she was a prisoner none the less.

Yes, there were times when Ada’s choices made you want to grab her and shake her but then you think of how young she was when Stanislaus took her to Paris and then what she went through in Dachau, I’m sure stunted her growth. Even after all she went through she was still so naïve. But I truly think she still only wanted someone to love her and that is why she fell for these men that were definitely not good for her. And you have to remember this was a different time for women even though this isn’t that long ago women were still the weaker sex and could still be lied about and to easily by men. And when you are a young girl just out of captivity with nowhere to go and no one to turn to you are an easy mark for these slime balls.

Susan Duerden’s narration was as always wonderful and added to my enjoyment of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the ending gutted me, I would definitely read more from this author.


4 ½ Stars