The Dressmaker

by Rosalie Ham

DaA

The Dressmaker is a wonderful tale of a small country town and its inhabitants.

Set in the 1950's, possibly in the Western Districts of Victoria, the story is just as relevant and believable as if it was today. The author is giving us a portrait of a rural community without judgement, but with lots of humour, black and otherwise.
It is a tale about mother and daughter: Tilly, the daughter, returns to her old home town to look after her ailing mother. The townsfolk have regarded her mother as mad for a long time. The many members of the community have a story to tell and a reason for their bizarre activities which can be hard to follow in the beginning. But all the loose threads are gathered bit by bit and in the end each character receives their just dues.
Through all this, the excellent descriptions of materials and dress designs are vivid: Tilly is a first class dressmaker. When the locals discover Tilly’s skills, they take advantage of her as they try to outdo each other in dress style and eventually also taking on the neighbouring town.

This book reminded us of two other books our group has read: Chocolat by Joanne Harris and Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville, both published in 1999. The Dressmaker (published in 2000) was rated 5 out of 5 by our book group members. ♣

♥ Thanks to:
Lynn Gent, Jess Kay, Jenny Wallis as well as
Students and Staff at Glenrowan and Winton Primary Schools.

Editor: Bill Gent

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