I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: Forever / Hachette Audio
Published: September 15, 2020
Summary:
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Paris Orphan comes an unforgettable historical novel about a secret collection of Dior gowns that ties back to the first female pilots of WWII and a heartbreaking story of love and sacrifice.
England, 1939: The Penrose sisters couldn’t be more different. Skye is a daring and brash pilot, and Liberty is the one to defy her at every turn. Even if women aren’t allowed in the Royal Air Force, Skye is determined to help the war effort. She’s thrilled when it reunites her with her childhood soul mate, Nicholas. She’s less thrilled to learn Nicholas is now engaged to an enigmatic Frenchwoman named Margaux Jourdan.
Paris, 1947: Designer Christian Dior unveils his glamorous first collection to a world weary of war and grief. He names his debut fragrance Miss Dior in tribute to his beloved sister, Catherine, who forged a friendship with Skye and Margaux through her work with the French Resistance.
Present day: Fashion conservator Kat Jourdan discovers a priceless collection of Dior gowns in her grandmother’s vacant cottage. As she delves into the mystery of their origin, Kat begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about her beloved grandmother.
My thoughts:
After having loved Natasha Lester’s most recent two books, I decided I needed to read all her historical fiction books, all of which I have sitting on my shelf. I was thrilled when a few of my bookstagram friends decided to do a buddy read for this one…it was the perfect motivation to get started!
Historical fiction is definitely one of my favorite genres and its books like this that just make me love the genre all the more. I can never get enough stories about WWII because I always find something new – and that is what we have here. I loved learning how women worked their way into the air during the war…so fierce and definitely bada**!
This book, while a bit on the long side, completely captivated me from start to finish and never once did I feel a lull. Having the story move back and forth amongst three timelines – I really don’t know how Natasha Lester does it! – but I found myself equally drawn to all three and would be so anxious to get back to each one every time we had to switch! There was an air of mystery behind it all and I loved how in the end it all connected – of course, as we were making our way through the book, my mind was working overtime trying to see how it would and I never got there. These characters were so vivid and felt so real to me and I know that Skye, Liberty, Margaux and Catherine will be living in my mind for the foreseeable future!
Part mystery, part romance, part war story with detail about fashion thrown in, this is such a layered story that I think all fans of historical fiction will love. It evoked so many emotions throughout and I just loved the relationships that we become privy to throughout – sisters, childhood friends, work friends and then love interests. I really didn’t want this book to end and am already looking forward to picking up my next Natasha Lester book!
Audio thoughts:
I decided to listen to this one as I find Natasha Lester’s books translate so well onto audio and despite the fact that there were different narrators this time around, I was transfixed the entire time I was listening to this one. Penelope Rawlins and Melle Stewart do an amazing job bringing this story to life, giving the characters unique voices and infusing just the right amount of tension and emotion into their voices as needed. It was a great book to listen to!
