As much as I wanted to read this book when I was first granted access via NetGalley I never managed to get round to reading it. I have now gone back through and read the Synopsis and found that now this book is just not for me and will not be reviewing. I want to thank the publisher for allowing me to have access to the book but due to my tastes changing in reading this book no longer appeals to me.

I struggle with Historical Fiction but I adore them at the same time - it takes me a while to get into them but this book just hooked me from the get-go and I fell in love.

It was such an emotional, heart-wrenching book. It will take you back to WW2 and follow Rosa's journey in navigating life then and trying to make something of herself and follow her dreams.

Thank you to Netgalley and Georgia for allowing me access to this arc.

The Dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kauffman

What a beautiful well written book. About how a girl evolves growing up in Europe during WW2 and how events influence her choices . An emotional book as her traumatic young life /adulthood are being told from her memories . Follow Rosa’s journey from a frighten talented girl in a country with Nazi occupation to decades later to her coming an icon of the fashion industry travelling many continents and how her experiences give her the inner strength to overcome her obstacles of heartbreak and tragedy and inspirational hypnotic read which will grip you from the first page to the last and you will experience very experience with Rosa as you turn each page. Brilliant book very well done Georgia. 5/5

This is an epic story of love and loss
It is beautifully written and I loved the main character
The story is so wonderful
A fantastic book

Such a lovely story that kept me so engaged that I almost missed my stop on my commute to work. It was a beautifully written piece of historical fiction. Most enjoyable.

This was brilliantly written. I find historical fiction for me a bit hit and miss, but this was a hit from me.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Really nice relaxing read, great for the summer holidays.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was a lovely story that was full of romantic angst, that left you aching for more. The writing was gorgeous and the world-building was fantastic.

This one was unfortunately a bit of a let down for me. I was intrigued by the premise of Paris, and the dressmaking protagonist. However, I feel as though Rosa's career in fashion was only a brief part of her story, and personally what I found to be the most interesting. I would have loved to read more about her time in Paris under Dior, but the focus was instead on Rosa's various relationships with men who all seem to inevitably die before her. I did enjoy the writing style but as I grew disinterested with the story, I also did with the writing to a point. I liked the memoir-style of the book, as well as how it takes us right from the beginning of her life, but I do think it made it feel a bit dense too. Rosa's story is very traumatic, but harrowing, and I do think Kaufmann portrays her struggle well. I really wanted to like this book, but I think the density of it and the fact that it unfortunately focuses more on Rosa's failed relationships than herself, meant it fell flat for me.

What a heartbreaking yet heartwarming book. I absolutely would recommend this to anyone.

I love sewing but I've not made clothes and this book has made me want to have a go.

The relationship between Rosa and the professor is really lovely. I love how Rosa turns awful events in her life into positive. She has to deal with so much to deal with from such a young age.

I liked the relationship between Rosa and Graza, they seem to stick together through the highs and lows.

It's a fabulously interesting book about, fashion, fame and relationships. It's also about power struggles, loss, bravery, racsim and sexism and it is jam packed.

I would definitely read another by this author and recommend this one to my friends and family.

A beautiful story of love, loss, and truth in a world that was changed by the scars of war. I was moved by the tale of Rosa who is relating her life story through memories whilst preparing to meet someone. After a life starting in a poor alps town, a life changing situation during Nazi occupation and the help of a postman she embarks on a new life. This life in fashion takes her through Paris, Brazil and even New York through the 50s, yes and beyond and weaves a fantastic life story rich in detail. This is a wonderful book which truly moved me,

Thanks for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was beautiful written, like a story especially for me about a distant friend. Historical fiction is beautiful, and I read this in one sitting!! High praise from me.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I'm on a bit of an historical fiction binge and absolutely love the genre

Really enjoyed this and read it is one sitting

Can't say any better than that really

If historical fiction is your thing, this one's for you

Rosa is an icon in the fashion industry. She has built an empire and now she is relating her story, going back, back to being a sixteen year old raped by a Sergeant in Hitler's army which was bad enough but what was totally unimaginable and horrifying was that her father actually traded her virginity in, in a game of cards which he lost.

Finding herself pregnant and alone, Rosa's story takes on from there. It was a tumultuous beginning and the story had its share of ups and downs.

Rosa was very focussed and this led especially in her younger years to decisions which were looking back clinical and selfish, but she had her reasons and she successfully turned her life around.

The story was riveting, a rags to riches story, of a determined woman out to make good. The times were hard Hitler's Austria and then Switzerland, then Paris.

A page turner, unputdownable!

I seldom read historical fiction these days, but I truly enjoyed this book. So much that I read it in one sitting.

The Dressmaker of Paris feels like a song.
Each chapter begins in conversation with “you”. Who we are remains to be seen but I absolutely adored the poetic way in which the words speak to you. This book feels personal, like being told a story from a friend, and we’re on the journey of her life too.

We travel the world, experience a world war and all the hardships that Rosa endures. From the alps, to Switzerland and Paris, we’re invited on a personal journey. I was enveloped by the story. Drawn in to the pages and surprisingly (as I am made of stone) emotional.

Teachings of fashion and beauty, dressmaking and mending, the sights and smells are described as if you are right there with them. The chapters are titled by makeup and skincare, with Rosa relating her products to the story of her life and lessons learned.

I just can’t believe this lyrical work of art is a debut. Please write more journeys around the world to fall deeply enamoured with.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I was taken on a magical journey which I loved from the first page to the last. I loved reading this book and I couldn’t wait to see how it would develop. The author didn’t disappoint me at all. A brilliantly written story which made the reader to want to know more.

Pauline Barnaby
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2021
The way that the story of Rosa unfolds throughout this book is beautiful.You cannot predict what will happen next and you cant wait to find out. The book is incredibly well written and keeps you gripped to the very last page.

They say don't judge a book by it's cover but seriously, how can you not request a book with a cover so gorgeous and clever! I had pretty much decided I wanted to read this even before I read the synopsis to know what it was about.

Upon reading the synopsis you are imagining a life of glamour, the perfect dress for every occasion and a look into how the other half live. This book doesn't feature any of that, it is far more layered and gritty. Although Rosa makes her fortune through dressmaking and it does feature in the story, it is not the focus of the story and there is very little of Paris included in the novel, strangely, Rosa isn't actually from Paris, she's from Italy so the title is slightly misleading BUT don't let that put you off. This is an excellent read.

The story is told from the point of view of Rosa, she is getting ready for a major event and looking back on her life
"𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘔𝘢 𝘊𝘩è𝘳𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺..."
For most of the novel, we don't know what the event is, or who she is talking to about it.

Each chapter opens with a present day look around her, and some dialogue about around beauty, be that nail varnish, lipstick, moisturiser, shaving. This is then very cleverly linked back to an episode in Rosa's life.

This book is beautifully written, you feel as though Rosa is speaking directly to you and you feel every possible emotion as you move through her life. From her difficult time as a teenager in Italy at the start of WWII through her moves to Switzerland, Paris, Rio and New York. You get to know her hopes and fears, you live through both the best and worst times in her life.

By the end of the novel I was emotionally spent, I felt like I'd lived through everything with Rosa and I was so invested in her that the ending was just perfect for everything that had gone before.

Thank you NetGalley, Georgia Kaufman and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review

The Dressmaker of Paris begins when we are introduced to Rosa in New York in 1991 as she prepares for a very important meeting. While she chooses what to wear and what makeup to use she relates her life story to an unknown person addressed as 'Ma chere', the only thing that irritated me as it took me out of the story when I wanted Rosa to be addressing me, the reader. However, the person she is talking to is an important one, as we discover near the end.

Rosa's life spans her childhood during the Second World War in the Alps, her escape from her family first to Switzerland and then to Paris while still a teenager, and her burgeoning career working for Christian Dior. We follow her to Brazil and finally New York. Along the way Rosa becomes a very successful international designer in her own right.

But it is who she has left behind that haunts Rosa throughout this memorable and beautifully imagined story. Until she lays those ghosts of her past to rest she will never be truly happy. I did find the way this was achieved a little contrived but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book very much. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hooder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review The Dressmaker of Paris.