A wonderful and well written historical fiction novel set on the island of Sardinia in the early 1900s. The story is compelling and the characters are really interesting. A great read.

This is a pleasant enough story, but remarkable bland and uninspiring in its style, so that I found myself on the outside looking in all the way through rather than immersed in the narrative. Set in Sardinia around the turn of the century and spanning around a 100 years it tells the story of the eponymous Seamstress of Sardinia, who tells us how her remarkable needle working skills enabled her to survive the poverty of her childhood and forge an independent – of sorts – career sewing for her “betters”. Exposing the struggle of working-class women set against the life of privilege of her clients, it’s an historically accurate portrait of the time and place, but full of stock situations and clichéd encounters, including the expected romance with an upper class worthless man. The author is known for her children’s books and it shows; her move into adult fiction isn’t particularly successful. There’s little character development here, little interiority, little nuance, it’s all tell and no show, and it didn’t draw this reader in. I found myself skimming without losing any of the plot. Not for me, this one.

A lovely delicate novel that explores issues facing women in Italy at the start of the twentieth century, and gives some powerful insights into Italian society and how it treated its women. Told through the words of a seamstress who is looking back at her early life from a great distance, you are completely absorbed by the storytelling and are rooting for the main character as she demonstrates her kindness and generosity at every turn, being loved for or hated for her situation and her personality.

This is a beautiful book, simply written and yet deceptively evocative. Describing the life of a poor seamstress in Sardinia at the turn of the 20th century, the book manages to explore the class system and the struggle young women had at that time to retain any kind of independence. The heroine is young and completely believable, particularly when she anguishes over the fate of the small child of a dying neighbour. A compelling and fascinating read.

Spotted this at @kinokuniya_sydney earlier in the year and loved the cover and the title! ‘The Seamstress of Sardinia’ (May 2022) by Italian writer, Bianca Pitzorno and translated by Brigid Maher is the story of a young and poor seamstress looking for happiness and independence. This was an easy and enjoyable read - good old fashion story telling. It has elements of intrigue, romance, scandal - set in Italy, it’s a historical drama with a strong and independent female protagonist telling her story. You learn a little about the conditions for seamstresses and the class system in days gone by. If you sew you may enjoy the details about the sewing and embroidery. I was hoping for a bit more historical detail. But reading more about the writer and knowing now that Bianca Pitzorno is well known in Italy for her children and young adult writing and screenwriting, the style of storytelling is probably to be expected. I feel this would easily translate to the screen for a lovely film or series. If you’re looking for something light and entertaining then I’d recommend this. 📚🪡📚🪡📚🪡📚🪡📚🪡📚🪡 Thanks to #netgalley for the e-book in return for an honest review. #bookreview #theseamstressofsardinia #netgalleyreads #italianwriter #translatedfiction #historicalfiction #romancefiction

This is a charming book. The stories from the local town of a working class seamstress who had access to the homes of the rich and famous yet who lived two doorsteps from squalor. It speaks oceans about the insidious power of the class system and how privilege buys you your rights often at the expense of the poor. In particular women are disadvantaged. More than that it is a book about working class integrity and how it is possible to lead a dignified, honest life in poverty and by the end, it is a love story based in personal experience. It’s a lovely read.

This novel is a glimpse of the challanges facing a woman in Italy at the start of the 20th century. The young seamstress strives to succeed through hard work, talent and the bonds she builds with her employers. It was a pleasure to spend time with this novel. The writing is simple, straightforward, engaging and without self-pity.
Text have used a stunning eyecatching cover design with perfectly reflects the feel of the book and the translation flows seamlessly. Thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

A dreamy, beautifully written book to lose yourself in. It is a historical novel about a seamstress at the turn of the century, regaling tales from the houses of the wealthy and reflecting on the poverty of the seamstress and those in her class. A simple read, full of hope, romance and heartbreak. Recommended.

This is a novel to lose yourself in. I absolutely loved every last word of it!

It plunges you into the life of a young girl who is left poor and orphaned when her grandmother dies, but who continues work in the profession her grandmother trained her in, as a seamstress. We follow her day-to-day life as she works in the houses of the wealthy, right up to her death in old age... It's totally immersive and the characters leap off the page.

The story is told with intelligence and sensitivity, and it's beautifully written (or at least the translation reads beautifully).

I found it to be a total page-turner, yet I didn't want it to end. I actually found myself reading slower towards the end to make it last longer!

This book I devoured in a day. When I requested this book I did so as I loved the blurb and the story sounded like a very gripping and engaging story.

Throughout the book we read the story of a young girl who becomes an orphan and the story tells of her life, her struggles, her growth and her secrets. The characters in this book were well written and the setting worked well.

It is a well written book, heart-warming and heart-wrenching at times, it was so easy to read yet it had enough strength and character that kept me reading.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was the perfect length.

Well written with a gripping storyline and well developed characters that I loved. Heart-warming and yet heart-wrenching at times and full of secrets. I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Set at the turn of the 20th century, this novel about a young girl who becomes an orphan and a seamstress after her grandmother dies, is very touching.
We see her growing into a craftswoman and a woman, we learn about the secrets of the families (especially the women) she works for, and the hardships and humiliations the working-class people had to endure, even when they had skills such as hers. We read about sewing and creating beautiful, bespoke clothing, and the importance of apparently ordinary objects such a sewing machine, that could even change lives. The intimacy and sweetness of this story make it a book that you will not forget, and it's just a pity it's not longer.