This is a story of grief, loss and love. The story is told through a dual timeline. It is fast paced and compelling. The characterisation is good

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I love dual timeline novels and was attracted by the true story of the dress. This book was well-written with good descriptions, setting the scene in both times very well. However I did not like the frequent use of Dutch words which sometimes had explanations / meanings, and sometimes did not. The main female characters are both flawed, having been traumatised by events within their families, although in the case of Jo her remembrances seem inaccurate, and the artist, Catharine seems most unpleasant.
There is a lot of (essential) information provided within the text in order to understand the content about diving and the work of the historian. The author used many words such as thermocline, and statements such as:
The cosmos, with its planetary motions and influences on the tides, could be scrutinised and debated without the need to imperil one's immortal soul. Here, the paradox of free will and theological determinism could be conceptualised as a toll-free exploration on the influence of matter.
This made the book feel very wordy, I found it an effort to maintain my interest as I felt as though I was being lectured rather than enjoying an interesting novel. This book wasn't enjoyable for me, I finally gave up at 50%.

I wanted to like this story - it had so much potential being very different - a dress being dredged up from a shipwreck hundreds of years ago!
However, the storyline was never consistent and kept going off on a tangent which I found very frustrating! Sorry but I just wanted the author to ‘get on with it!’

Textiles historian Jo Baaker is drawn back to the Dutch island where she was born to investigate the provenance of a valuable seventeenth-century silk dress. Retrieved by local divers from a sunken shipwreck, the dress offers tantalising clues about Holland's famous Golden Age.

Jo's research leads her to Anna Tesseltje, a poor Amsterdam laundress who served Catharina van Shurman, portrait painter on the fringes of the Dutch court. The two women were said to be close, so why did Anna abandon Catharina at the height of her misfortune? And how did Anna come to possess such a precious dress? Jo is determined to find out, while battling academic politics and personal demons.

Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all!

I loved this book. It ticked all the boxes for me. Dual timeline, fabric, fashion, strong women. Highly recommended

I found this to be a fascinating read. I do enjoy a dual timeline story and I like the way the author links the two stories. The sixteen hundreds was a time of superstition and when women struggled to make their voices heard. Anna was the main character in the earlier time, who felt if she kept an item with her, it would protect her. Her employer was an interesting lady, ahead of her time in wanting education for girls. Jo was the main character in the present day and she had things to come to terms with, when she went back to Texel, where she had been born and spent the earlier part of her life. I found the details of preserving the dress interesting. Of course, there are some people looking out for their own career, that could cause difficulties for Jo. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fascinating story featuring two interesting and well developed heroines, a dual timeline, an ancient dress that bind the two timelines and two women.
I enjoyed this story that I found well written and compelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A well-researched and well-written dual timline novel about two women separated by centuries but tied together by a silk dress. I thoroughly enjoyed this

Present day divers bring up a trunk from a 17th century ship wreck and find an elaborate dress as part of its contents. This leads to conservation, textile research as well as academic skull duggery and the politics of cultural heritage. 17th century time line has a young, now impoverished, woman earning her living initially as a laundress but, after the death of her sister, being companion to an eccentric portrait painter. The only thing she's managed to keep is a dress worn by her mother in the family days of riches and security. Her story is poignant and felt very much of the time, The characters of the two time lines worked well too making an interesting and engrossing read. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is an absorbing novel. It is a carefully woven story with characters that ignite your interest. The main person from the two featured eras are in their own way both vulnerable but remarkably competent. I like the premise of ‘the dress’, where the history of an item of clothing is a window to the soul of the person who owned it and in analysing the clothing, their story is revealed. The book makes a statement about gender equality, observing that in both eras, women do not get a fair chance and need to fight for recognition. It points to the destructive nature of domestic abuse and the fact that if one were to pursue a flf relationship society would disapprove strongly, another form of discrimination. All in all, an enjoyable read.

Absolutely riveting read that had a well written storyline and well developed characters. It was full of vivid descriptions and rich imagery so I felt like I could just slide into the pages.

Wonderfully written qnd very descriptive duel storyline, loved the history surrounding the dress and couldn't put the book down wondering if jo would ever get to the bottom of the ownership and story behind the fabulous dress that was descovered beneath the waves
Thoroughly enjoyed the book and the characters, highly recommended