Historical Fiction Mini-Reviews

The Dressmaker's Dowry by Meredith Jaeger (2017)

A dual timeline narrative which tells the story of two missing seamstresses in 1870s San Francisco and a woman in the present day who wants to solve the mystery of their disappearance.  Sarah is a grad student working on a novel for her thesis when she becomes inspired by an article she comes across while doing research, about two dressmakers who went missing.  As she digs into the story, she finds links to her husband's family, a wealthy and prominent family in San Francisco.

The author really made the San Francisco setting come to life, and it's not a setting I've come across often.  I enjoyed the comparisons she made between the 19th and 21st centuries and what has changed over the years, like street names and new buildings.

The present-day narrative was decent, although I wish it had been a tad less melodramatic with the addition of some drama from Sarah's past.  I appreciated that, despite some obstacles, Sarah kept going with her research to find out what really happened to the dressmakers, Hanna and Margaret, and was able to right some wrongs that would have otherwise been lost to history forever.  There were some cliche issues in the 1870s storyline and the conversations were a bit stilted, but I liked the way the narratives came together and worked.  3 stars

                                                                                                                                    

 

The Echo of Twilight by Judith Kinghorn (2017)

The Echo of Twilight didn't really break new ground with its themes - an unusual friendship between an aristocrat and her lady's maid on the eve of WWI - but the writing and slight twists really made me love this novel.

Pearl, the main character, was not easy to like.  Right off the bat, she's a bit of a liar and very cold.  And her employer, Ottoline, seems a bit flighty.  But throughout the novel, we find that Ottoline has many layers to her, some good and some not-so-good.  Through a series of events, Pearl and Ottoline become very close, but their friendship has a tipping point.

The story starts at the beginning of WWI and we continue to follow the characters long after the war has ended.  The last third of the book felt a bit long-winded.  Some issues regarding adultery and illegitimate children were a bit cliché, but more than one revelation had me shocked.

Kinghorn's writing is beautiful yet still easy to read.  The story was a lovely addition to a genre that I always gravitate towards.  If you enjoy stories about upstairs-downstairs relations, WWI historical fiction, and an English setting, add this one to your TBR.  4 stars