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THE DRESSMAKER by Kate Alcott

My rating:  2.5 of 5 stars

Readers of this blog know that I am an easy touch for historical fiction, and that I like to mix up my time periods.  Having seen the movie Titanic but having read little about the actual events, I was interested to learn more about the disaster.  The blurbs I read about The Dressmaker promised an unique perspective on the events.  In that respect, I would say that the book delivered, but in that respect only.  While I would not characterize The Dressmaker as a dud, it definitely will not be a memorable read for me.

The novel is loosely based on the real-life British fashion designer Lucile Duff-Gordon and her baronet husband Cosmo.  The Gordons survived the shipwreck, but were eventually vilified as personifying the ruthless disregard that was displayed for the lives of the less privileged souls in steerage.  As the novel opens, Lucile hires Tess Collins, a young woman fleeing a life of servitude in order to pursue her real talents as a seamstress.  From her observations as Lucile's personal maid, Tess senses that there is more to Lucile than meets the eye.  Lucile keeps Tess guessing -- is she a vacuous society matron, a driven career woman, a vulnerable girl harboring deep insecurities, or some combination thereof?   When tragedy strikes, Tess manages to survive with the help of a young seaman, Jim Bonney, but her hopes for a new life are  threatened when questions are raised about Lucile's actions on the night of the shipwreck.  During hearings held on the matter in the U.S. Senate, Bonney's character is impugned, and Tess must decide where the truth and her loyalties lie. 

In writing the book, Alcott used the transcript of the hearings, and grounded her story in the fact that 60% of the first class passengers  survived that night while the percentage of those in steerage who survived was a mere 25%.  From the reports of half-empty lifeboats and refusals to return for those in the water who might have been saved, Alcott has crafted a narrative that explores the notion of responsibility, and pauses to consider what price the will to survive may exact on those who do just that. 

An interesting idea, to be sure, but one that mostly failed in the execution for me.  My primary complaint is that the only individual with any real substance is Tess.  I never formed an image in my head of any of the other players as I was reading, which for me is the definition of "thinly drawn" characters.  Even the person of tough talking young suffragist and newspaperwoman Pinky Wade, while entertaining, was more caricature than substance.  I was also less than enamoured of the plot pacing.  The first half of the book dragged, though I did find myself more engaged when midway through the focus shifted to the Senate hearings.

I have been on a run of really terrific reads lately, so it was only a matter of time before I stumbled.  With so many wonderful books out there, even the "just eh" read is one that I aim to avoid.  Hopefully I'll get back on track with the early books of 2012.

I received an advance reader's edition of The Dressmaker from the publisher.  The Dressmaker will be released in February of 2012.