The Dressmaker A Novel [Paperback]

Claude Reynaud is an old-fashioned tailor, designing his famous gowns by hand in a cluttered studio well outside Paris. But one spring afternoon a woman arrives in search of a wedding dress and shatters all his composure: Valentine de Verlay is charming, beautiful, sophisticated, and, of course, engaged. Though he has long since given up on romance in favor of his work, Claude is instantly smitten.

As Valentine's wedding approaches, Claude finds it impossible to keep a safe distance, and everything he's come to rely on in his small, focused life looks ready to collapse. Worse still, it appears that Valentine may share his feelings.

The Dressmakeris a perfect gem of a novel, an enchanting portrait of another world, and, above all, a sly and irresistible love story.

Elizabeth Birkelund Oberbeck's romp is as light and frothy as one of Claude's chiffon creations, yet it is also an engaging dissection of high fashion and those who determine its whimsical direction. Booklist

These two characters are drawn with great color, reflecting the stylish and variegated world of Parisian fashions and providing a textured backdrop for this subtle and well-crafted story. Library Journal

Oberbeck cleverly portrays Claude's entr?e into high fashion. . . . Successfully creates the intrigue one wants for a wedding gown designer who falls in love with his client. Publishers Weekly

What a pleasure to watch Oberbeck conjure up the world of French haute couture with effortless and playful ease and with the same ease spin her giddy plot. Margot Livesey, author of Banishing Verona

Discussion Questions

1. Early in the book, on the subject of the fashion industry in France, Elizabeth Oberbeck writes, times were changing, and much of the story deals with conflict between old-fashioned ways and modern ones. Do you think one way of life is favored over the other in this story? If so, how does lsè