The Paris Seamstress

Posted on 19 May 2018 by Natasha Lester

How much will a young Parisian seamstress sacrifice to make her mark in the male dominated world of 1940s New York fashion From the bestselling author of A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald and Her Mother s Secret.1940 Parisian seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee France as the Germans advance She is bound for Manhattan with a few francs, one suitcase, her sewing machine, and a dream to have her own atelier.2015 Australian curator Fabienne Bissette journeys to the annual Met Gala for an exhibition of her beloved grandmother s work one of the world s leading designers of ready to wear But as Fabienne learns about her grandmother s past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and secrets and the sacrifices made for love.Crossing generations, society s boundaries and international turmoil, The Paris Seamstress is the beguiling, transporting story of the special relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter as they attempt to heal the heartache of the past. Best Read [ The Paris Seamstress ] By [ Natasha Lester ] – kino-fada.fr Estella Bissette was a seamstress, working with her mother at the atelier in Paris It was all she had known, having grown up with a needle in her hand and her mother s fashion by her side But Germany s approach on France in 1940 saw Estella flee the only home she d known, heading to Manhattan on the SS Washington the last American ship to leave French waters.When Fabienne Bissette arrived in Manhattan from Sydney for the Gala of her grandmother, Estella s work in 2015, she was once again sho Estella Bissette was a seamstress, working with her mother at the atelier in Paris It was all she had known, having grown up with a needle in her hand and her mother s fashion by her side But Germany s approach on France in 1940 saw Estella flee the only home she d known, heading to Manhattan on the SS Washington the last American ship to leave French waters.When Fabienne Bissette arrived in Manhattan from Sydney for the Gala of her grandmother, Estella s work in 2015, she was once again shocked at how her grandmother had aged Ninety seven years of age, she was frail but her strength of mind and love for her granddaughter shone through But the recent death of her father had made Fabie...Historical fiction is fast becoming my favourite genre and after reading this magnificent book, it s not hard to see why The Paris Seamstress by Aussie author Natasha Lester took me on a wonderful journey unlike any other My warning to anyone who intends to read this book is to prepare yourself for a heartbreaking and emotional roller coaster ride and make sure you hang on tight with both hands No amount of words will do this book justice, hence I will finish by saying this book was an OUTSTA Historical fiction is fast becoming my favourite genre and after reading this magnificent book, it s not hard to see why The Paris Seamstress by Aussie author Natasha Les...3.5 starsNatasha Lester is known for her historical romance novels which feature strong, independent female characters The main character of The Paris Seamstressis Estella Bissette, who in 1940 manages to get out of the soon to be occupied Paris, on the last boat to New York She s got limited funds but she dreams that one day she ll get to be a clothes designer During her sea voyage to New York she meets a young man, Sam, who is very interested in clothes cutting A happy coincidence Este 3.5 starsNatasha Lester is known for her historical romance novels which feature strong, independent female characters The main character of The Paris Seamstressis Estella Bissette, who in 1940 manages to get out of the soon to be occupied Paris, on the last boat to New York She s got limited funds but she dreams that one day she ll get to be a clothes designer During her sea voyage to New York she meets a young man, Sam, who is very interested in clothes cutting A happy coincidence Estella has a temper so s...I was blown away by The Paris Seamstress I read a lot of WWII, female perspective fiction I enjoy learning about the challenges overcome, feel that reading historical fiction helps honour those that came before and teaches us what to do or not to do in the future Usually in a WWII book you are prepared to be emotionally wrung out by the end or even in the first 10% The Paris Seamstress is different It s not any less impactful but it s a very different story from a different outlook on WWII I was blown away by The Paris Seamstress I read a lot of WWII, female perspective fiction I enjoy learning about the challenges overcome, feel that reading historical fiction helps honour those that came before and teaches us what to do or not to do in the future Usually in a WWII book you are prepared to be emotionally wrung out by the end or even in the first 10% The Paris Seamstress is different It s not any less impactful but it s a very different story from a different outlook on WWII other than the heart of Europe, the front line fighting or a concentration camp like we are familiar with SettingOur lead gal has been sent to New York, USA in order to be out of the way of the Nazi s invading and about to occupy Paris Our Parisian lead gal is in her late teens early twenties through the book She is about to have to fight hard...1940, as the Germans advance towards France, Estelle Bissette has to leave her beloved mother and her homeland and travel to America She sets out with a s3wing machine, a head full of plans and dreams and not a lot else She wants to bring the flair of Paris fashions to America But it is not an easy road Her life is complicatedwhen she meets a dashing, but enigmatic man The second story is set in 2015 with Australian curator attending the annual Met gala for her dearly loved grandmothe 1940, as the Germans advance towards France, Estelle Bissette has to leave her beloved mother and her homeland and travel to America She sets out with a s3wing machine, a head full of plans and dreams and not a lot else She wants to bring the flair of Paris fashions to America But it is not an easy road Her life is complicatedwhen she meets a dashing, but enigmatic man The second story is set in 2015 with Australian curator attending the annual Met gala for her dearly loved grandmother But as Fabienne learnsof her grandmother s past, a story of heartbreak, danger, sacrifice and secrets emergesHaving read some reviews of this a while back I was eagerly looking forward to reading it While I enjoyed it, I never got caught up in the story the way I expected to There are a couple of truly vile characters in the no...First 5 star read of the yearFlipping back and forth between the early years of WWII and 2015, this novel follows the lives of Estella fleeing from occupied France to New York City and Fabienne, her granddaughter in Australia who has uncovered a family secret.Lester first got on my radar with A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald, and at the time we were doing an author QA with her so I went back and read her first two novels I m disappointed to say that I feel her earlier work was much better It was emotive and thought provok Flipping back and forth between the early years of WWII and 2015, this novel follows the lives of Estella fleeing from occupied France to New York City and Fabienne, her granddaughter in Australia who has uncovered a family secret.Lester first got on my r...This book was a bit of a slog for me and took me a lot longer to finish it than I thought it would I found it hard going, one dimensional and flat My reasons I found the writing clumsy and ham fisted Lester was too busy telling us to show us She was telling us how beautiful dresses were, how beautiful scenery was, how beautiful characters were and how ugly a few were It is sometimes necessary to tell, but as a general rule, writing is at its best when it shows There was way too much telli This book was a bit of a slog for me and took me a lot longer to finish it than I thought it would I found it hard going, one dimensional and flat My reasons I found the writing clumsy and ham fisted Lester was too busy telling us to show us She was telling us how beautiful dresses were, how beautiful scenery was, how beautiful characters were and how ugly a few were It is sometimes necessary to tell, but as a general rule, writing is at its best when it shows There was way too much telling going on here.The other reason was, I felt that Lester did nothing to challenge any stereotypes or any assumptions The characters who I thought were all supposed to be good were good, those who were supposed to be bad were, and they all had the characteristics that I expected them to have There was nothi...Oh the feels Oh how I LOVE LOVE LOVE Estella and at first I loved Estella so much that when Fabienne came into the picture I was highly disappointed, but by the end I loved her as well The wonderfully woven secrets and the journeys I have traveled with these two women This was beautifully written and had a classical approach to fashion that felt timeless I loved the language it was told in and descriptive ways that hlped connect me to the story I truly loved this book and the way that th Oh the feels Oh how I LOVE LOVE LOVE Estella and at first I loved Estella so much that when Fabienne came into the picture I was highly disappointed, but by the end I loved her as well The wonderfully woven secrets and the journeys I have traveled with these two women This was beautifully written and had a classical approach to fashion that felt timeless I loved the language it was told in and descriptive ways that hlped connect me to the story I truly loved this book and the way that the story...A dual timeline novel that moves between the 1940s and contemporary times, The Paris Seamstress is a gorgeously rich and romantic novel about young women finding their way in the world.The story begins with Estella Bissette, a young apprentice seamstress working with her mother at a fashion designer s atelier in Paris Her metier is creating silk flowers, but she dreams of designing her own dresses and takes every opportunity to practise her craft But the Nazis are closing on France, and no one A dual timeline novel that moves between the 1940s and contemporary times, The Paris Seamstress is a gorgeously rich and romantic novel about young women finding their way in the world.The story begins with Estella Bissette, a young apprentice seamstress working with her mother at a fashion designer s atelier in Paris Her metier is creating silk flowers, but she dreams of designing her own dresses and takes every opportunity to practise her craft But the Nazis are closing on France, and no one knows what the future will hold One day Estella gets caught up in a mysterious errand that smacks of intrigue and resistance and meets a handsome stranger With her life in danger, she must flee France, and with her mother s help, gets a bunk on the SS Washington the last American ship to leave French waters with nothingthan a suitcase and a sewing machine.The other narrative thread concerns Estelle s granddaughter Fabienne, who arrives in Manhattan from Sydney for a celebratio...

English
19 May 2018

Natasha Lester