This was a bit of a slow read for me. The descriptions of the fabrics was intoxicating and I wish the humans were as interesting. I honestly didn't finish it. I just wasn't interested enough.

I had trouble with this one.

This is a post-war story and shows how female households -- those where the men of the family didn't survive WWII -- struggled to support themselves and each other. Peggy and Jeanne are two such women. They are sisters and live with Peggy's mother-in-law and Peggy's daughter, who was born after her father died. The characters are well developed and the story is well told.

However, I found the editing appalling! Most of the time Peggy and Jeanne were a year apart in age, but sometimes they were two years apart. And once, they were far enough apart in school that they moved in totally different crowds. Peggy's daughter lived eight years in her grandmother's house, then moved with her aunt and started Grade 1; and that's only one example of the child's age being inaccurate.

Peggy, as the widow of Tommy, is receiving a survivors' pension -- most of the time. Once or twice, it is Peggy's mother-in-law who is the recipient. And while Peggy misses her sister to distraction, she never answers Jeanne's letters -- or maybe she never got them?

I think a good editor could have made this book at least a four-star read. And I wish little details didn't bug me so much, but they do, especially when they are compounded. ( )

I enjoyed this story of two sisters in the post-WWII era. Jeanne and Peggy are each struggling - with poverty, the deaths of the men they loved, and to make a living. Each has a talent: Jeanne can sew and Peggy can design. Together they've got a good combination to start a business to revolutionize women's fashion, if only they could learn to get along. Altogether fun, this novel does take a dark turn or two (I found the last third a little implausible), but still a good read full of fun clothes and bright dreams. ( )

I really enjoyed this one! I love looking at post-WWII fashion, so this book had a lot to interest me, from the descriptions of the various fabrics at the beginning of each chapter to the process of design of the different outfits. And I have to say; I love the cover and the dress with that detailed trim! I also really liked most of the characters in the novel, despite the fact that all of the characters were flawed. Thelma, the mother-in-law, was my favorite character. She was a strong woman who made it her business to survive and to protect those she loved.

The synopsis tells us that her daughter-in-law Peggy resented playing second fiddle to her sister Jeanne, but the truth is, there were times that Jeanne played second fiddle to Peggy and had resentments of her own. All three of the women, made their share of bad decisions. All three also had their share of misfortune. I was never quite sure what was going to happen in this story, and that kept me reading!

My only quibble with the book was the ending. The story ended rather abruptly. There is an epilogue that updates us a bit on the characters; what they are doing and where they are. But it is quite a jump, and we are not really sure how they got to where they are. I would have liked a bit more detail.

Book clubs will have some great discussions about this book. Discussion can center around the role of women in the post-war era and the ‘2nd-class’ status they held. There are also plenty of ‘what would you do’ situations to discuss bases on the actions and motivations of the different characters. Whether for your book club or for an individual read, I highly recommend this one!

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I was provided a copy for review purposes. ( )

I won an Early Reviewer copy of The Dress in the Window by Sofia Grant from the LT May 2017 batch. I have not received the book as of yet. So I borrowed it from my local library because it sounded like a a good historical novel. I am doing a review while it is fresh in my mind because I still hope to receive this book.

That said, the book was a really good read. It started a bit slow and I had a bit of trouble with understanding how everyone related to each other, but those issues quickly went away. The plot unwound bit by bit until it really pulled you in, with each main character having their own secrets and lies. And that was the foundation for the story that became more and more compelling with twists and turns you would not expect. Told in the three main voices of two sisters, Peggy and Jeanne, Peggy with a young daughter, Tommie, and who lost her husband in World War II, and Jeanne, who similarly lost her fiancé, and Peggy's mother-in-law, Thelma. They live together and money is very tight.

Set outside of Philadelphia, Jeanne is a talented seamstress and Peggy a talented artist who designs fashions, and Thelma who has had vast experience in the mill once run by her now deceased husband, they each struggle with their past and how that past influences their future endeavors. The sisters have a complicated but loving relationship, as does Peggy with her own daughter. And Thelma can be very manipulative in her own way.

I enjoyed Grant's writing and her character development. Nothing formulaic here. The characters she writes about are interesting people, with flaws, desires and guilt to overcome.

As an added bonus, each chapter is begun with some unique facts about various materials and how those may be like some people we know. My favorite was Broadcloth -- It will not ravel, fray, or pill. It is not so different from certain women, who only become stronger the more hardship they are forced to endure. ( )