What I’m Reading: The Dressmaker’s Dowry

I’ve been finding lots of books of Hoopla as of late.  That’s awesome as Hoopla is a free online library.  Free is always good.  That way I can save my Audible credits.

My latest book, The Dressmaker’s Dowry, by Meredith Jaeger.

I enjoyed the book.  I like period time books.  This was happening just after the Civil War in San Fransisco.  The poor working-class life was featured in this book.  I’ll admit, it was all a little cliche`.  The dad was a drunk.  The mother was dead.  She had to raise the kids.  She meets a socialite.  It worked for me though.  I listened while traveling in the truck and it was interesting enough to keep my attention and make the ride seem faster.

Here is what Amazon had to say:
“For readers of Lucinda Riley, Sarah Jio, or Susan Meissner, this gripping historical debut novel tells the story of two women: one, an immigrant seamstress who disappears from San Francisco’s gritty streets in 1876, and the other, a young woman in present day who must delve into the secrets of her husband’s wealthy family only to discover that she and the missing dressmaker might be connected in unexpected ways.

An exquisite ring, passed down through generations, connects two women who learn that love is a choice, and forgiveness is the key to freedom…

San Francisco: 1876

Immigrant dressmakers Hannelore Schaeffer and Margaret O’Brien struggle to provide food for their siblings, while mending delicate clothing for the city’s most affluent ladies. When wealthy Lucas Havensworth enters the shop, Hanna’s future is altered forever. With Margaret’s encouragement and the power of a borrowed green dress, Hanna dares to see herself as worthy of him. Then Margaret disappears, and Hanna turns to Lucas. Braving the gritty streets of the Barbary Coast and daring to enter the mansions of Nob Hill, Hanna stumbles upon Margaret’s fate, forcing her to make a devastating decision…one that will echo through the generations.

San Francisco: Present Day

In her elegant Marina apartment overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, Sarah Havensworth struggles to complete the novel she quit her job for. Afraid to tell her husband of her writer’s block, Sarah is also hiding a darker secret—one that has haunted her for 14 years. Then a news headline from 1876 sparks inspiration: Missing Dressmakers Believed to be Murdered. Compelled to discover what happened to Hannelore and Margaret, Sarah returns to her roots as a journalist. Will her beautiful heirloom engagement ring uncover a connection to Hanna Schaeffer? ”

Amazon readers gave the book 4.2 stars.  That surprised me.  I thought it was a little better than that.  I’d say 4.4 stars.   I like it enough that I’m off to check if the author has other books that sound interesting.

Happily, there is another book Boardwalk Summer and Hoopla had that too!  YAHOO.  You can find The Dressmaker’s Dowry HERE.