The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

THE WEDDING DRESS SEWING CIRCLE is another wonderful historical fiction novel from Jennifer Ryan. Her earlier works include The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, The Spies of Shilling Lane, and The Kitchen Front. Also set in a small English village during WWII, THE WEDDING DRESS SEWING CIRCLE portrays the lives of several women: Grace, the vicar’s daughter; Violet, a young aristocrat conscripted for war work; and Cressida, her aunt who has become a well-known fashion designer. They struggle in different ways to balance society’s expectations with their own, often unformed, dreams. Ryan once again depicts a close-knit, supportive group of women – this time focused on sewing and clothes rationing during the war. She refers to numerous government efforts like Mend and Make Do and the IncSoc Utility contest. Those activities raise interesting questions about the role of fashion, consumerism, and social class. And, of course, there is an element of thwarted romance. Grace is engaged to a local curate, but is attracted to Hugh, Violet’s brother and head of the local manor. Violet seeks to marry an English aristocrat and Cressida has foresworn marriage, focusing instead on her career. They all grow and change and re-evaluate priorities as the story progresses. THE WEDDING DRESS SEWING CIRCLE is a LibraryReads selection for May with wide appeal to fans of romantic historical fiction and cozy English villages.