AUDIO

The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding

by Jennifer Robson
9 CDs. Harper Audio. Dec. 2018. 11:38 hrs. ISBN 9781982552879. $34.99. digital download. F
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Oxford-trained historian Robson (Goodnight from London) braids a tale of yesterday and today by weaving together three separate plot strands: Heather Mackenzie in 2016 receives mysterious beaded embroideries from her grandmother that she traces to the wedding dress made for Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II); Ann Hughes in 1947 works for noted designer Norman Hartnell; and Miriam Dassin in 1947 leaves France for England, finding herself with Ann as an embroiderer before realizing her artistic talent. Marisa Calin's narration enriches the production, vividly bringing to life Ann's working-class origins, Miriam's French heritage, and Heather's Canadian nationality.
VERDICT Fans of British royalty and that particular kind of historic fiction that is interwoven with a strand of modernity—think Beatriz Williams and others' The Glass Ocean—should consider this novel. ["Historical details about fabric, embroidery, and the royal family are well incorporated into their stories, with light romance rounding out this charming work of historical fiction": LJ 9/15/18 review of the Morrow hc.]
Reviewed by David Faucheux, Lafayette, LA , Mar 01, 2019
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