PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
A royal princess. A dress lost for decades. A love story waiting to be uncovered…
London, 1988: Meredith has landed her dream job at London’s most prestigious fashion house, creating beautiful gowns adorned with intricate beads and embroidery. But now Meredith is about to create a dress like no other for the most famous woman in the world: Diana, Princess of Wales.
As Meredith pours her heart into this career-defining dress, she works under the handsome and exacting William in the workroom. William, and this commission, could end up changing her life in more ways than one…
New York, 1997: The red carpet has been rolled out on Park Avenue for the auction of Princess Diana’s dresses for charity. Of the eighty items listed for sale, only seventy-nine will sell. Because dress Number 19 is missing…
England, 2018: Jayne has met all the neighbours in her new building bar one: Mrs Chalis on the first floor. When she finally meets Meredith Chalis in the hallway, she is taken aback by how upset she seems and offers her help. Entering her home, Jayne immediately knows something is very wrong. The house is in complete disarray and there is no sign of Meredith’s husband.
But then Jayne sees the most beautiful evening dress thrown over a chair and reads the note laid beside it. Jayne realises that Meredith has an incredible story to tell… and only she can help uncover it…
A sweeping, heartbreaking and inspiring story of a princess, the power of fashion and the importance of love. Perfect for fans of The Crown, The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo and The Royal Librarian.
Published in the USA as The Memory Dress.
MY THOUGHTS
My thanks to Anne of Random Things Tours for the invite and to the publisher for the paperback copy to review. The Palace Dressmaker is published by Hodder Books and is available in ebook, audiobook and paperback formats (5 November 2024). I’m delighted to share my review on publication day.
The prologue set in 1997 at Christie’s Auction House in New York had me intrigued. Why were there only 79 dresses shown instead of the 80 listed. Where was the missing dress and who was the woman sitting at the back?
In 1998, Meredith begins her new job. It is for designer Catherine Walker, a favourite designer of Diana, Princess of Wales. I remember the Diana years so well and from the vivid descriptions remembered some of the dresses and occasions. As you can see from the photo, I have kept my Diana books from back in the day. We were almost the same age and I’m sure like many people I can remember exactly where I was when the awful news was broadcast.
In 2018 and with its Bath setting, part time florist and dog walker Jayne is living in an apartment where she comes across neighbour Meredith Chalis, now in her 60s. Meredith seems very confused. Her own apartment is in rather a desperate state and she constantly refers to her husband William as if he has just popped to the shops. However there is no physical presence of William. Where is he and why is he not with Meredith?
I enjoyed this story so much, it is captivating, heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures. It is told mainly from Jayne’s POV but also from the occasional perspectives of others. There is a smidgen of mystery involved with regard to the absent William. I had my own suspicions but eagerly waited for the layers to slowly reveal more of Meredith’s background. Meredith has her own personal challenges (I loved the concept of the memory room) and I took her to my heart. Her moments of wisdom and clarity between the confusion were authentic and lovely to see. This is not just a story about a dress, it is also about the kindness of strangers and coming to terms with personal tragedies. All the neighbours had their own private difficulties however it was Jayne who led the way here. Her concern for Meredith was genuine and she was instrumental in trying to help Meredith to find not just her memories but also her husband. Kindhearted she was also guarded about her own personal life and I was so hoping that she could find a way to overcome her own heartache.
With its background themes to please fans of royalty and fashion, this is a super story of love and loss, friendship and cherished memories. I very much enjoyed Jade’s writing and after reading this realised I have a previous book by her on my TBR (The Last Dress from Paris) which I am now looking forward to.
Jade Beer is an award-winning editor, journalist and novelist who has worked across the national press, women’s glossies, weeklies and digital channels for more than twenty years.
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