The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle: A Novel

Jennifer Ryan

May 2022 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

Three plucky women lift the spirits of home-front brides in wartime Britain, where clothes rationing leaves little opportunity for pomp or celebration—even at weddings—in this heartwarming novel based on true events, from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.

After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. Praying that her niece and nephew will be more hospitable than her brother had been, she arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business while staying in a quaint country village.

Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled that her famous aunt is coming to stay—the village has been interminably dull with all the men off fighting. But just as Cressida arrives, so does Violet’s conscription letter. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; how will she ever find a suitably aristocratic husband if she has to spend her days wearing a frumpy uniform and doing war work?

Meanwhile, the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is trying in vain to repair her mother’s gown, her only chance of a white wedding. When Cressida Westcott appears at the local Sewing Circle meeting, Grace asks for her help—but Cressida has much more to teach the ladies than just simple sewing skills.

Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanizes the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might even manage to find it for themselves.

Ratings and reviews

Mend and Make Do What every bride wants is a white wedding gown. Set during WWII fabric is hard to come by and especially silk fabric. This is a charming story set in a quaint English village where the women come together to solve this problem. It all starts with one moth eaten wedding gown. The characters are wonderful and all fit together in the story. Grace the shy Vicar's daughter engaged to marry Lawrence a Vicar and become a Vicar's wife. She takes her mother's moth eaten gown to the Sew

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a heartwarming historical novel. The story is told from the perspective of: Cressida, Violet, and Grace. I thought The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was well-written with realistic, developed characters. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is an uplifting tale with a waging war, make do and mend, bursting bombs, ration regulations, wedding dress worries, firm friends, and rare romances.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle gives amazing insight into the struggles and dedication of British subjects doing their part for the war effort during WW2. Clothing was at a premium during and immediately after the war because of cost and lack of materials. Anything and everything went to the war effort. Women got together to mend and remake anything they could.

About the author

Jennifer Ryan is the author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, The Spies of Shilling Lane, and The Kitchen Front. She was previously a nonfiction book editor. Originally from Kent and then London, she lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and two children.