Nine Women, One Dress

Finished April 10
Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen

This lighthearted novel follows a designer dress through nine different women, each of them wearing it for a period of time, and each of them having their life influenced by that wearing.
The dress is the last dress made by Morris Siegel, a 90-year-old NYC garment district pattern maker, and one he knew was special as he was making it. He hopes that it will bring him one thing he has never yet achieved, the experience of creating the dress of the season. And it does.
The first woman to wear the dress is a model. She is new to the modelling business, and to New York. She is from Alabama, afraid to open her mouth to reveal her origins. She's pretty sure she doesn't want to be the model to be photographed wearing the dress of the season, but she is.
We learn Morris' story of how he came to be where and what he is, and as we get to know each dress wearer and the people around them, we learn their stories, the public ones and the private ones.
From a Bloomingdale's saleswoman to a movie actor to an executive assistant to a fine arts grad looking for work, these people all have a story.
The book is fast-moving, with a lot of characters, with many of the stories touching each other beyond the dress. It is funny, romantic, and a definite feel-good read.
I loved it and read it in one sitting, enjoying the experience thoroughly. Now if only I could get my hands on this dress, maybe it would change my life for the better too.

Dark Mystery

Finished June 28
Blood from Stone by Frances Fyfield
The dark psychological mystery is Fyfield's forte, and this one is no exception.
Here we start with the apparent suicide of Marianne Shearer a criminal defense attorney. Her last case was defending a man accused of kidnapping and rape of women. Due to her delays and aggressive reputation, two of the women withdrew from the case. The last one died, causing the case to end in acquittal. Shearer's death has renewed some people's interest in the case.
The unclear instructions that Shearer left for her lawyer lead him to look more closely into her life in order to discover her intentions. Her clothing at the time of death also results in questions.
As the life and death of Shearer become more clear to her lawyer and the others that he has involved, so does the truth of her last case.
I was riveted by this book, and had a hard time putting it down.