The Gown by Jennifer Robson

Historical Fiction

The author Jennifer Robson wanted to write a book about London after WWII and remembered that the royal wedding of Prince Phillip and Princess Elizabeth happened around that time. She wondered what it would have been like for the people of London to celebrate such an important and expensive event after the war. Britain’s economy, at the time, was in a state of ruin and rations were even stricter than normal. How would the people feel about an expensive royal wedding? In her research she came across a picture of the princess in her wedding gown. It was gorgeous! It had dazzling embroidery and tons of embellishments. She knew it had been designed by Norman Hartnell, the famous designer for the royal family, but what about those who worked on the gown? That is where the story begins. She was able to find some facts out about those that worked on the gown, but very little is known about the women that put in all the hours and time. How did they feel? What kind of pressure were they under? How were their personal lives affected? I loved this book! Although it is fiction, the author was able to incorporate some real facts while weaving the story of two women that worked on the dress. One, a refugee jew, trying to rebuild a life after losing her whole family during the war and one, a British girl, trying to forget the war and move onto happier times. The story of these two girls and the way their life intertwines is told from the viewpoint of a granddaughter of one of the girls. She is given some embroidery at her grandmother’s funeral which she recognizes as matching the embroidery on the famous wedding dress of Queen Elizabeth II. She is confused and dismayed to find that her grandmother had kept secrets from her and she is determined to find out why. The story goes back and forth between all three lives of these woman. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time because it was a mystery, romance and historical fiction all at once. It was a joy to read. At the end of the book the author included history about the dress and her writing of the book and an interview with one of the actual seamstresses.

WHERE TO GO?

London

London is the largest city of England and of the United Kingdom. There are over 300 languages spoken in the region. London is considered one of the most influential cities on the earth. It is considered one of the most desirable places to live and has more tourists than most cities. It is home to four of the World Heritage Sites and is a hub of fashion, finance, travel, art, entertainment and education. There is so much to see and do in London, one would have to visit over and over again to see it all or go live there for a little while!

WHERE TO STAY?

The most up to date site I found for staying in London is https://santorinidave.com/best-places-london. This was updated in January 2020. I like this site because it lists all of the different neighborhoods in London and what they are best for. For example, if you are really into trying different foods this site suggests staying in Covent Garden. If you are interested in a great night life Soho is the best neighborhood to stay in. The author also breaks down each of the areas and suggests a hotel for that area. He is very thorough and the site is easy to navigate and has pictures. He also has links to cheap and moderate priced hotels in the areas.

WHAT TO DO?

The Dave Santorini site is a good place to start, but if you want more than just a paragraph of things to do in London visit Tripadvisor. I like this site because they break activities into categories, they have reviews from real people and they have a lot of pictures. I always search tripadvisor first to get an idea of what I might want to do and then I visit the sites of the actual attractions. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186338-Activities-London_England.html

Some sights that interested me:

Make your own amazing chocolate in Notting Hill. This activity is at Melt Chocolates and is $54. It got 5 stars, but there were only two reviews. Lots of pictures though and the reviews were detailed.

Warner Bros. Studio: The Making of Harry Potter with Luxury Round-Trip Transport from London This is $111 and is given by Evan Evans tours. I am a huge Harry Potter fan so of course I would have to do this while I am there! It got 4 stars and has over 1000 reviews with photos.

London Pass Including Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour has access to over 80 attractions. If you want to see a lot of the historical sites and museums this seems like a great way to do it without having to do a lot of driving or figure out the subway system. It is $98. This got mostly good reviews. If I were going I would read all of the reviews and compare it to other offerings from other companies. Places as big as London probably have a few companies that offer this sort of thing. https://www.londonpass.com/

Have fun researching! If you need help booking I know a great travel agent. Brittany Richins at Richins Travel can help you! Grab a book, take a tour and happy traveling!