The Seamstress of New Orleans

Constance Halstead is a wife, a mother to two young children, and a society figure in New Orleans.  Alice Butterworth is a wife, a seamstress, and a girl from a Midwest farm living in Chicago.  When both their husbands vanish, circumstances bring these ladies together in New Orleans.  Known world over today for Mardi Gras, the New Orleans of the early 1900’s wasn’t much different.  The opulence, the overindulging, the parades! 

The Seamstress of New Orleans focuses on these women and their friends as they prepare for the Mardi Gras ball lead by their all-female krewe.  Diane C. McPhail focuses on strong female characters throughout the story and shows how powerful women could be, even in a male-driven society that did not even allow women to open a bank account without their husband’s approval for another 60 years.  This novel is about working through grief, using your inner strength, and creating family in unexpected places.

I give The Seamstress of New Orleans 4 out of 5 stars.  I appreciated the dual timelines early in the book, but their merging felt unrealistic.  The narrative kept me interested, but the final twist was very predictable early in the book.  I also like the amount of detail included about sewing and creating the ball gowns, but felt imagery used in the design did not make sense within the overall story – different city, different mythology.

I recommend this novel for readers looking to get in the mood for Mardi Gras with a light read.  While this deals with topics of adultery, death, and harassment of women and children, it was a light and quick read for me.  I also recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction and strong female characters.

I chose The Seamstress of New Orleans in honor of Mardi Gras.  We are currently in the festival season leading up to Shrove Tuesday on the 21^st.  The opulence and excess of Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, comes just before the season of Lent.  How are you celebrating this season?

This post contains affiliate links.

What I’m Reading

• Current print book: Between Heaven and the Real World, Steven Curtis Chapman
• Current audio book: The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
• Book I’m most looking forward to: Jackie & Maria, Gill Paul