The Dress Lodger (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Registered by quietorchid of Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on 7/15/2010
This book is in a Controlled Release!
8 journalers for this copy...
Slow start, but after a certain point you can't put it down. I loved 'Pink' who wanted to be a ferret because they were better treated/respected than she was as a child of the slums.
Journal Entry 2 by quietorchid at Fischerville Coffee House in Mendota Heights, Minnesota USA on Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Released 13 yrs ago (8/24/2010 UTC) at Fischerville Coffee House in Mendota Heights, Minnesota USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Left in the basket
Sorry to be so greedy and pick up your book, quietorchid, but you keep releasing such GOOD books!
I loved the book, and so did DrSlump, but I disagree that it has a slow start. The frantic bustle and activity, the vivid sensory detail, and then the abrupt shift in viewpoint - I was completely hooked before the end of the first chapter. I very much liked Holman's passionate, sarcastic style, and would like to read more by her.
For me, the most unforgettable part was Gustine's work at the pottery. It was so horrible I couldn't imagine how anything could be worse. Then of course enough people died of cholera that the pottery closed and she had no job, and yes, that was worse. And the Eye's story, that was bad too. All in all, this seems like a utopian dream for the Tea Party - no pesky government intrusion in aid of workers' safety, and none of that socialistic safety net either.
One small note on the cover illustration: it's perfectly suited to the book, and it caught my eye right away. The use of blue in the otherwise monochromatic scene highlights the dress which is such an important element, and also picks up the many ways Holman uses the color blue throughout the book. But the dress pictured does NOT have the gigot sleeves described. Look it up - here are some good pictures: http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2011/03/gigot-sleeves.html
This fits perfectly into the Medicine Chest bookbox on two counts> First, the study of the effects of the cholera outbreak (and of course the denial by the municipal leaders that any such thing is happening). Second, the struggles of the main male character to obtain bodies to dissect for anatomy classes, something Holman shows us is more complex than we could have ever guessed.
For me, the most unforgettable part was Gustine's work at the pottery. It was so horrible I couldn't imagine how anything could be worse. Then of course enough people died of cholera that the pottery closed and she had no job, and yes, that was worse. And the Eye's story, that was bad too. All in all, this seems like a utopian dream for the Tea Party - no pesky government intrusion in aid of workers' safety, and none of that socialistic safety net either.
One small note on the cover illustration: it's perfectly suited to the book, and it caught my eye right away. The use of blue in the otherwise monochromatic scene highlights the dress which is such an important element, and also picks up the many ways Holman uses the color blue throughout the book. But the dress pictured does NOT have the gigot sleeves described. Look it up - here are some good pictures: http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2011/03/gigot-sleeves.html
This fits perfectly into the Medicine Chest bookbox on two counts> First, the study of the effects of the cholera outbreak (and of course the denial by the municipal leaders that any such thing is happening). Second, the struggles of the main male character to obtain bodies to dissect for anatomy classes, something Holman shows us is more complex than we could have ever guessed.
Journal Entry 5 by JudySlump612 at by mail, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Friday, March 4, 2011
Released 13 yrs ago (3/4/2011 UTC) at by mail, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Placed in Medicine Chest Bookbox
I picked this book out of the box and replaced it with A Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks which is also historical fiction, but looks at the plague rather than cholera. I think I am going to enjoy this one very much - thank you JudySlump612 :)
Another one that took me a while to get around to, but it was worth the wait. The book has an interesting voice and the prose is quite lovely. The book is also very gritty and hard to read at times - uncomfortable and sad.
I am so glad to be alive and be woman in Canada in present time. Our ancestors in the 1800's had a very hard life.
Thank you once again for sharing, JudySlump612 - I will be passing this book along at the next Bookcrossing meeting here in Calgary.
I am so glad to be alive and be woman in Canada in present time. Our ancestors in the 1800's had a very hard life.
Thank you once again for sharing, JudySlump612 - I will be passing this book along at the next Bookcrossing meeting here in Calgary.
Passed along at the Calgary Bookcrossing meeting at Cravings - happy reading!
Picked up at the November meeting.
Taking to the April meet up - it was grittier than I first expected but I really enjoyed this book!
To the finder:
Calgary has an active group of BookCrossers that meet to swap books and discuss book crossing every second Saturday of the month at 11am at Cravings Market on Fairmount Drive SE. We always love to meet new crossers, so please join us any time you like!
To the finder:
Calgary has an active group of BookCrossers that meet to swap books and discuss book crossing every second Saturday of the month at 11am at Cravings Market on Fairmount Drive SE. We always love to meet new crossers, so please join us any time you like!
Picked up at get together
This was a very interesting read. Not quite what I was expecting at all. A lot of bad inbetween, and then suddenly all the bad at once. I wasn't wholly satisfied with all the resolutions of the different character stories. Though I thought it settled well for a couple of them at the end. Also, the reveal of the real narrators of the story was great!
Thanks for the interesting read.
Thanks for the interesting read.
Taken to get together!
Picked up at this month's Calgary Bookcrossing meetup. Looking forward to the read!
I was hooked on the premise of a good dark historical fiction, but this.was.dark. Very rarely do I have to break up a book over several days due to the content but I had to with this. After finishing it, I ended up spending a few days reeling and dealing with my existentialism.
If you want a nice historical fiction, this isn't the book for you. But man. Was it ever a good read. Be prepared for a story that focuses more on death than anything else. Major cringe factors throughout the book - namely autopsies of the dead.
Will be brought to Calgary Bookcrossing and handed off.
If you want a nice historical fiction, this isn't the book for you. But man. Was it ever a good read. Be prepared for a story that focuses more on death than anything else. Major cringe factors throughout the book - namely autopsies of the dead.
Will be brought to Calgary Bookcrossing and handed off.
I brought this home from the August meetup at Cravings.
This book was a little distressing but kept you reading. Combined historical diseases - cholera, with a mystery, occupations like Dress lodger and some pretty distressing things about how people respond to things like disease and how the poor are treated. It started out rather strangely but I persevered.
I am taking this to the August meet up at Cravings.
Sounds interesting and dark. Caught at local meetup Aug 2019
Controlled release to next reader