Her feelings frightened her a little, but if she kept them to herself, she could contain the fear.
synopsis
Brooklyn, 1924. As New York City enters the jazz age, the lives of three very different women are about to converge in unexpected ways. Recently arrived from New Orleans, Beatrice is working to establish a chic new dress shop with help from Alice, the orphaned teenage ward she brought north with her. Down the block, newlywed Catherine is restless in her elegant brownstone, longing for a baby she cannot conceive.
When Bea befriends Catherine and the two start to become close, Alice feels abandoned and envious, and runs away to Manhattan. Her departure sets into motion a series of events that will force each woman to confront the painful secrets of her past in order to move into the happier future she seeks.
Moving from the bustling streets of early twentieth century New York City to late nineteenth-century Russia and the lively quarters of New Orleans in the 1910s, The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights is a story of the families we are born into and the families we choose, and of the unbreakable bonds between women.
thoughts & feelings
This review is going to be a little, or a lot, different than what you've seen from me so far because I did not finish this novel. In all honesty I struggled from the get go and only made it to about page thirty-four before calling it quits.
Not all books are for everyone and this one just wasn't for me. It had some themes that I wasn't comfortable reading about. I will list all the information in the content/trigger warnings section.
book tags
Please note that I did not finish this book. All of the following information is only up until page thirty-four of the novel.
Language
clean
Steam Level
clean
Content & Trigger Warnings
infertility: The book begins by introducing one of the main characters, Catherine, and her difficulty getting pregnant.
prostitution: Two of our main characters have flashback moments where we get some basic background information on them. Beatrice is the owner of a brothel and Alice's mother and sister work as prostitutes.
abortion: During Alice's flashback moment it is stated that her sister has become pregnant and she needs the problem "taken care of." (those may not be the exact words but it's a similar tone).
physical abuse: During Alice's flashback it talks of her living in a brothel with her mother. While her mother was entertaining she hid in an adjoining room and often heard her mother getting abused. One instance was so bad that bones were broken.
book information
Title: The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights
Author: Kitty Zeldis