I enjoyed this as a summer read - engaging but not too serious. The story is told in 2 timeframes - contemporary from the perspective of a textiles conservator and historic (1651) about an impoverished young woman who becomes a companion to a lady artist in Holland. I enjoyed the historic story more than the contemporary one. That one the more engaging for me. I love that the story is set around the discovery of a silk dress that was buried under the seabed for centuries and survived. ( )

Did not finish. Donated to Vinnies ( )

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres but I could not connect with "The Winter Dress". The synopsis sounded fascinating - a beautiful, 17th-century dress found in a chest at the bottom of the ocean and the story behind the dress. However, I found the novel slow and could not relate to either Jo, the textile historian, or Anna, the woman who actually owned the dress. I did appreciate how the author used the silk dress to tie the stories together and I loved the lavish descriptions of it.

For me, the historical story was more interesting although it didn't wow me and I was disappointed with the male/female academic competition which took place in the modern era. I thought it was totally unnecessary.

Overall, "The Winter Dress" was a passable read, just not an inspiring one. ( )

The author was inspired to write this novel after reading an article about a dress discovered by divers in a wreck off the coast of Texel,an island in the Netherlands. The dress is remarkable as it is believed to date back to the 17th century. The author informs us at the outset that the cast of characters is totally fictional but based on the experiences of the Texel divers. Hence we have two story lines.
The contemporary one revolves around Jo Baaker, a textile historian of Dutch birth living in Australia. When she recieves a message from an old friend in Texel about the discovery she immediately plans to return to her birth country. she has not returned since the sudden death of both of her parents when she was 16 years old. She seeks the support of another colleague Liam whom she has worked with before, to try and solve the mystery of the story behind the dress.
Each alternate chapter we go back to 17th century and we learn the story of the dress. Anna Tesseltje has inherited the dress following the death of her parents and older sister. She is forced to seek employment as a ladies companion to Catharina van Shurman, an artist who lives with her twin brother.
I found the story at times a little predictable and as the reader is aware of the background of the dress, we await Jo's discovery of the same through clues from archival records and art from that period.
What I enjoyed most was looking up Texel and the actual dress on line. ( )

I love an historical fiction novel based on an element from history or a true story and we certainly have that here. In 2014, a big storm hit off the coast of Texel, clearing away layers upon layers of sand and mud from a known 17th century shipwreck. Texel is located off the coast of the Netherlands north of Amsterdam, and this natural event created an unexpected opportunity to explore the shipwreck known as the Palmwood wreck. Many items were recovered by divers, including a remarkably preserved 17th century silk dress.

Textiles are rarely recovered from shipwrecks and garments from this era rarely survive, so for this silk dress to survive on the bottom of the Wadden Sea for more than 350 years is quite extraordinary.

The news of this incredible discovery travelled around the world and inspired Lauren Chater to imagine the woman who wore the dress. As a result, the seeds for The Winter Dress were well and truly sewn. (Sorry, couldn't resist).

Our main character Jo Baaker is a textiles historian and an interesting woman in her own right. In her words:

"One of the reasons I chose to pursue dress history was because I wanted to bear witness to the creation of textiles that simply won't be around in fifty years. The garments deserve better and so do the people who wore them." Page 155

Jo is astonished when she learns about the discovery of the dress in the book and I couldn't help but cringe alongside Jo when she hears how the dress was transported and hosed down by local divers trying to get the worst of the mud off. Eeeek!!! Jo is captivated by the dress and is honoured to be part of the curating process, desperately wondering about the life of the woman who once wore it.

The Winter Dress is a dual narrative and the author takes us back in time to Amsterdam in 1651 where we meet Anna Tesseltje on the last day of her old life. Anna's family have fallen on hard times, and after starting work as a laundress, her brother secures her a position as a companion to artist Catharina van Shurman.

Meanwhile, Jo finds herself caught up in the excitement of the discovery in Texel and the lurking professional competition made me grind my teeth while my heart ached for the choices Anna faced in her timeline.

Expertly researched and beautifully told, this is a well woven and alluring story with a lustre between the pages you're not likely to forget.

A total of 100 signed boxed proofs of The Winter Dress were produced for Australia and New Zealand and as a member of this blog tour, I was lucky enough to receive one of these special editions! It's such a wonderful bookish touch that appeals to we booklovers and bibliophiles and is a pleasure to house on my bookshelves.

The Winter Dress by Lauren Chater is engaging and the author's enthusiasm to imagine and reveal the owner of the dress is contagious. This is a story about grief, love, loss and discovery and is highly recommended for fans of Kate Forsyth, Tracy Chevalier, Kayte Nunn, Philippa Gregory, Kate Morton; and of course if you enjoyed Gulliver's Wife by Lauren Chater, you'll love this! ( )