---
product_id: 111711607
title: "The Dressmaker: A Novel"
brand: "beryl bainbridge"
price: "RM79"
currency: MYR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/111711607-the-dressmaker-a-novel
store_origin: MY
region: Malaysia
---

# The Dressmaker: A Novel

**Brand:** beryl bainbridge
**Price:** RM79
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Dressmaker: A Novel by beryl bainbridge
- **How much does it cost?** RM79 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.my](https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/111711607-the-dressmaker-a-novel)

## Best For

- beryl bainbridge enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted beryl bainbridge brand quality
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## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![The Dressmaker: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41N7qGiY2xL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Surprise Ending
  

*by K***R on Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2018*

This excellent book takes place in Liverpool during the later part of World War Two, focusing on a working-class household consisting of two sisters and their niece (one of whom is the dress-maker of the title).  Their brother, Jack, a butcher, is their niece Rita's dad, and he figures prominently in this story, as well.  Basically, the plot is centered what happens after an illiterate, amoral, Southern  "white trash"  "Yank"  (strangely enough) named Ira walks into Rita's life.  The resultant chaos and disruption this vulgar nonentity causes this repressed, stolid little working-class English family is massive.  A great book that is well-written; it is extremely  "English,"  in the same way that Josephine Tey and P. G. Wodehouse are.  It evokes the atmosphere of wartime England in a way very interesting for an American like myself to read..

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    So-So
  

*by C***A on Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2016*

After reading several novels by Bainbridge, I've come to the conclusion that I will never be a huge fan.  I didn't outright dislike them; they just didn't do much for me.  Aside from a few moments, this one was pretty milquetoast until the very end, when something unexpected occurs--and then it just stops with no satisfying conclusion.  I guess the point she is making is simply to show how insular this particular family is.  Nellie, the dressmaker of the title though perhaps not the main character, is in a love/hate relationship with his sister, Margo.  The two share their home with "our Rita," the seventeen-year old daughter of their brother, Jack.  When his wife died, Jack sold his house, gave Rita into the care of his sisters, and moved into a flat above a butcher shop.  He is still extremely involved in all of their lives, but Rita, who knows he is her father, calls him "Uncle Jack," probably just to go along with Auntie Nellie" and "Auntie Margo."  Nellie is the reserved, responsible one; Margo is the daring and sometimes wild one.  She had been married to a soldier who came back from the trenches suffering from the effects of gas attacks.  It was Nellie, however, who nursed him until his death.Set in the aftermath of World War II, the story revolves around young Rita falling in love with an American GI named Ira.  As teenage girls still do, Rita initially hides her beau from her family, using the ploy that she is visiting her friend Cissie--whom the aunts have never met.  If you like reading about the sappiness of teenagers in love, this part of the story should appeal to you, because Rita is one of the sappiest.  There are the usual dreams of marrying Ira and flying off to live in the US.  And a lot of worrying about whether or not Ira will call, show up for a scheduled rendezvous, write her a letter, doesn't talk enough, wants too much, wants too little.  It becomes clear early on that this is an ill-suited pair and a one-sided romance.  The remainder of the novel, as one would expect, focuses on what happens when a neighbor tells Nellie that Rita has been stepping out with an American soldier and when Ira decides that she is way too young (i.e., immature) for him.  And as I said above, there is an unexpected and rather unresolved conclusion.Good writing, fleshed out if stereotypical characters, but nothing to get excited about.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    World War II in Liverpool, England with a rather strange family
  

*by M***S on Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2018*

This seemed a very strange book when I started it and I didn't care for it at all but as I continued reading I got drawn into the story and ended up liking quite a bit.

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*Product available on Desertcart Malaysia*
*Store origin: MY*
*Last updated: 2026-01-27*