I found The Gown in a used-book shop in Honolulu. The cover calls it a novel of the royal wedding, so I thought it would be perfect for beach reading. As it turns out the wedding is such a minor part of the story, it’s  sort of like saying that Gone With The Wind is about corsets.  I mean, they’re mentioned, and all, but… Maybe there should be some sort of warning about judging books by their covers.

Instead, The Gown is more of a family saga, covering different generations and different countries. The older storyline is set just after WWII in England. Yes, Ann and her friend Miriam are professional embroiderers, and they do work on the royal wedding dress, but the dress is a small part of the way that London, and the two friends, recover from the tragedies of the recent war. In present-day Canada, Ann’s granddaughter Heather grieves her grandmother’s death and starts to investigate her life, discovering more and more that her beloved grandmother never mentioned. This historical novel is full of vibrant, believable characters.

When there is romance, it’s not at all central to the story. Instead, the focus is on warm, kind female relationships, like friendships and the bond between grandmother and granddaughter. Even the background friendships, like Heather’s housemate and Ann’s sister-in-law overflow with the support women give women.

Perfect for fans of engrossing generational dramas like The Island of Sea Women, The Nest, The Heirs, or Damaged People.