Good Reads / Community Library Notes
The Dressmaker
Kate Alcott
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Dressmaker
Kate Alcott
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Dressmaker, by Kate Alcott, is the story of Tess who, in 1912, is hired by famous gown designer Lucile to be her servant and to go on the Titanic from England to America. She takes her sketchbook of designs, her best dress and the picture of her mother. She meets Lucile and sister, Elinor, a Hollywood writer, on the dock. Tess sleeps in steerage. Lucile shows her the celebrities, and has her moved from E to A deck. A young sailor offers to walk with her. Why not she thinks.
Tess meets Jack Bremerton in the gym where she tries the mechanical camel. Later, he leads her to the elegant dining room, but she leaves when she spies Madame Lucile and Cosmos, her husband. That night, she feels a slight bump. The steward tells them to go on deck in their life vests, nothing to worry about. Passengers are in the hallway in pajamas. Tess sees sailors launching life boats, and people looking for spaces in them. Lucile orders a sailor to launch one for her. A man begs Tess to take his two boys and she jumps into a lifeboat with them in her arms.
The sailors argue about who is to row and a woman grabs the oars and rows with Tess. They watch as the Titanic tips upward and Tess hears the orchestra playing on deck. Author Alcott drives the tension like a hammer.
At the New York Times news desk, editor Van Anda gets a wireless that the Titanic has hit an iceberg. He intuits there are not enough lifeboats and writes the headline that the ship has sunk. He calls Pinky to cover the story. She’s determined to get to the truth of a story and to place blame where it belongs. She’s the best human interest reporter he has, with courage and strong opinions. Meanwhile, the ship the Carpathia comes and lifts people from the life boats. Bonney, the young sailor she’d met earlier, tells her of his ambitions.
Senator Smith will be chairman of the investigation into the cause of the sinking. He and Pinky sneak onto the rescue ship. Tess sees Pinky and helps her tuck her hair into a cap to disguise herself as a boy. Pinky tells her that Lady Duff Gordon was in a half empty life boat. There’s a story there. And Senator Smith talks to Bruce Ismay, the owner of the ship line.
There were 700 survivors out of more than 2,000 passengers and 60% of the first class passengers survived and only 25% of those in steerage.
The next day at the hotel, Tess takes notes as Lucile tells her about her Spring line, her shows in New York and London, the clients and the models. Bruce Ismay is the first witness at the hearing. He gives vague answers, and never admits there were not enough life boats for everyone.
Jim Bonney sees Tess and they go for a walk and a hot dog on Fifth Avenue. Tess loves this huge wonderful city.
The New York Times says the Baronet (Lucile’s husband) bribed sailors not to go back for the drowning ones. It’s written under Pinky’s by-line. At the hearing, the courtroom is packed. The wireless operator is the first witness. He’d told the other operator to use SOS instead of CQ, and had tried to contact other ships.
At Lucile’s workroom, Tess has a wonderful day, handling the fabrics and watching everything. Pinky goes home to her ailing father, then sees Tess at the marketplace. They argue about what happened in the life- boat. Tess wasn’t in Lucile’s boat so she doesn’t know. Because of Lucile’s cruel statements to the press, Jordan Darling, a dancer, who posed as a woman to get in the life- boat, has hanged himself.
The hearing moves to Washington DC to the Senate. The principle navigator is the first witness. He says there had been no warnings of ice in their path. The weather was clear and calm. They hadn’t increased the lookout. Pinky thinks speed and stupidity. Lucile has taken the day off from her workshop and Tess is in charge. Someone has ripped the wedding dress, the centerpiece of the upcoming show. Tess mends it as best she can, trying not to change the design.
The lookout in the crow’s nest is the next witness. He could not measure distance, and had not been given binoculars.
Jack Bremerton shows up at Tess’ door of her new apartment thanks to generosity of Lucile and Cosmos. He takes her to a different elegant restaurant every night. He proposes marriage to her. She knows it would be a rich, glorious life with him. But Bonney has a new job as a master craftsman and also wants her in marriage. She is torn. Pinky likes Bonney and feeds him dinner as he mops her floor. Lucile, on the witness stand, says Bonney is a liar, that she never heard the cries from drowning people. Pinky asks her editor for a raise to one dollar an hour. She’s been offered a job at another newspaper.
Does Pinky get the raise she bravely demanded? Does Tess quit Lucile’s studio? Whom does Tess choose to spend her life with? Who was responsible for the sinking of the Titanic? Author Alcott explains her thoughts at the end.
Tess meets Jack Bremerton in the gym where she tries the mechanical camel. Later, he leads her to the elegant dining room, but she leaves when she spies Madame Lucile and Cosmos, her husband. That night, she feels a slight bump. The steward tells them to go on deck in their life vests, nothing to worry about. Passengers are in the hallway in pajamas. Tess sees sailors launching life boats, and people looking for spaces in them. Lucile orders a sailor to launch one for her. A man begs Tess to take his two boys and she jumps into a lifeboat with them in her arms.
The sailors argue about who is to row and a woman grabs the oars and rows with Tess. They watch as the Titanic tips upward and Tess hears the orchestra playing on deck. Author Alcott drives the tension like a hammer.
At the New York Times news desk, editor Van Anda gets a wireless that the Titanic has hit an iceberg. He intuits there are not enough lifeboats and writes the headline that the ship has sunk. He calls Pinky to cover the story. She’s determined to get to the truth of a story and to place blame where it belongs. She’s the best human interest reporter he has, with courage and strong opinions. Meanwhile, the ship the Carpathia comes and lifts people from the life boats. Bonney, the young sailor she’d met earlier, tells her of his ambitions.
Senator Smith will be chairman of the investigation into the cause of the sinking. He and Pinky sneak onto the rescue ship. Tess sees Pinky and helps her tuck her hair into a cap to disguise herself as a boy. Pinky tells her that Lady Duff Gordon was in a half empty life boat. There’s a story there. And Senator Smith talks to Bruce Ismay, the owner of the ship line.
There were 700 survivors out of more than 2,000 passengers and 60% of the first class passengers survived and only 25% of those in steerage.
The next day at the hotel, Tess takes notes as Lucile tells her about her Spring line, her shows in New York and London, the clients and the models. Bruce Ismay is the first witness at the hearing. He gives vague answers, and never admits there were not enough life boats for everyone.
Jim Bonney sees Tess and they go for a walk and a hot dog on Fifth Avenue. Tess loves this huge wonderful city.
The New York Times says the Baronet (Lucile’s husband) bribed sailors not to go back for the drowning ones. It’s written under Pinky’s by-line. At the hearing, the courtroom is packed. The wireless operator is the first witness. He’d told the other operator to use SOS instead of CQ, and had tried to contact other ships.
At Lucile’s workroom, Tess has a wonderful day, handling the fabrics and watching everything. Pinky goes home to her ailing father, then sees Tess at the marketplace. They argue about what happened in the life- boat. Tess wasn’t in Lucile’s boat so she doesn’t know. Because of Lucile’s cruel statements to the press, Jordan Darling, a dancer, who posed as a woman to get in the life- boat, has hanged himself.
The hearing moves to Washington DC to the Senate. The principle navigator is the first witness. He says there had been no warnings of ice in their path. The weather was clear and calm. They hadn’t increased the lookout. Pinky thinks speed and stupidity. Lucile has taken the day off from her workshop and Tess is in charge. Someone has ripped the wedding dress, the centerpiece of the upcoming show. Tess mends it as best she can, trying not to change the design.
The lookout in the crow’s nest is the next witness. He could not measure distance, and had not been given binoculars.
Jack Bremerton shows up at Tess’ door of her new apartment thanks to generosity of Lucile and Cosmos. He takes her to a different elegant restaurant every night. He proposes marriage to her. She knows it would be a rich, glorious life with him. But Bonney has a new job as a master craftsman and also wants her in marriage. She is torn. Pinky likes Bonney and feeds him dinner as he mops her floor. Lucile, on the witness stand, says Bonney is a liar, that she never heard the cries from drowning people. Pinky asks her editor for a raise to one dollar an hour. She’s been offered a job at another newspaper.
Does Pinky get the raise she bravely demanded? Does Tess quit Lucile’s studio? Whom does Tess choose to spend her life with? Who was responsible for the sinking of the Titanic? Author Alcott explains her thoughts at the end.