First of all, can I just say how much I love the cover of Julia Holden's debut novel, A Dangerous Dress? It perfectly captures the mood of the book (and of the dress that's the star of the show). We often compare the US and UK covers, and this is one time when (I think) the UK version is definitely superior. (Here's the original US version - what do you think?)
But what is the book like, you're wanting to know! Well, it's about a dress. Yes, really. Jane is a bored bank worker in the town of Bum****, Indiana (not its real name, but that's what everyone calls it 'cos its so boring). One day, she's contacted out of the blue by a film company who read an essay she wrote in university about the glamorous Parisian gown she found among her late grandmother's belongings. In the essay, she speculated about who might have designed it and where her grandma may have worn it, and talked about its wonderful design.
The film's production crew read her passionate essay and think she's just the person to track down a similar dress for their movie, so Jane packs her bags, hurriedly arranges a passport and catches a plane to Paris to work on a film and follow in her grandmother's footsteps... Love, excitement and glamour await her - or do they?
Well, she certainly has an interesting and exciting time, but it's a bit of a bumpy ride and things don't turn out as Jane expects ( wouldn't make a good book if they did!)
When I think about the plot of this book in retrospect, it seems a little silly but it has a fairytale-like quality that means you have to suspend disbelief as it's fairly unlikely the events of the book would take place in real life and a lot of the plot is based on coincidences and chance. But it's all so charming that I was completely absorbed in the story and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I absolutely raced through it and found Jane a charming, if naive, narrator. (A bit YA-ish if I'm honest). I was a little bit disappointed that the end didn't quite tie up all the loose ends, but a sequel would be great and I'll definitely read more by this talented new author.
Rating: 4/5
Like this? Try Venus Envy by Shannon McKelden.
