“The Dressmaker's Gift” by Fiona Valpy – The Impossible Wartime Choices

Fiona Valpy has certainly entered the realm of literature in great style last year, and with The Dressmaker's Gift she continues her conquest of our bookshelves by telling a grand story of love, loss, terror and happiness.

One part of the story takes us to 1940 Paris, where three seamstresses are trying their best to live under the occupation. The other part of the story takes us two generations later, as a granddaughter to one of those seamstresses unravels her own family history.

Fiona Valpy Descends into Wartime Paris

While many countries during the Second World War either outright resisted or got conquered, France was in a bit of a special position, having capitulated early enough without too many losses to allow an actual occupation to mingle with its citizens. This created a rather strenuous situation for the French citizens, caught between their loyalty to their country and the powerfully-oppressive Third Reich. In Fiona Valpy's The Dressmaker's Gift, we take a look at the lives of three women who were all rather differently affected by the occupation.

The story takes us to 1940, Paris, the conquered heart of the French empire, where three seamstresses are doing their best to live their daily lives, as normal as can be given the circumstances. However, each of these women is harbouring a secret from the rest of society, and maybe even the others as well. For starters, Mireille is fighting with the infamous French resistance, the scars of wear weighing heavily on her. On the other hand, Claire has fallen in love with a German officer, much to the dismay of pretty much everyone she knows. Finally, Vivienne is caught up in something big, something she must keep a secret from even her closest friends.

We also travel forward in time two generations later, to meet Claire's granddaughter, Harriet, who recently arrives in Paris essentially searching for her place in the world and a connection with her own history. It doesn't take her too long to start digging up ancient family memories about her grandmother, slowly unravelling a dark and painful history she could never have anticipated. Just like the three seamstresses, Harriet is about to learn how war is littered with impossible choices, ones which are forever remembered by the history books.

Harriet the Vehicle

If you've been reading historical fiction novels lately, then you'll probably quickly recognize the trend, or trope if you will, of having a modern-day character retrace the footsteps of their family. At this point, it simply feels like a convenient vehicle to have us exploring the past in great detail but through a more modern and relatable perspective, rather than actually being important in the story. For the most part, Harriet's chapters felt this way to me.

While we do learn about Harriet as a person and the author does make some good attempts at giving her depth, in the end the one truly interesting aspect about her is the family history she uncovers... in other words, it's her connection to other, more interesting people. In comparison with the other chapters which take us to 1940s Paris, Harriet's segments feel quite calm and mundane, which I only came to appreciate a bit later in the book as they provided a much-needed respite from the strain of war.

This is not to say her chapters are entirely pure filler, because like I just mentioned, the author did make some good attempts at giving her some real character. She has some problems of her own, struggling to cope with her mother's suicide, constantly wondering whether or not it's a hereditary condition she might have to deal with herself. All in all, there is enough to keep Harriet from feeling like an empty shell we are simply using to drive through history, but in the end the focus remains on her discoveries of the past, rather than her life in the present.

The Iron Ladies

I think most will agree with me the real meat of the story is mostly contained in the plot revolving around the three seamstresses, and in my opinion it certainly doesn't disappoint, and even makes up for any shortcomings the Harriet chapters may carry with them. The lives of Claire, Mireille and Vivienne are explored in fascinating detail as they spend their days living in a small apartment, slowly developing a trusting bond of friendship between each other, despite the tensions of the world they are living in. Each seamstress is unique and recognizable in her own way, and the more we learn about their sacrifices, the more we respect their successes as well as their failures.

The ladies' involvement in the resistance is actually a little tame compared to what we've grown accustomed to from our modern spy movies and novels, and I do have to applaud Valpy for making this choice to keep things grounded in realism. The seamstresses' roles in the resistance were mostly relegated to courier duty, as well as a few operations to help people escape Germany-occupied France. They didn't save the world or end the war, but like many people whose stories are unsung, they played important roles in saving human lives.

Another thing which struck me in this book about arguably one of the most horrible times in human history, is how little explicit violence and vulgarity there was to find. Valpy definitely isn't ignoring the horrors which transpired, but she uses her writing abilities to their fullest extent to convey them without resorting to cheap shocks or spilling blood. It's written in a very tasteful manner, and I believe the author deserves some recognition for it.

The Final Verdict

The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy is, despite a couple of small shortcomings, a profoundly-touching and captivating historical fiction novel centred on the insurmountable difficulties, betrayals and essential bonds formed by three women in occupied France. If you enjoy historical fiction novels which focus on the civilian element of World War II, then I highly recommend you give this novel a try.

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Fiona Valpy Personal site Fiona Valpy is a writer from the UK who has spent some years living in France, renovating a farmhouse in the Bordeaux winelands. In early 2018 she really broke through in the world of literature, drawing massive attention to her writings with the books Sea of Memories, The Beekeeper's Promise and The Dressmaker's Gift.