The Winter Dress

In 2014 divers discovered the remains of a chest in a ship that sank off the coast of the Dutch island, Texel, in the 17th century. When the contents were examined the most surprising find was a silk dress. Who had owned it, how had it ended up on a sunken ship and how had it survived all those years under water? In this work of historical fiction Australian author, Lauren Chater, has imagined a possible story about the survival of the dress which she intertwines with a story of textile historian Jo Baaker's attempt to solve the mystery.

In The Winter Dress, alternating chapters tell the story of Anna in 1651 and Jo.  Anna lived in Amsterdam where she works as a washer-woman, a very different life from the life she was born into before her father lost his money. Then she was offered a position as a companion the the artist Catharina van Shurman (possibly based on Anna Maria van Shurman, a Dutch artist, engraver and poet). One of the few possessions that Anna owns is a beautiful silk dress once owned by her mother. Anna wears the dress when she accompanies Catharina to important social functions and meets people who have escaped Cromwell's England.

Jo Baaker was born on Texler but after the death of her parents moved to Australia. When Bram, a childhood friend on Texler, contacts her to tell her of the find that he and some other divers had made she agrees to immediately travel to Texler to examine the dress. As well as having the opportunity to try and discover the long forgotten story of the find, Jo also is able to finally come to terms with the memories of her previous life with her family at Texler.

A list of suggested Book Club questions is provided at the end of the book.

More information:

'Perfect' 17th century dress rescued from the sea displayed in Dutch expo - 9 News

Gulliver's wife

We all know the story of Gulliver's Travels but in this novel Lauren Chater creates the untold story of Lemuel Gulliver's wife, Mary, who remains at home caring for their two children, Bess and  Johnny, while her husband sails away to explore new lands. But this is basically the story of Mary and Bess and I soon became immersed in their world.

Wapping in the early 1700s could be a dangerous place for women and children, especially those living without the protection of a man. In order to support the family, as well as pay her husband's debts, Mary trained as a midwife and developed a successful practice supporting the many working class families near her home. Then Gulliver, who had been reported lost at sea three years earlier, returned home and Mary encountered new challenges in order to protect her family and their way of life. Not only expecting life in his house to return to how it had been before he departed, Gulliver is obviously unwell and his recounting of strange stories to anyone who will listen threatens the professional reputation that Mary has built up in his absence. Mary is also wary of a new acquaintance who has returned to England with Gulliver.

Having just celebrated the International Women's Day (March 8) it was interesting reading about 1700s England which was definitely a time of male domination in most aspects of life. In this book the author tells her story interweaving a variety of social themes within an atmosphere of danger - society's attitude to women working to survive and protect family members, conflicts arising when male surgeons threatened the dominance of the women's profession of midwifery plus the relationship between Mary and her daughter who idolises her father and wants to go to sea, an impossible notion. I thoroughly enjoyed escaping into Mary's world for a short time.

Thank you to Better Reading and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read a preview copy of this book, due for publication early April. #BRPreview

The Lace Weaver

Lauren Chater, in The Lace Weaver, has written a compelling story about small communities being overpowered by war and the determination of the women as they struggle to protect their families and attempt to survive.

In 1940 Russia re-invaded Estonia and incorporated the country into part of the Soviet Union. By 1941 Estonia had virtually lost its identity and its people struggled to survive. Kati, determined to help the women maintain some of the traditions of Estonia, establishes a circle of women who regularly meet to knit traditional lace shawls, sing traditional songs and provide support for each other.

Kati lives with and helps her parents on a farm outside Tartu while her brother, Jacob, attends university. Then her friend Oskar arrives at the farm warning them that they are no longer safe and should relocate to the Forest.

Meanwhile in Moscow, Lydia remembered the stories about Estonia told to her by her mother before she died when Lydia was a young girl. Lydia knew she needed to escape Moscow and, with the aid of Olga, travels to Estonia. There she discovers only turmoil but also meets Etti who takes her to her friends, including Kati.

When the Germans invade Estonia in 1941 it is hoped that they will allow the Estonians to live their own lives but it is soon obvious that one tyrannical power has been replaced by another.

This is a book about small communities, particularly women, caught up in war. Alternate chapters tell the story from the viewpoint of Kati or Lydia and eventually their individual stories become one story. The knitting of lace shawls - a traditional craft in Estonia - weaves its way throughout the stories of horror encountered by the women. Each chapter heading contains the name of a traditional pattern used to make shawls. The shawls become the stories of the women and are precious over generations. A book well worth reading.

Book review: The Lace Weaver - Backstory

Estonia profile - Timeline - BBC