“Exactly the type of book I love: charming, smart, and brimming with heart.”–EMILY GIFFIN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted “Fast paced and entertaining from beginning to end.”–KRISTIN HANNAH, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris–and one replica, and … rage in Paris–and one replica, and the secrets it carries, will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love.
Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly–look-alike gown for a wealthy bride-to-be. But when, against better judgment, she finds herself falling in love with the bride’s handsome brother, Rose must make an impossible choice, one that could put all she’s worked for at risk: love, security and of course, the dress.
Sixty years later, tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname “Rocky,” has inherited the dress for her upcoming wedding in New York City. But there’s just one problem: Rocky doesn’t want to wear it. A family heirloom dating back to the 1950s, the dress just isn’t her. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother Joan’s heart. But what she doesn’t know is why Joan insists on the dress–or the heartbreaking secret that changed her mother’s life decades before, as she herself prepared to wear it.
As the lives of these three women come together in surprising ways, the revelation of the dress’s history collides with long-buried family heartaches. And in the lead-up to Rocky’s wedding, they’ll have to confront the past before they can embrace the beautiful possibilities of the future.
*Don’t miss The Liz Taylor Ring, Brenda Janowitz’s next novel. On sale February 1, 2022 and available to preorder now!
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A charming, heartfelt novel about three generations of women who are connected by the gorgeous gown that each wears on her wedding day. Fast paced and entertaining from beginning to end.
The Grace Kelly Dress is exactly the type of book I love: charming, smart, and brimming with heart. You won’t be able to put down this story of three generations of women and the fit-for-a-princess dress that binds them. This is Brenda’s best book yet!
Brenda Janowitz writes with extraordinary humor and heart, her writing growing in beauty and maturity with every book. This is a book that has to be added to your nightstand immediately.
This beautifully written novel is about a wedding dress and three generations of women who wore it. It’s a story about tradition versus individuality all reflected through the wedding dress and the three women who wore it.
Paris, 1958. Rose is a seamstress at a popular shop where the elite have their wedding dresses made. The wedding dress that Grace Kelly wore several years earlier is still very popular and many women want a wedding dress just like hers. Due to an unforeseen circumstance, Rose becomes the main designer but then she almost loses it all by falling in love with one of her wealthy bride’s brothers.
In the 1980s, Joanie (the daughter of Rose) wears the dress for her wedding but changes the sleeves to be more like Princess Diana’s dress.
In present day, Rocky (Rachel) is getting married. Her mother wants her to wear the family dress but the problem is that she doesn’t wear dresses and that she just doesn’t want to wear this dress. She is the CEO of a tech company and is covered with tattoos and a dress designed in the 1950s doesn’t reflect the person that she is. She knows that her mother will be heartbroken if she doesn’t wear the dress but she also knows that won’t be true to the person that she is if she does wear it.
I enjoyed all three story lines but I wish there would have been more about Joanie and her initial feeling toward the dress that her mother designed. Overall, it was a great read and an interesting well written book.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Janowitz’s latest is just like the multi-generational wedding dress of the title: elegant, layered, and utterly original. She once again delivers a powerful story brimming with love.
In The Grace Kelly Dress, Brenda Janowitz masterfully explores how three generations of women bring their own personal histories to a family heirloom wedding dress. This beautiful and poignant novel makes us ponder what invisible threads unite us and what textures will always be our own. A truly wonderful read!
Brenda Janowitz’s gift is understanding and revealing the nuances of complicated families, of love embraced, love lost and love reclaimed. With The Grace Kelly Dress she has stitched together a seamless intergenerational modern-day fairy tale, with a very contemporary twist.
This book has three time lines and I found each one enjoyable! It was a quick book and would be a perfect beach read! Thanks to the publisher for the early copy
I loved the concept of the dress in the plot. Enjoyable novel about family and love.
I was looking forward to reading a heartwarming novel of three distinct women. I was so disappointed with this novel. I didn’t connect with the characters. Not the novel for me.
I didn’t like the homosexual relationships or the profanity.
I borrowed a copy from my local library. I’ve expressed my honest opinion.
An absorbing book with tremendous character development, surprises, tears, laughs, and touching moments that make me want to reread it right away. I bought this book without reading it first, which I rarely do, because I was tired of waiting for my library to get the Kindle version and I am glad I did.
This book is written in 3 perspectives – 3 generations of women in the same family 1950s, 1982 and 2020.
It tells the story of a wedding dress passed down to the women of the family. Each woman wants to change the dress to reflect her own personality but has to push their mother for that right. They are in a dilemma as they want do what’s right for them but they also want to meet their mother’s hopes and expectations for their wedding.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a beautiful story with short chapters. It’s fast paced but at the same time you get really invested in each woman’s struggles and fight for future happiness.
Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Grace Kelly Dress
By: Brenda Janowitz
REVIEW
The Grace Kelly Dress was an elegant and lovely story. Three women in three different eras share a connection through the Grace Kelly wedding dress. I’ve always thought about objects and their memories. If the dress could speak, what would it say? Imagine the places, faces, drama, gossip and such the dress has been privy to. The concept is fascinating to me. Each of the three women have a love story to tell in their own distinct voices. Through time, there are commonalities and similarities shared by these women. Conversely, differences are also embedded in the womens’ stories. Some things are universal and infinite. The author has created a wonderful tale about a special dress and its historical connection to three women. I greatly enjoyed reading The Grace Kelly Dress, and I bet you will, too!
The Grace Kelly Dress isn’t just about Grace Kelly’s dress. It’s so much more. Brenda Janowitz uses Grace Kelly’s wedding dress, an icon in fashion glamour, to lay the foundation for three women bound together by a sumptuous dress (like Grace Kelly’s) — Rocky, a young woman about to be married in a dress she can’t stand; Joanie, her mother, who wore and adores the dress; and Rose, a Paris seamstress, who begins the dress.
Told in short scenes that move from character to character, the story flows at a fast pace and builds the web that weaves the characters together. This could easily be a superficial tale of each woman’s love/hate relationship with the dress, but it’s not. The more you read, the deeper you go into the characters’ personalities and their greatest needs and fears.
Brenda explores the ties between mothers and daughters, sisters, friends, and workers. The characters are flawed and wrestle with their demons, which often parade as the truth. There is love and romance and pain and heartbreak. Surprising revelations along the way. And some beautiful touching moments.
When I first started the book it felt like a light, easy read. But the author brings maturity and honesty to the tangled web of relationships. You’ll enjoy The Grace Kelly Dress. And when it’s time to get married you just might dream of a dress like this.
I read this book in nearly one sitting. Because each chapter ends in a twist, it makes you want to keep going from chapter to chapter. Loved the characters and the story!
Beautiful, elegant, American socialite and acclaimed actress Grace Kelly captured the dream of many young women when she married handsome, charming Prince Ranier III of Monaco, becoming princess of Monaco, a tiny country located off the French Riviera. Famed as one of the most beautiful wedding gowns ever made, Princess Grace’s peau de soir and lace wedding gown was designed by MGM Studios costume designer Helen Rose in 1956. In this fictitious account, the creator of the gown wears the dress at her own wedding, as does her daughter and granddaughter.
As in any multi-generational story, there is resistance. So, each succeeding bride believes the gown is not reflective of who she is, changes it to reflect her lifestyle, and learns to appreciate the gown for the loving message it carries.
Rose, living in Paris in the 1950s, is the first to wear the gown. Originally created by Rose for one of her customers, the gown is gifted to Rose, who wears it at the wedding that begins her fairy tale life. In the 1980’s, Rose’s daughter Joan reluctantly wears the gown after changing the neckline and the sleeves. In the 2020s, Joan’s hipster daughter Rocky, who agonizes over wearing the gown, does so after incorporating her deceased father’s wedding tuxedo into the design.
Each woman is a stereotypical example of the times in which she lives. Rose and Rocky hold secrets, act rebelliously against family and social norms, and learn to communicate with each other because of the memories the wedding gown unlocks. Grand-mère Rose is the most grounded, explicit character. Hard-working, focused, unassuming, and loyal, her legacy is diluted by her fiercely independent daughter and granddaughter. But, it’s all OK. It’s accepted because fashion is a reflection of the person who’s wearing it.
Ironically, there’s another granddaughter who embraces the gown as is, and waits in the wings until her day comes. I would rather have read about her. This is another example of undeveloped characters and situations not adding to the depth and emotion. The story is told, but not shown as much as it should be. It’s an account, but not a heartfelt emotion. The emotional connection with Grace Kelly is never made—only the dress is important. With this being said, fans of soppy romance novels will most likely accept the veneer of the characters without looking too deeply for more. All in all, a pleasant story, but not for everyone.
Story of three generations of women told through a wedding gown. Simply told. Easier then I generally read. Ok to read as an easy fast read. Not my usual type of book.
I loved this story. Lots of twists, romance and a great storyline.
The book is predictable. Nice premise, boring writing.
Sweet easy read. Good beach book