The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights

July 1, 2022

Richard Sharpe returns to the mayhem of the early 19th-century Peninsular War in Cornwell's Sharpe's Command (75,000-copy first printing). Following the LJ-starred Big Girl, Small Town, Gallen's Factory Girls features a young woman in Northern Ireland working a grinding summer job made harder by a sleazy boss. In The World We Make, three-time Hugo Award--winning Jemisin returns to New York City, whose six protective avatars must work with the world's other great cities to waylay a populist mayoral candidate threatening the city's very soul (225,000-copy first printing). Following Kapelke-Dale's well-received debut, The Ballerinas, The Ingenue features a former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis, shocked to learn that her recently deceased mother left the family estate to a man with whom Saskia shares a painful past (200,000-copy first printing). In The Book of Everlasting Things, a debut from Delhi-based oral historian Malhotra, two lovers--perfumer's apprentice Samir, who is Hindu, and calligrapher's apprentice Firdaus, who is Muslim--are violently torn apart during India's Partition in 1947. From Silver Linings Playbook author Quick, We Are the Light limns the relationship between a sorrowing widower and an ostracized teenager. The multi-award-winning Rebecca Roanhorse returns with Tread of Angels, set in a late 1800s Colorado mining town where cardsharp Celeste defends a sister accused of murdering a Virtue, one of the town's ruling class. Having successfully entered the adult arena with A River Enchanted, YA author Ross wraps up her duology with A Fire Endless, set on a magical island whose uneasy balance of human and faerie is threatened by the power-hungry spirit of the North Wind (50,000-copy first printing). In debuter Swanson's Things We Found When the Water Went Down, a 16-year-old struggles to find her mother, a crusading environmentalist blamed for a miner's death who vanished in a blizzard. Of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee heritage, Wurth debuts with White Horse, featuring young, Indigenous Kari James, who inadvertently summons both her mother's ghost and a dangerous, blood-eyed creature when she discovers an old bracelet belonging to her mother (100,000-copy first printing). The pseudonymous Zeldis (Not Our Kind) brings together Beatrice, The Dressmaker of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; her assistant, orphaned teenager Alice; and their newlywed neighbor Catherine, amid shifting relationships and secrets bubbling up from the past (50,000-copy first printing).

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 3, 2022
Zeldis (Not Our Kind) highlights the complex relationships between three women in 1924 Brooklyn. Newly married Catherine Berrill becomes upset each month when she discovers she is not yet pregnant. One day, to distract from her disappointment, she takes a walk and encounters a dress shop run by new Brooklyn residents Bea Jones and Alice Wilkerson. Bea, a Jewish woman who left Russia for New Orleans, recently closed her New Orleans bordello and brought her teenage ward Alice, an orphan, to start anew. Bea and Catherine’s bond brings on intense jealousy from Alice, who seems to resent their relationship and starts spending time away from the shop. By the third act, Zeldis reveals how Bea has kept a secret from Catherine, which explains Alice’s resentment, and Bea must decide whether to reveal her secrets, knowing that to do so might destroy her much coveted friendship with Catherine. Though a bit melodramatic by the end, Zeldis’s characters are well crafted and the narrative propulsive. Historical fiction fans will be drawn to this snapshot of an era less often portrayed in the genre. Agent: Susanna Einstein, Einstein Literary.

October 15, 2022
Three women are brought together by unexpected secrets in 1920s Brooklyn. Catherine Berrill wants nothing more than a baby to call her own, but she and her husband can't seem to conceive. One day, to cheer herself up, she wanders into a dress shop in her Brooklyn neighborhood. The shop is run by Beatrice Jones, a Jewish woman who'd recently arrived from New Orleans, bringing with her orphaned teenager Alice Wilkerson. What Catherine doesn't know is that their meeting isn't pure chance--Bea came to New York specifically to find her. They have a history together that Bea is afraid to reveal for many reasons, not the least of which is that telling Catherine the truth might expose Bea's past as a madam at a well-known brothel in New Orleans. But as Catherine and Bea get closer, Alice starts to feel jealous of their connection. With no family and no friends other than Bea, she's lonely in their new city and starts lashing out. When Bea's past is finally revealed, the three women must decide how they fit into each other's new lives--if they do at all. Zeldis paints a vivid portrait of 1920s Brooklyn, full of life and culture. The narrative loses some momentum when it takes long digressions into Bea's past in Russia, even if those details are important to understanding Bea's character and her decisions. The most striking and heartbreaking element of the story is how the women are connected not just by their past, but by the persistent thread of sexual harassment and abuse--Alice, especially, suffers at the hands of men. Ultimately, though, the real story is about the bonds among the three women and the ways they help and support one another through immense challenges. An intriguing and occasionally heartbreaking novel that's perfect for historical fiction fans.

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October 15, 2022
With lush descriptions of the fashions and customs of the day, Zeldis places readers in 1924 Brooklyn. Beatrice has just set up a dress shop with the help of her orphaned ward, Alice. The dress shop attracts many admirers, but one in particular, Catherine, builds a close relationship with Bea, and Alice begins to feel neglected. Catherine is from a well-to-do family and is struggling with the fact that she cannot have a child. She finds herself depending on her visits with Bea to get her through the days. But there are secrets; some are joyful, but that joy is stolen by those that are dark. Betrayal ensues and tears all three relationships apart. Bea finds herself shamed and having to start over, Alice is alone and in a tragic situation, and Catherine is back to her life of longing for something she does not have. How long will it take for them to realize forgiveness will save them all? Readers of Fiona Davis and Beatriz Williams will delight in this story about the strong bonds of women and motherhood in a rich historical setting.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2022

Set a century ago, this latest novel from Zeldis (Not Our Kind) tells the story of three strong women who overcome remarkable odds to find and help each other and thrive. The story begins with Catherine, newly married and joyfully anticipating starting a family. She is shattered by the loss of her baby and her fertility. A parallel narrative follows middle-aged Bea and her teenage ward, Alice. Bea has a mysterious past connection to Catherine. Over the course of the book, readers learn about Bea's tragic early life as a Jewish person in late 19th-century Russia and Alice's neglected background, and what both had to do to survive. The book explores the joys and potential horrors of pregnancy, and babies, both wanted or unwanted, as well as the bonds between mothers and daughters, both adopted and birth. Zeldis focuses on women's lives and portrays the harshness of being dependent on men; the male characters vary from unrepentantly abusive to wonderfully kind, as is the case with Catherine's husband. VERDICT With themes of betrayal and love, followed ultimately by hope and new beginnings, Zeldis has written the type of historical fiction that book groups love, about strong women overcoming horrible situations.--Jan Marry

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.