The Dressmaker's Dowry: A Novel

Meredith Jaeger uses an interesting and intricate technique as she tells the tale of The Dressmaker’s Dowry. Sarah is writing a thesis and decides to do a narrative non-fiction piece on two young immigrant dressmakers that vanished in 1876. Hanna and Margaret lived in the Barbary Coast area of San Francisco and Sarah’s research takes her down many dark paths as she strives to understand what life was like during the Victorian age. This book goes back and forth from Sarah’s current life to that of the struggling women who both get involved with men from a wealthy family. Read and savor every word and see how Sarah’s life is mysteriously connected to Hanna and Margaret's!

The Dressmaker's Dowry is a really good debut novel by Meredith Jaeger and is set in San Francisco. It's a very moving fictional story that alternates between current day and the past that brings generations together to solve an age old mystery.

Ms. Jaeger did a wonderful job of bringing this story to life with a great setting, engaging characters and a well written plot that really pulled me in. The story's twists and turns were well done and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend The Dressmaker's Dowry and award it 4.5 stars. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Jaeger's work!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was wonderful. I was literally unable to put it down. Well researched. It kept me guessing how it would end.

It is sad to think that some aspects of humanity have not changed at all in 141 years. The poor are treated the same today as they were in 1870's San Francisco and so many other cities. For them family hasn't changed. Some parents still spend their paychecks on drink or drugs with no concern regarding caring for their family. And the wealthy, they haven't changed much either.

This book is a very good read. I recommend it for all readers.

I really enjoyed this book!! I thought it was especially well-written and the focus on period details was such a relief after reading many books that try to accomplish a bit of the same feel, but seem to fail miserably. I do, however, agree with some of the other reviewers that the ending of the book was a bit unsatisfying. After spending so much glorious time in the first 90% of the book to leave the very end so patched up was confusing. I don't want to spoil the ending so I won't go into detail. Regardless, I loved it! With that said I cannot wait to read the author's new book!!

Minutes after I savored the ending of The Dressmaker's Dowry, I immediately ordered two additional copies for my cousin and best friend! I was that excited! For a first novel, this is historical fiction at its finest. It tells the story of contemporary San Francisco juxtaposed with the grit and pathos of San Francisco's old Barbary Coast. The female characters are intelligent and resourceful. I really admired the way they confronted hardships with courage, determined to find their way when it seemed impossible. Although Sarah and Hanna are separated by different eras, they have similar attributes of fortitude and charm. The author is able to make a statement with the cameo appearances of minor characters as well, such as the little ruffian who caught rats for fighting, the horrid physician Madame Costello, Happy Jack or the fearful scarfaced man. There is quite a cast of characters from old San Francisco, many whom have counterparts in the contemporary story. There are many layers to this story-- of family loyalty, of people negatively profiled by class, race or gender, of the passage of time and the connections between the old and the new, of the hardships of immigration, the bonds of female friendship. There is also a strong thread about love, both enduring love and the quieter, practical version of love. I am awaiting the author's next book!

This book is cornier than Kansas in August!!! The contrived story line stretches believabilty to the maximum. The dialog is immature and shows very little depth in character development. The main characters are more caricatures than breathing human people.I can appreciate the research into San Francisco at the turn of the century but I feel that this book falls short in so many other ways that I cannot rate it higher than two stars. At times I felt the story to be so ridiculous that I actually laughed and moaned. The author tried to get the Jane Eyre feel but failed miserably IMO.

THE DRESSMAKER'S DOWRY, by Meredith Jaeger, is an appealing and unique story of love, survival, and secrets. Set in San Francisco, it alternates between modern times and 1876.

The story begins in the present day and is told in first person, past tense. Sarah Havensworth is a grad student trying to write a novel for her MFA thesis. She's stuck with her story about life in the late 19th century's Barbary Coast and hasn't written anything in several weeks. Not only does she feel like a fraud because she can't finish her book, she's reluctant to let her husband Hunter Havensworth know. He's from a wealthy San Francisco family and has been her greatest supporter, both monetarily and emotionally, while she's been writing. They've been drifting apart, and she's afraid he'll think she's a big disappointment.

While researching her novel, Sarah discovers an article in an 1876 local newspaper referring to the disappearance of two dressmakers. The story intrigues Sarah because a serial killer was in the area at the same time, and she wonders if there's any way to tell if the dressmakers were his victims. So she abandons her soulless novel to write the more compelling dressmakers' story. This portion is set in 1876 and told in the third person, past tense by Hannelore "Hanna" Schaeffer. She's an immigrant from Bavaria, speaks German and English fluently, and is the oldest of four children of a fat, alcoholic, and abusive father. He takes the money she makes from her dressmaking job to drink and eat at taverns, while she and the other children barely scrape by. She and her Irish immigrant friend, Margaret O'Brien, spend long hours sewing for an unpleasant woman and her wealthy customers. One night Margaret is supposed to watch Hanna's siblings but never arrives. Hanna vows to find Margaret and enlists her friend, real estate mogul Lucas Havensworth, to help her.

Both Sarah and Hanna are survivors. They've lived through horrible situations and experienced bullying, deprivation and self-doubt. Though they each find love, they feel they don't deserve it and try to distance themselves from their partners. Sarah and Hanna have secrets too. Deep ones, that if discovered, could make their lives miserable.

As a history and preservation professional, I'm drawn to the research Sarah conducts to gather information for her story. The author uses this info to capture the disparity in living conditions between the wealthy citizens of late 19th century San Francisco and the poor immigrant populations living in unsafe and squalid areas of the city. And her portrayal of how the upper classes treated the other levels of society is reflected in both Sara's time and in 1876.

Pros: The story is definitely unique and well thought out. The plot and subplots interweave fairly well, and the characters are multidimensional and extremely interesting.

Cons: The novel could have been shorter--some passages are a little too long without adding to the story. In many places, the length of the sentences are similar, resulting in a somewhat stilted reading rhythm.

Final Thoughts: THE DRESSMAKER'S DOWRY is a good book for readers who like mysteries and character-driven stories and for people who like a bit of history sprinkled through their fiction. Though it's in the contemporary women genre, it's something I would have wanted to read even in the fifth grade (when I read GONE WITH THE WIND), so it's suitable for teenagers too.

If You Like This, You Might Like: THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN and WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND by Ellen Marie Wiseman, INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins, HER EVERY FEAR by Peter Swanson, THE ISLAND HOUSE by Nancy Thayer, INHERITING EDITH by Zoe Fishman

* Read my other reviews on the Blue Moon Mystery Saloon blog.
** A e-galley was provided by William Morrow/HarpersCollin and Edelweiss for an honest review.

Intriguing, thought-provoking and heartwarming!

This story is told from two different perspectives. One is that of Sarah, a young woman who stumbles upon an unsolved mystery from the 1870s while working on her thesis. And the other is Hanna, a young woman struggling to survive and raise her siblings in a time when women had no rights and few options.

It is, ultimately, a story about loneliness, loss, injustice, determination, strength, tragedy, guilt, and love.

The writing is smooth. The characters are strong, multi-layered, and fascinating. And the multiple plots quickly unravel into a engrossing mystery that not only manages to intertwine all the subplots, but also ends with a little surprise.

Overall this is a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to reading more from Jaeger in the future.

Thank-you Meredith.This visceral story.of young emigrant women is terrific. I found myself captivated by these courageous women. You so completely convinced me that I was there with Hanna and the danger she was facing that I had a terrible time putting the book down. . Waiting until work was over and my commute done was horrible. I just wanted to get back to reading again. The words you chose brought Hanna and Sarah to life for me . I think they gave me a glimpse of San Francisco I did not know even though I have lived in the Bay Area all of my life. You did a great job of contrasting the two San Francisco's and in demonstrating that things really have not changed as much as we think. The next time I am on the other side of the Bay I will make sure to find the Barbary Coast trail medallions.

Realize this was a debut novel but the writer needs to get past stereotyping the characters. In order to feel empathy for the persons in the story the reader should develop empathy and understanding. These characters were shallow and not very believable. The plot still has possibilities but this was not a good read. Sorry.

This book is awesome!!! A fantastic look into 19th century (AND present day) San Francisco! It was an enjoyable read that I could barely put down.

I live in North Beach in San Francisco and it truly transported me into the story lines Meredith created as I envisioned the characters going about their daily lives. I I highly recommend reading this book if you're looking for a glimpse into old and new worlds. The author's writing style is descriptive, genuine, and delightful. :)

Great novel! The authors takes you right in, you are drawn in Sarah and Hanna's lives just beautifully. Clever twists and turns with a story about love. I highly recommend this book. So well written!! Congratulations to the author.

This is an excellent debut historical novel from Meredith Jaeger. The novel is well written and extremely interesting and once I started it, I had trouble putting it down again. The novel takes place in San Francisco and is the story of Hanna, a German immigrant working as a dressmaker in 1876 and Sarah in present day trying to complete her thesis. She originally planned to write a novel but when she finds a story about two missing dressmakers from 1876, her interest was sparked and she decided to try to find out what happened to them and then write a story about it. Little did she know that the story of the two missing women from 1876 would circle around and connect back to her family.

I thought that the author did a magnificent job of describing San Francisco both modern day and life in 1876. The immigrants of this time were definitely treated as second class citizens and were often forced to work and live in terrible conditions. It was very apparent that the author did significant research into the city both past and present.

This is a fantastic debut novel and I look forward to future books from this author. I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.

This is such a good, quick read that is intriguing and heartfelt from page one. I love the historical aspects of the book as well as seeing San Francisco in the past and the present. Great debut! I can't wait to see what Meredith Jaeger writes next!