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The Paris Seamstress

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The Paris Seamstress

By: Natasha Lester
Narrated by: Anthea Greco
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About this listen

 How much will a young Parisian seamstress sacrifice to make her mark in the male-dominated world of 1940s New York fashion? From the bestselling author of A KISS FROM MR FITZGERALD and HER MOTHER'S SECRET.

1940. Parisian seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee France as the Germans advance. She is bound for Manhattan with a few francs, one suitcase, her sewing machine and a dream: to have her own atelier.

2015. Australian curator Fabienne Bissette journeys to the annual Met Gala for an exhibition of her beloved grandmother's work - one of the world's leading designers of ready-to-wear. But as Fabienne learns more about her grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and secrets - and the sacrifices made for love.

Crossing generations, society's boundaries and international turmoil, THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS is the beguiling, transporting story of the special relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter as they attempt to heal the heartache of the past.

Praise for Natasha Lester:

'Lester deftly darts from Paris in 1941 to New York' The Australian Women's Weekly

'Deftly weaves real characters, events, places and a love of fashion into her captivating tale. This is a worthy and very readable addition to the historical fiction market.' Herald Sun

'A fantastically engrossing story. I loved it' KELLY RIMMER

'If you enjoy historical fiction (and even if you don't) you will love this book' SALLY HEPWORTH

'Hot on the heels of her well-deserved success with A Kiss from Mr. Fitzgerald, [Lester] again offers readers a strong-willed, determined heroine whose journey is as interesting, as it is inspiring' JODI GIBSON

'I love this book' RACHAEL JOHNS

'A gorgeously rich and romantic novel about young women finding their way in the world.' KATE FORSYTH

'Stunning. Will have you captivated' LIZ BYRSKI

'Fascinating, evocative and meticulously researched.' ANNABEL ABBS, author of The Joyce Girl

'If you're mad about the roaring twenties and all things Gatsby, this romance will have you enchanted' Woman's Day

'At the novel's heart is the sparkling Evie, an endearing combination of intelligence, determination and naivety' West Australian©2018 Natasha Lester Art Crafts & Hobbies Fiction Romance Heartfelt Tear-jerking

Critic Reviews

The book came alive in the reading, the era was captured beautifully , and the character just felt like one knew them. (Leyla Johnson)
What an amazing story of love, loss and a determination to never give up. (Lillian Cummings)
I love this style of book, a historical story, switching between past and present characters with a mystery to solve from the past. (Adrienne Best)
I loved the beautifully written story line that shifted from the 1940's to todays date. (Ollie Gamble)
A highly recommended well written book. An engrossing and immersive read with satisfying romance, personal gain and loss and amazing creativity. (Tony Peck)
it's the strong female characters I loved the best and the emotional journey they take the reader on, absolutely loved it. (Leanne Francis)
I admired the way in which Estella had carved a niche for herself, and finished the book hoping that Fabienne would do the same.
Lester deftly darts from Paris in 1941 to New York
Review
This is a worthy and very readable addition to the historical fiction market.
Perth-based author Natasha Lester brings bold, brave women to life in her expanding portfolio of historical fiction
...deftly weaves real characters, events, places and an obvious love of fashion into her captivating tale.
Natasha Lester has captured the timelessness of truly gifted designers and given us a tale of fashion and the building of empires, of war and its ravages, of love and lunacy and strength and resilience. It also tells a beautiful tale of friendship that lasts a lifetime.
It's a nicely told story, exploring relationships between women, especially the bond between mothers, daughters and granddaughters. And it's a treat for fashion lovers.
If ever there was a book that was fated to be an award winning film Natasha Lester's The Paris Seamstress is it.
All stars
Most relevant
I love the way Natasha Lester has captured the voice of each of the characters with dignity amidst the challenges, and Anthea Greco does them all justice in her reading . I felt their pain and their joy, found myself barracking for them from my readers seat, and now the I feel the sadness of coming to the end of my readers journey.

The resilience of strong women.

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historical fiction, romance, family saga, high fashion, exciting people living interesting lives, this story has it all. The author, Natasha Lester, writes beautifully, combine this with her immaculate research and you have an enjoyable and heart warming story, perfect for when real life isn't so perfect

Natasha Lester does it again!

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My first Natasha Lester book and now I cannot wait to listen to all her books. I could not stop listening to this beautiful story. The narrator is excellent.

Beautiful

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A captivating story from the get go.
The narrator was marvellous and suited the beauty of this book.

Beautiful

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The story is compelling and the performance of the narrator was generally good. Her accents were good and differentiated the characters well. However there were so many mispronunciations which became a bit of a distraction and disrupted the flow of the story. Better editing please.

Great story, shame about pronunciation.

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