One dress, five women, a lifetime of memories.
Five single, fiercely independent women live together in a Chicago apartment in the early 1950s but rarely see one another. One Saturday afternoon, as they are serendipitously together downtown, they spy a wedding dress in a storefront window at the famous Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. After trying it on ― much to the dismay of the salesclerk and without a single boyfriend or date between the five of them ― they decide to pool their money to purchase it. Can one dress forever connect five women who live together only a short time before taking their own journeys to love and whatever comes happily ever after?
Eva Marie Everson is a multiple-award winning author and speaker who hails from the picturesque Southern town of Sylvania, Georgia. She is president of Word Weavers International, director of Florida Christian Writers Conference, Managing Editor at Firefly Southern Fiction, and enjoys coaching new authors through her company, Pen in Hand. She is an avid photographer who enjoys turning her photos into inspiring memes for you to share (with proper attribution). Eva Marie and her husband make their home in Central Florida. They are the parents of three fabulous children who have blessed them with the world’s greatest grandchildren.
My Impressions:
I scheduled Five Brides for my book club’s February read thinking it would be perfect for the month-of-love. It was. Although not everyone liked this book, it did win over the majority of us. Set in the 1950s, Five Brides captures the spirit of the era, especially the dreams and aspirations of modern young women. Five roommates spend one rare afternoon together and decide to purchase a wedding dress (yes, it is that beautiful) to share on their special days. Unfortunately none have a ring on their finger, so the future is shadowy. But all believe that one day they will walk the aisle towards their Prince Charming wearing the perfect dress.
Five very different characters (and their love interests) are portrayed in this historical novel. While there is romance involved, Five Brides is more than hearts and flowers and happily-ever-afters. In fact, an HEA is in doubt for most of the women during the course of the book. The 50s-era expectations of marriage and family contrast with the women’s desires for independence and freedom. All five — Joan from England, Evelyn from Georgia, Betty from Chicago, and sisters Inga and Magda from Minnesota — start out as career women escaping from poverty, societal expectations, and strict upbringings. Yet the lure of romance causes more than one of the women to make unwise choices. It was just those choices that gave my group its best discussion. As one of our members stated, our varying opinions on the characters was intriguing. We liked and disliked different characters, while our sympathies rested on different characters as well. While the novel is definitely from a different time, the women were not all that different from women today. Women still compromise or settle, put dreams aside, and place misguided hopes on a man.
If you are looking for a bit of nostalgia and romance in your next women’s fiction, I recommend Five Brides. It was definitely an entertaining and engaging read.
Recommended.
Audience: adult women.
To purchase, click HERE.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Thank you so much! As the author, this means so much to me. I hope your group knew that this is a true story. If they would like to know more about Robert (who recently passed away) and Joan, who together built a small empire, go to: http://southernshows.com/downloads/Southern%20Shows%20LR.pdf
It was a surprise to the group. Another reason to read the “whole” book including the author’s notes! 😉 The fact that Joan’s story was real changed out perspectives. Thanks for sharing the link to the story.
As always, your review sparked my interest and I have just ordered the kindle edition of the book. Unfortunately, our library system did not have this title.
I hope you enjoy it! 😀
Me too! 🙂