Sunday 15 November 2009

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Review: The Dresskeeper by Mary Naylus

The Dresskeeper by Mary NaylusThe Dresskeeper by Mary Naylus (review copy) - When Picky's Mum forces her to look after Gran, who has dementia, Picky is accidentally transported back to the year 1685, where a man in a wig insists she is someone called Amelia and tries to kill her. Managing to get the dress off just in time, Picky returns to the present with the dress covered in blood. Who is Amelia? Is she dead? Will wearing the other dresses in the chest take Picky back in time too? And does she dare put herself in danger again? - From Amazon UK.

I didn’t think I would enjoy this; I love watching period dramas on TV and at the cinema, but when it comes to reading them, I’m not so great at understanding the language, but I thought I would give this book a go anyway. I am so glad I did, I really enjoyed it!

I loved Picky’s voice, and learning things about the time period through her experience of it. There was no trouble understanding the language as it was all through Picky’s point of view, and it was really quite amusing!

The plot was really clever, and if you’ve seen it, it reminded me quite a lot of the UK TV programme Lost in Austen. I was, however, a little disappointed in Picky’s lack of knowledge about history. She may be 13, but surely 13-year-olds know that the internet is pretty new in the great scheme of things, and would have heard of Nazis.

I also found that Picky’s real school life was a little forced. The events were believable, but the reactions to them were a little off to me. And as much as teenagers may say it, I got a little annoyed with Picky’s over use of the phrase, “No. Seriously.”

The Dresskeeper is a cute story over all, and I really enjoyed reading it. I loved the characters from 1685, and how Picky’s view of things changes, and how she learns about herself along the way. It was a lovely story, and I can’t wait to read what Mary Naylus brings us next!

Thank you to Prospera Publishing for sending me a copy to review.

Published: 30th November 2009 in the UK, 30th December 2009 in the US
Publisher: Prospera Publishing
Pre-order on Amazon UK
Pre-order on Amazon US
Mary Naylus' Blog

Other Reviews:
Chicklish
So Many Books, So Little Time
Nayu's Reading Corner
Tales of Whimsy

13 comments:

  1. Sounds like my kind of book! Putting it on my must read list. Great review, thanks!
    Natalie :0)

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  2. Thank you! It's an awesome book, I really did enjoy it! Thanks for commenting!

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  3. I loved reading your thoughts on this book. I've seen it on a few blogs (er, including Chicklish!) and it's great to compare opinions. It sounds great! Thanks for the review.

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  4. I really enjoyed this. An it reminded me of Lost in Austen too!

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  5. Chicklish - You're welcome! Oh, I shall grab the URL, and I'll link to it!

    Sophie - I'll also grab a link from you! :) Ohh, how I loved Lost in Austen. "It's enough to make you want to park a bloody jumbo!" Haha!

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  6. This book is a really fun read as was your review! :-)

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  7. Aww, cheers! It was a great book!

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  8. Sounds like an interesting read. No. Seriously. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself...)Time period pieces for me, only work when I am specifically in the mood for them....otherwise it's like sitting in an English Lit class after no sleep for 48 hours. (I actually liked English Lit, just not without any sleep for 2 days.) Thanks for sharing!

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  9. You're welcome! Haha, cheers for the "No. Seriously." comment, made me smile! :)

    I can say there is very little not to understand in this book. The narration is all from Picky, so that's written in mordern language, it's just what the characters in the past say that is different, but it's all easy to understand - and that's saying something coming from me; if I get it, anyone will :)

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  10. Appreciate the link! I need to figure out how to do them...

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  11. You're welcome! I'll email you and let you know!

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  12. Glad you like this book. I LOVED it.

    Side note: I liked that she didn't know anything about history. Reminded me of my self at that age.
    :)

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  13. It was a great book! I'm pretty sure I knew what Nazis were and that the internet/computers weren't around back then. I didn't know specifics, history has never been my strong point, but there are simple things I would have thought everyone just knows. Maybe not. I'll link to your review!

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