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The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

Jennifer Ryan author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Pan Macmillan

Published:8th Jun '23

Should be back in stock very soon

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle cover

With clothing rationed in World War Two Britain, wedding dresses are scarce, but when a village sewing circle brings together three very different women, their new fellowship brings more than they ever dreamed.

Great British Sewing Bee meets World War Two in Jennifer Ryan's warm, charming and nostalgic novel The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle.

'Atmospheric, wise and warm . . . comforting and unputdownable . . . an enchanting hug of a novel' - Cathy Kelly on The Kitchen Front

To have. To hold. To sew. Jennifer Ryan’s The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is ‘A Great British Sewing Bee’ set in the Second World War, and inspired by true events.


After fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both everything she owns in the Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago.

Cressida is at a loss as to how to rebuild her business from a small country village. The answer comes from an unlikely source: the local sewing circle. With clothes rationed, wartime brides are left with no choice but to 'make do and mend' and after helping local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, repair her mother’s dress, Cressida finds herself inundated with similar requests.

Before long, the sewing circle find themselves mending wedding dresses for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might also find it for themselves . . .

Jennifer Ryan’s wonderful ability to weave an atmospheric, wise and warm story makes The Kitchen Front entirely comforting and unputdownable. . . an enchanting hug of a novel -- Cathy Kelly on The Kitchen Front
Absolute perfection! Nostalgia, rivalry, friendship and fun – a real treat. Beautifully detailed – you will be right there with a cast of vivid characters, cooking their way to a new life. You will love it -- Veronica Henry on The Kitchen Front
A gorgeous novel about making the best of things during difficult times, whilst celebrating the importance of sisterhood and friendship -- Jill Mansell on The Kitchen Front
A delight! A charming blend of intriguing characters and a high-stakes cookery competition, served with the perfect amount of pathos and humour. -- Hazel Gaynor, bestselling author of The Bird in the Bamboo Cage, on The Kitchen Front
Evocative, nostalgic and comforting with a wonderful story of female friendship. A delight -- Alex Brown, author of The Secret of Orchard Cottage, on The Kitchen Front
Delightful . . . it manages to be sad and funny, exciting and heartwarming, all at the same time. Quite an achievement -- Barbara Erskine on The Chilbury Ladies Choir
The writing glows with emotional intelligence. This atmospheric debut, based on the author’s own family history, had me sniffing copiously -- Daily Mail on The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir

ISBN: 9781529094350

Dimensions: 197mm x 130mm x 25mm

Weight: 300g

432 pages