[.ca] The Wedding Dress (ISBN 0345462378)

The Rhythm of "The Wedding Dress":
Virginia Renfro Ellis has written this novel the best way possible: she balances her prose with poetry to provide an underlining rhythm to the book. With such wording as "surprised into silence", "an embarrassment of riches", and "a different kind of war--one that must be fought after the losses of the other", this story engraves itself upon the reader's heart. A great subtitle for this novel would be "The Wedding Dress: Don't Miss the Dance", based on the lyrics of "The Dance" by CW star Garth Brooks. Treat yourself to the wealth of love this story provides.

I just picked it up by mistake thinking it was another book!:
When I was at the library, I thought this was a different book. When I started to read it, the pages drew me in immediately. This book is about three sisters who live on a plantation in Virginia during and after the Civil War. Two of the three sisters were married and their husbands died for the "cause" They have this idea to make a wedding dress for their younger sister who has no propects of getting married. During this effort, they involved other people who have no idea what is happening to them. In a twist of the story, the one unsuspecting soldier who helps them out, falls in love with the oldest sister and not the one who they are making the dress for. The story is interesting and is just a nice read for those who love historical fiction. Ellen

I gave this one a "thumbs up"!:
The 2 older sisters- Victoria Atwater Whitmore and Julia Atwater Lovejoy, who hadn't been married very long before losing their husbands in battles of the Civil War are now widows living in the family home along with their youngest sister Claire. The war has ended, the area is depressed, and everyone is trying to put their lives back together. But the future is looking bleak for these sister who live in a small community. Feeling dispair, Julia decides they need to get their minds off their problems and decides they need a goal to work towards. Like finding the husband that Claire is afraid she will never have since all of the single young men in the community were lost in the war! And what better way to be serious about the goal than to make a wedding dress for the big day- that's having faith. Claire is thrilled and feels she might actually have a future to look forward to. The sisters spend their winter evenings piecing together this dress- it is fun seeing how the community helps them with their adventure without even knowing it. Then Sergeant Monroe Tacy arrives. He is the wartime friend of Julia's deceased husband, her beloved William. He promised William to deliver his last gift of love to Julia when William was on his death bed. He turns out to be more than just a messenger. Feeling at home with the sisters and seeing the work that needs to be down around the plantation, Monroe stays and helps the sisters survive the winter with his hunting and repairing skills. And as spring arrives so does new surprises. The sisters are tested by events but they rely on faith, love, and friendships to see them through. It is a GREAT STORY!!!! that I will highly recommend. The author does a great job with the authenticity of the Southern dialect. She doesn't "butcher" it. There is great humor. I just love Monroe and his humor with the stubborn mule. I really liked all of the characters- even though Claire was silly and immature but I could see her being that way and how about James' pain and anxiety. I normally don't care for "ghost" being used in stories. But this is one time that I did not mind it. I guess I have seen so many shows on ghost still roaming the southern plantation homes and battle scenes since the Civil War that I didn't dwelling on their showing up in the story off and on. Any, Virginia, you did a great job. I look forward to your next book. Thumbs up!!

A Wonderful Book:
This is one of those books you'll tell everyone you know about. I've given away probably a dozen copies to friends and family. Everyone loves it, both men and women. But the best testament I've heard so far was from my sister, who after reading it herself, read it allowed to her husband on their honeymoon. He enjoyed it so much, they've started a tradition of reading aloud to each other. The story, the characters, the rhythm of language all blend together in a beautiful message of hope. This is a wonderful book, which I highly recommend. For myself, I know I'll end up reading it over and over again.

A Beautiful Read:
Based on the jacket cover description, I purchased this book to take on a vacation... I read it in about 2 days! I was so pleased with the quality of the writing. Ms. Ellis is truly a talented writer who writes from the heart (she, herself, lost her husband in a war) and has the skill of keeping you so engrossed that you can't put the book down. When I returned from my vacation, I searched for other books by Ms. Ellis and was disappointed that there were no others at that time. I have recently, however, discovered "The Photograph", bought it immediately, and should have it finished in a couple of days! Keep up the outstanding quality, Ms. Ellis... I will keep buying!