Book Review ~ A Vintage Affair

In her, eighth novel,

we meet Phoebe Swift when she abruptly leaves a plum job to open her own vintage clothing shop in London.  At the same time she is coping with the recent loss of her best friend, Emma.   Her friends are stunned ~ but to Phoebe, it’s the fulfillment of a dream, and her passion. Phoebe takes refuge in her work ~ restoring these wonderful old clothes to their former glory so that they can go on to have new lives.  Digging for finds in attics and wardrobes, Phoebe knows that when you buy a piece of vintage clothing, you’re not just buying fabric and thread ~ you’re buying a piece of someone’s past.

But what of the past lives these clothes have lived she often wonders? What stories would they tell if they could speak?

One day Phoebe meets Thérèse Bell, an elderly Frenchwoman, who has an impressive clothing collection of elegant dresses and suits that she wishes to sell. But among the array of elegant suits and couture gowns, Phoebe finds a child’s sky-blue coat from wartime France ~ an item with which Mrs. Bell is stubbornly reluctant to part with. At first Therese wishes not to reveal the coat’s history but, as the two women become friends, Phoebe listens to the poignant story of the little blue coat not knowing that it is to have a profound and uplifting connection with her own life... and she will discover an astonishing connection between herself and Thérèse Bell ~ one that will help her heal the pain of her own past and allow her to love again.　

Be sure to have tissue ready as this one will likely bring tears to your eyes…

Take Care