The Lost Dresses of Italy
Dresses worn by the English poet Christina Rossetti in Verona, where she traveled in 1865, are discovered there in a hidden chest in 1947. The novel alternates chapters between Rossetti on her Italian trip and those featuring Marianne Baxter, a restorer of antique clothing.
Fifteen years after they were in fashion school together, Marianne’s friend summons her from Boston to Verona. Marianne is to prepare these dresses for the reopening exhibition at Verona’s Fondazione Museo Menigatti, its bomb damage finally repaired. Widowed in WWII, Marianne welcomes the challenge and hopes to escape her grief in Italy. She faces not only the intricate work to be completed in a short time but also the unsupportive museum owner.
Why did Rossetti leave three stylish dresses behind when she returned to England? They are not all that link the two stories together. Both time periods involve love and betrayal; 19th-century elements extend into the mid-20th, and both threads involve Italian politics. In 1865, the country has just been unified after years of strife. In 1947, the traumas of WWII are still fresh. Even readers who’ve read little of Christina Rossetti’s poetry will enjoy how McLaughlin weaves her lines and epigraphs into the poet’s emotional life. Marianne Baxter lost her husband early in their marriage and, like Rossetti, is now in her 30s. Both women are too old for passionate love—or are they?
The Lost Dresses of Italy is a compelling read, combining fashion, poetry, romance and a murder mystery, set in Juliet and Romeo’s evocative Verona. Marianne discovers by bonding with the woman who wore the gowns she’s restoring that she’s not only bringing Christina to life but is also revived herself. However, Marianne’s efforts put her at risk, and as the mystery becomes more dangerous, the emotions become more powerful.
