Synopses & Reviews
Set in 1860's Victorian England, Janice Graham's suspenseful new novel tells the story of Veda Grenfell, a passionate young woman with an indomitable spirit. Raised on Savile Row, the enclave of fashionable London tailors, Veda is every inch her father's daughter. She has inherited his talent, his sense of style, and his love of tailoring. When a fever leaves her deaf at the age of sixteen, shattering her hopes of marriage, only Grenfell's familiar workshop offers any promise of an active life. Determined to prove her worth in a world off-limits to respectable women, Veda eventually persuades her father to promote her to the front of the shop where she . She makes a name for herself as tailor to London's smart young sporting set.
Veda matures into a woman of eye-catching beauty, inspiring the devotion of her dear and faithful tutor, Mr. Nicholls, as well as an ambitious Italian whose marriage proposal she rejects, with disastrous consequences for her father's firm. For years, Veda has been increasingly drawn to Harry Breadalbane, a young viscount with humane ambitions frustrated by the expectations of his class. Heedless of the unsettling rumors about Harry's family and his brutally powerful father, Veda has absolute faith in Harry's goodness. When passion turns to betrayal, she abandons her beloved Savile Row and sets off on a treacherous journey that will lead her into a world of deception, murder, and madness.
In the classic tradition of richly detailed historical fiction, Graham's elegant prose paints a deeply human portrait of a girl both willful and confused, vulnerable and yet fiercely courageous. Veda's chronicle of her struggle to sustain ties with the hearing world, and her determination to seize for herself those dreams others try to deny her, render her character unforgettable and illuminate a world rarely imagined in literature.
Review
"
The Tailor's Daughter is a Victorian novel in both style and length, and a great pleasure for both of those reasons…. A feisty heroine meets a cold-hearted aristocrat and wins him despite himself, his villainous father and conspiring relations. It is a rich dance of a novel with every ingredient of the popular romance: near-death illness, adoring older suitor, wonderful clothes, great romantic love, hope, despair and disgrace…, a stolen child and a happy ending. It has everything but a Maharajah -- oh, I forgot: there is even a Maharajah."—Philippa Gregory, author of the
New York Times bestseller
The Virgin's Lover "
The Tailor's Daughter is a stunning novel about a complicated and beguiling young woman in desperate straits. Janice Graham leads the reader to dark places, and through the strength and talents of her heroine, reveals moments of almost unbearable yearning, truth, and beauty.”—Luanne Rice,
New York Times bestselling author of
Summer of Roses "Rich in gothic atmosphere and historical detail,
The Tailors Daughter is a captivating novel which follows its unconventional heroine along a twisting path of Dickensian deceits, culminating in a suspenseful and surprising conclusion. Veda Grenfell's triumphs over physical handicap, societal prejudices and the vagaries of the human heart to find her own place in the world. This is a book that grows in your heart and stays there for long after you've put it down."—Carol Goodman, author of the National Bestseller
The Lake of Dead Languages "The Tailor's Daughter is an engaging story about a strong and gifted young deaf woman… it is also a testimony to the value of sign language in the education of deaf people everywhere… Like Veda Grenfell, I became deaf at a young age, and like her coming to terms with my deafness was a slow and sometimes challenging process. But I also share with her the exhilarating and empowering experience of learning to communicate in sign language…there are no limits on what a deaf person can achieve."—I. King Jordan, President, Gallaudet University
Review
"A stunning novel about a complicated and beguiling young woman . . . [with] moments of almost unbearable yearning, truth, and beauty." --Luanne Rice "Veda challenges tradition to find an acceptable life that includes love. . . . Fans of the author's previous books and readers of gothic novels will enjoy Graham's delicious details of high society and star-crossed love." --
Booklist
"The sheer generosity of her invention and her unfailing ability to create believable characters . . . are nothing short of stunning. . . . Graham is always and abundantly a good time." --Kirkus Reviews "A great pleasure . . . a rich dance of a novel with every ingredient of the popular romance: near-death illness, adoring older suitor, wonderful clothes, great romantic love, hope, despair, and disgrace . . . and a happy ending." --Philippa Gregory
Synopsis
In the tradition of the best historical novels comes a suspenseful Victorian tale of a spirited, young deaf woman who defies convention by working as a gentleman's Savile Row tailor. 8 halftones.
Synopsis
Growing up in Victorian England, where her father owns a tailoring shop on fashionable Savile Row, Veda Grenfell and her family have always assumed she would one day make a suitable match. But when a fever leaves her deaf at the age of sixteen, Veda resolves to prove her worth in a realm that is usually off limits to respectable women. Dressing in gentlemen's clothes, Veda reinvents herself as a tailor to London's smart young set. Her beauty and spirit attract unexpected suitors, including a young viscount---but when passion turns to betrayal, Veda embarks on a treacherous journey that will lead her into a world of deception and murder.
Gorgeously written, with a heroine of unforgettable grace and determination, "this is a book that grows in your heart and stays there long after you've put it down" (Carol Goodman, author of The Lake of Dead Languages).
About the Author
This author is available for reading group discussion call-ins! E-mail Janice at
[email protected] to request an appointment. Janice Graham began her career as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. Her first novel,
Firebird, became a
New York Times bestseller and was translated into eighteen languages.
Reading Group Guide
Reading Group Questions
1. Veda states that “the absence of one sense does not imply an absence of sense in general.” Did this book give you a new perspective on the challenges faced by the deaf? Have you ever known anyone who has suffered the loss of their hearing? 2. Although Veda prefers designing mens clothing, she makes it clear that she does not sympathize with those “women in drab tweeds and spectacles who smoke and live in chambers like a man.” Why doesnt she? And does this make Veda hypocritical? Discuss the double standards imposed upon Victorian women who strove to pursue careers in fields dominated by men. 3. Do you think Veda was a “woman ahead of her time?” What aspects of her character could be considered timeless? 4. Vedas written correspondence appears throughout the pages of The Tailors Daughter. Did the inclusion of her letters help you to know her better? Talk about this aspect of the novels narrative structure. 5. How might you describe Vedas sudden change in attitude toward Balducci? Was her refusal to marry him based solely on his dishonesty, or
had Veda discovered something dark and disturbing in herself? Discuss Vedas compassion for Arabella in light of this self-knowledge. 6. Some of the exchanges between Veda and Mr. Nicholls and Veda and Harry are particularly delicate and refined. Which scenes do you think best portray Victorian sensibility? What did you learn about Victorian manners or attitudes in The Tailors Daughter? 7. Harry was born into privilege and yet he finds he is limited by his class. Do you think he is the “decorous capital on the column of industry, a pretty thing, all pomp and show, deprived of any real function,” as he is wont to describe himself? Why or why not? Talk about the notions of privilege and wealth in Victorian society. How did ones class either foster or hinder ones prosp-ects? How different is the world today? 8. Although Veda recognizes Arabella as her arch- rival, resentment and jealousy give way to more complex feelings. What does this reveal about Vedas character and her own needs? What kind of role does each woman play for the other? 9. Veda states, “I sat by the window with the warm July sun filtering through thick leaded panes, whipping thousands of fine stitches into the silk lining of the satin bodice as if it were a suit of armor, with the belief that I could render her invulnerable to his evil by the sheer perfection of my skills.” How is this image symbolic of womens powerlessness in a rigidly patriarchal society? 10. What do you think of Vedas decision not to reveal what she knows about Arabella and the Earl? Would you make the same choice? Why? 11. The Tailors Daughter is a novel about truth and beauty, art and artifice. It is also about family——in all its glory and scandal. How important is the notion of family to each of the main characters? Which relationships are the most “real” to you in this book? Have you ever experienced a particularly difficult conflict between personal fulfillment and family obligations?