You can talk about living in the Mallee. And you can talk about a Mallee tree. And you can talk about the Mallee itself: a land and a place full of red sand and short stubby trees. Silent skies. The undulating scorch of summer plains. Quiet, on the surface of things.
But Elise wasn't from the Mallee, and she knew nothing of its ways.
Discover the world of a small homestead perched on the sunburnt farmland of northern Victoria. Meet Elise, whose urbane 1950s glamour is rudely transplanted to the pragmatic red soil of the Mallee when her husband returns to work the family farm. But you cannot uproot a plant and expect it to thrive. And so it is with Elise. Her meringues don't impress the shearers, the locals scoff at her Paris fashions, her husband works all day in the back paddock, and the drought kills everything but the geraniums she despises.
As their mother withdraws more and more into herself, her spirited, tearaway daughters, Marjorie and Ruby, wild as weeds, are left to raise themselves as best they can. Until tragedy strikes, and Marjorie flees to the city determined to leave her family behind. And there she stays, leading a very different life, until the boy she loves draws her back to the land she can't forget...
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Macmillan Australia
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1760784850
ISBN-13: 978-1760784850
Guys how gorgeous is that cover!? I mean, I can't even... I absolutely love every tiny detail and could stare at it all day long. It's a total stunner in it's design, layout, and colours. It's perfect!
'Wearing Paper Dresses' by Anne Brinsden screams heartbreak. It made me cry so much, I still can't get over it.
The author's writing style is very compelling and the emotions in this book seriously got to me. You can feel all the pain this family is going through, it just killed me. There might not be much action in the literal sense but there's still a lot happening. A lot of love, feelings, and breaking hearts.
I've been right there with the wonderful characters and felt like a part of the story. This story had a tight grip around my reader's heart and I haven't been able to put it aside at all. The setting is also authentic and I could see every little detail in my mind.
The characters are simply amazing. There are Elise, who is falling deeper and deeper into that black hole, and her loving husband who would do anything to make her life a good one. Though he is also very loyal to his family and their farm life.
And then there are their wonderful daughters Ruby and Marjorie. My heart has been breaking again and again for them. Ruby is a gorgeous big sister who's there for her little sibling. She always sticks up for her. Well and last but not least there's Marjorie. Oh my, she's a whirlwind. She's wild, she's free, and she's special. Marjorie is most definitely my favourite, I adore her.
By writing 'Wearing Paper Dresses', the author Anne Brinsden gifted us readers with an epic story. This book is a massive heartbreak, so make sure to keep a huge box of tissues ready at hand!
This book has absolutely everything. There are amazing characters, a compelling storyline, emotions to break even the strongest. And it is so beautiful, inside and out. I can absolutely recommend this gorgeous work to all you readers out there. Read it and love it, as it's a stunner!
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