It's 1926 and Mrytle Mathers loves to sew, creating her own dresses inspired from Chanel creations she sees in magazines; however, her father has died and her mother became sick, which means that the family's tailoring business has been sold and, as we start the book, Myrtle is heading to work as a maid at Serendipity House in London. It's here where she meets Lady Sylvia Cartwright who has a passion for drawing dresses and costumes. When Sylvia's sister, Delphine, is distraught at the dress she is due to wear to her debutante ball in a few days time, Sylvia persuades Myrtle that the pair can create the perfect dress for her. Working through the nights, the pair create the most spectacular dress which creates quite the stir at her ball; so much so that Agapantha Portland-Prince not only wants the girls to create a daring dress for her ball, but also wants them to help her escape her life so she can hunt for new species in the Amazon. But can the girls pull this off without anybody else discovering; after all, Myrtle's job and her dreams could be at stake.
Having been a huge fan of the BBC drama The House of Elliott in the 90s, I was very excited about this book and rightly so! From the very beginning, readers are treated to a feast of 1920s description, as well as some gorgeous illustrations which will make you want to travel back in time so you can dress in the most decadent outfits.
This has all the hallmarks of a great historical fiction novel, but with all the glamour of the 1920s also thrown in. It's set in a time when women were beginning to realise they could make choices for themselves and could lead more independent lives, and the two main characters epitomise this completely. Whilst Mrytle is having to take a position as a maid in a London house, she dreams of earning enough money to buy her own tailoring business. She is prepared to work hard and is even earning money making outfits for the other girls who work in the house with her. She is a strong young lady with a determination that will inspire. Then there's Sylvia (Lady Sylvia Cartwright) who is bound by the conventions of society but spends her time dreaming of dressing up in costumes and has books of her own designs. She is fearless and full of spirit, but has so much less than Myrtle to loose; it is her fearlessness that persuades Myrtle to follow both of their dreams.
The setting for this book plays into everything I love about the past: glamour, elegance, beautiful dresses, the richness of society contrasting against those who make it all possible for them behind the scenes. It's The House of Elliott meets Downton Abbey, meets Katherine Woodfine and Robin Stevens. There's a thrilling ending to enjoy that will leave you wanting more and I can't wait to discover what the girls get up to next. The House of Serendipity is guaranteed to be a hit when it's released in June and I can't wait to share it with my class.
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