Book Review: Little Black Dress by Susan McBride

Title: Little Black Dress
Author: Susan McBride
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 23, 2011
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN: 978-0062027191
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

Two sisters whose lives seemed forever intertwined are torn apart when a magical little black dress gives each one a glimpse of an unavoidable future

Antonia Ashton has worked hard to build a thriving career and a committed relationship, but she realizes her life has gone off track. Forced to return home to Blue Hills when her mother, Evie, suffers a massive stroke, Toni finds the old Victorian where she grew up as crammed full of secrets as it is with clutter. Now she must put her mother’s house in order—and uncover long-buried truths about Evie and her aunt, Anna, who vanished fifty years earlier on the eve of her wedding. By shedding light on the past, Toni illuminates her own mistakes and learns the most unexpected things about love, magic, and a little black dress with the power to break hearts . . . and mend them.

My Review:

Little Black Dress by Susan McBride is an enchanting tale of Toni, her mother Evie, and aunt Anna whose lives are forever altered by the magical powers of a garment.  When Evie suffers from a large stroke, Toni returns home to help with things, including rummaging through the house’s treasures and that is where she learns of the power of the mysterious black dress and embarks on a pursuit of answers to her aunt’s mysterious disappearance some 50 years ago.  Told in alternating chapters that focus separately on Evie and then Toni, McBride creates an interesting motif where the chapters on Evie are told in first person whereas those on Toni are third person omniscient.  With a plot that contains plenty of twists, readers will be drawn into the lure of this dress that imparts the power to have a glimpse into the future as they discover that not only does the dress lead to revelations on Toni’s mother’s and aunt’s mysterious pasts, but Toni also leans more about herself on her magic-inspired quest for answers.  Though I found McBride’s writing to be expertly crafted and her witty style very befitting a mystery novel of this type, I am not a personal fan of magical elements, no matter how well they are written into plots.  I think readers who enjoy fantasy elements in their mysteries would probably find Little Black Dress to be an excellent choice.

To learn more about author Susan McBride, please visit her website: www.susanmcbride.com

For more reviews of the book, please follow the TLC Book Tour.

I received a complimentary ARC of Little Black Dress by Susan McBride from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

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