The Paris Seamstress, by Natasha Lester

Natasha Lester has undoubtedly done her research on the fashion industry for this book. Perhaps it is necessary for tax purposes to ensure that every last detail of it is inserted into the story. The first chapter is a gush of exposition, an almost overwhelming torrent of words in a hurry to set the scene, introduce the characters and explain their entire back stories. What follows is a complicated and convoluted plot that relies on a series of coincidences that defy belief. It took far too much time and a good deal of eye-rolling to get through this totally mediocre book, which needed several more drafts – or better, a complete rewrite - to make it less of a slog. Cardboard characters, an extremely muddy timeline and an almost irrelevant modern thread make it clear little effort was expended on editing. So it is interesting that the novel seems to have received quite the marketing push. Very good writers find it hard to get published, so how does dross like this make it through the slush pile? The publishing industry is indeed a mystery.