Rosa Kusstatscher has built a global fashion empire upon her ability to find the perfect look for any occasion. But tonight, as she prepares for the most important meeting of her life, her usual certainty eludes her.
What brought her to this moment? As she struggles to select her dress and choose the right shade of lipstick, Rosa begins to tell her incredible story.
The story of a poor country girl from a village high in the mountains of Italy. Of Nazi occupation and fleeing in the night. Of hope and heartbreak in Switzerland; glamour and love in Paris. Ambition and devastation in Rio de Janeiro; success and self-discovery in New York. A life spent running, she sees now.
But she will run no longer.
Georgia Kaufmann was born and grew up in North London. She studied Social Anthropology and Demography at Cambridge, LSE and Oxford.
For most of her twenties and early thirties, she managed to live elsewhere, with a preference for places beginning with B: Brussels, Belo Horizonte, Brighton and Boston, amongst others.
Since 1995, she has lived in London, exchanging her career as a demographic anthropologist to bring up her children and write. She lives within cycling distance of central London with her husband, their cat, and a washing machine to lure back her grown daughters.
The Dressmaker of Paris is her debut novel.
Reviews
Involving, immersive and unputdownable, I raced through it!
Bestselling author Jill Mansell
A beautifully written novel that sweeps the readers across the globe and through the decades . . . Fans of Lucinda Riley will adore it
Sunday Express S Magazine
The Dressmaker of Paris is glorious. It really reminded me of the great blockbusters of Judith Krantz, Shirley Conran and Barbara Taylor Bradford - the books that captured my heart and my imagination as a teenager and made me fall in love with reading. An epic, absorbing story spanning the lifetime of one extraordinary woman through hardship, heartbreak and survival. It swept me away. I'll be recommending it far and wide, and I'm already looking forward to whatever Georgia writes next.
Iona Grey, author of THE GLITTERING HOUR
The Dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kaufmann is a delicious book: elegantly structured, beautifully written and with a fascinating protagonist. I was completely absorbed in Rosa's story and rooting for her throughout her long journey from teenage victim to world famous businesswoman. Georgia Kaufmann has created a beautiful and compelling novel that had me hooked until the very last page. And that ending: wow!
Gill Thompson, bestselling author of THE OCEANS BETWEEN US
Sensuous, sweeping and utterly engrossing, the Dressmaker of Paris is as dazzling and finely crafted as a Dior gown.
Rachel Rhys, bestselling author of DANGEROUS CROSSING
The story of a remarkable woman. A book you will lose yourself in.
Gill Paul, bestselling author of THE LOST DAUGHTER
I raced through this beautifully written, elegantly structured book... [I was] totally absorbed
On Magazine
I absolutely loved it and devoured it in a couple of days. I found it a brilliant read - funny, touching, clever - and Rosa was such a unique and wonderful central character. The glorious descriptions of the Alps, Paris, Rio and New York just cry out to be made into a film and I can't wait to see it on screen.
Ajay Chowdhury, author of The Waiter
A historical novel with a difference. Delicious descriptions of Chanel perfume bottles and cultural references combine to add sparkle.
My Weekly
The story plays out in the most satisfying way
Saga Magazine
An enthralling and sweeping journey through one woman's inspirational life.
My Weekly
In a few pages I was hooked and read it to the end as quickly as life allowed. An outstanding debut.
Historical Novels Society