Review: Dressed By Iris

Title: Dressed By Iris

Author: Mary-Anne O'Connor

Publisher: 2nd February 2022 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 492 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction 

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

A vivid, romantic story of Sydney in the 1930s Depression - the heartbreak, the glamour, the dark underbelly, the struggle towards a better day - and one young woman's dream of designing her way from rags to riches. For readers of Natasha Lester and Victoria Purman.

1930: Seventeen-year-old Iris Mitchell dreams of designing clothes, but there's little spare cash for fashion in their shanty-town home. The gift of a single purple ribbon from would-be boyfriend John Tucker, however, creates an unexpected opportunity ... and when Iris's brother Jim joins the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction, the large, dirt-poor but loving Mitchell family can move to the city. Iris will be torn away from John, but he's Protestant and she's Catholic, taboo in their world, so perhaps it wasn't meant to be ...

1932: By day, Iris scrubs the floors at Caron's, an upmarket department store. By night, she designs and sews in her family's tiny, crowded house. Friendship with gorgeous, livewire Natasha, one of Caron's models, allows Iris to show her skills, but will her talent be acknowledged ... or exploited?

When John reappears, passions are reignited, and Iris must face not only their religious divide, but the apparent impossibility of having both marriage and a career. Meanwhile, the Mitchells must navigate life in a city riven by corruption, dirty politics and gambling. Will their faith, determination and deep family bond save them when tragedy and adversity strike? In 1930s Sydney, the stakes have never been higher ...

My Thoughts

‘The girl from the shantytown was going to seize this opportunity, and if she defied every odd and became wealthy and successful no-one could ever touch her.’

Dressed By Iris is another wonderful Australian saga by author Mary-Anne O’Connor. Set in the 1930s it covers everything from the Great Depression to the building of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. Having read Mary-Anne’s other books, I knew she would once more provide her readers with strong female characters and I was not disappointed. 

Mary-Anne does a wonderful job of capturing the life of average Australians from the era. The main focus here is on the Mitchell family - poor Irish Catholics who not only faced great poverty but also great prejudice. It is the eldest daughter, Iris, who has an incredible talent for fashion creations, which Mary-Anne highlights inclusive of the exploitation and sexism surrounding the industry at the time. It brings with it glamour that perfectly balances out the harsh reality of life for many.

‘You should have let me say something,’ he said. 

‘What can you say? That you’re Protestant? That would only make things worse.’ 

John shook his head. ‘What the hell is wrong with people?’ 

Iris sighed. ‘It’s only words. Sticks and stones...’ 

‘But, it’s not, is it? It’s attitude. Belief.’ He looked over at her. ‘It does just as much harm. Maybe more.’

The joy of this book though is through the interactions of the Mitchell family. What a joy! The way they unite through challenging times and just how important love and support is especially given the crippling circumstances of the time. Iris’ mother, Agnes, was the foundation and very heart of the family from her cooking to her enormous courage proving inspirational. The inclusion of Natasha, Iris’ friend, was a pure delight - not only her mannerisms, support, encouragement but her humour was a definite highlight.

Mary-Anne’s, ‘Author’s Note’, at the conclusion shed light on her inspiration and how some characters had been modelled on family members. It also explained certain correlations of the fiction and facts surrounding some of the key aspects from her story. All up, Dressed By Iris provided a wonderful window into the Australia of the early 1930s with detailed depictions of one girl’s dream combined with the unwavering faith, love and support of her family. A joy to read.

‘What should we drink to?’ 

‘Mum,’ Iris said. 

‘Oh no, not me,’ Agnes said, ‘I think we should drink to Iris. This is her dream.’ 

‘It’s yours too,’ Iris pointed out. ‘It’s all of ours now.’ 

‘To dreams then,’ Jim said. 

‘Yes,’ Iris said, looking over at John and smiling. ‘To dreams coming true.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.