The Wedding Dress: A Split-Time Romance with a Thread of Magical Realism
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Thursday, Jul 2
Format: Paperback
Description
1 AMAZON BESTSELLER | NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | USA TODAY BESTSELLER | TRANSLATED INTO FIFTEEN LANGUAGES | Bestselling and award-winning author Rachel Hauck delivers a tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love involving four brides and the wedding dress that ties them all together. Perfect for fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and Like Water for Chocolate.Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift--and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can't she find the perfect dress--or feel certain she should marry Tim?Then Charlotte purchases a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new, shimmering with pearls and satin, hand- stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it?Charlotte's search for the gown's history--and its new bride--begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte's heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the beauty of finding true love.Rachel Hauck sweeps the reader away in this New York Times bestselling tale that combines a wedding dress with a mysterious history, closed-door love stories spanning different time periods, redemption and faith, strong female characters, and interwoven stories. Read more
Publisher : Thomas Nelson
Publication date : April 2, 2012
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 343 pages
ISBN-10 : 1595549633
ISBN-13 : 31
Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.45 x 0.9 x 8.4 inches
Book 1 of 3 : The Wedding Collection
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Top Amazon Reviews
The Wedding Dress was a delightful read! Sometimes when you talk about a christian writer, it is prickly to incorporate God into the story, but in this book, adding God felt totally right and was smoothly done. Maybe I have changed, but it felt right and good to me. Our heroine, Charlotte Malone, owns a bridal dress shop, is engaged to Tim Rose and is not the typical bride to be. She drives up to Red Mountain to pray about the things bothering her and her upcoming marriage. But when she arrives, it is anything but peace and quiet. There is an auction going on. So when she takes a look around, a little man, wearing a purple shirt, is the auctioneer and he picks Charlotte out of the crowd....is the trunk that is welded shut calling out to her? Well it sure must have been...she ran the bid up to one thousand dollars and took the ugly trunk home with her. Shortly thereafter, she and Tim break up. He's just not sure he's ready to marry. There's no postponing til later, Charlotte feels it is over. When the man in the purple shirt shows up at her store asking if she has opened the trunk, she is not only leary of him, but indeed curious as to what lies in wait inside the trunk. Her friend Tim, agrees to help her open the trunk. Inside is the beautiful wedding gown with a mystery history. And the search begins for the history of the gorgeous gown, sewn with golden threads, never altered....always in style...and fits to the bride it is meant for. I loved this story. Ms Hauck did a phenomenal job of building her characters, three past brides and their men, their families and the history of the beautiful dress! Her story came full circle and Charlotte and Tim did too. This book would be a good book for a book club to read and discuss. I felt as if God had spoken to me through the characters and I enjoyed the read very much. Thank you for sharing Rachel Hauck! I was not disappointed with your book one bit!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2012 by Beth Cutwright
This book pushes a lot of my romance-reader buttons. It has conflict, secrets, lead characters with integrity and faith, and a few characters and events that make things a bit more interesting on the way to happily ever after. Now, I'm not a huge fan of dual-timeline stories, and that might have tripped me up if the author hadn't so seamlessly woven THE dress throughout each of four brides stories. And along with the (sisterhood of the traveling) wedding dress that miraculously fits each bride without alteration, a certain odd gentleman in purple who seems to be in the right places at all the right times to give little nudges to those brides. While some of the characters (ok, mostly Tim) took me a bit to warm to, I instantly fell for Grace and her beau. There is something about encountering lively older characters in novels that just tickles me pink, and I have a definite fondness for 1930's stories. Ultimately, this is an unabashedly romantic novel. Romance that spreads across the decades and links four women in more ways than one. It is also very much a feel-good novel that also touches on prejudice, pride, grief, and faith. Having read the entire Royal Wedding series in quick succession last December, I once again enjoyed the author's writing voice in The Wedding Dress. Hauck's writing is consistent, pleasant, and inviting. I love how the faith of the characters is just out there, being lived and discussed, and I always enjoy seeing how she weaves in the supernatural element. Her characters are also consistent, unfortunately, in that they sometimes almost feel like watching the same set of actors trying to take on slightly different roles in a series of movies. An enjoyable, quick, and decidedly Southern read. 3/5 stars for sheer romance and enjoyable storylines. This review refers to a finished copy received from Thomas Nelson and Zondervan's Fiction Guild. No compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2017 by Yvette
Charlotte Malone, owner of an upscale bridal boutique, has a gift for finding the perfect gown for her clients. But struggling to focus on her own fast approaching wedding, she wonders if Tim Rose--the handsome architect who swept her off her feet--is really "the one." When Charlotte impulsively buys an old, battered trunk at an auction, she finds a stunning vintage wedding gown inside in that looks newly made. The strange man in purple from the estate sale insists the dress is "hers." Determined to know more, Charlotte begins a quest. She uncovers information about the brides who wore the dress--Emily in 1912, Mary Grace in 1939, and Hillary in 1968--and how they came into possession of the hundred-year-old gown. As their powerful stories of love and courage are revealed, Charlotte also discovers new things about her heritage and her own connection to the dress. This novel is well crafted. Rachel Hauck skillfully found a way to tie four stories together. I was impressed by how different Charlotte's, Emily's, Mary Grace's and Hillary's experiences were during the hundred-year span . . . yet, the author found a way to connect them through relationships and the dress. Each woman struggled when it came to love, but each found the courage to handle the challenges they faced. I was particularly intrigued by how the author brought in the supernatural. The hundred-year-old dress remains stunning and flawless, despite having been worn by three women prior to falling into Charlotte's hands. Also, the owners never found it necessary to alter the dress in any way. It fit each one as though designed for them individually. Then there is the man who wears purple. He seems to show up at the most opportune times with an important message about the gown. The Wedding Dress is a contemporary romance that also includes history, a bit of mystery, unexpected twists, and a message about the importance of being connected to not only other people, but to God and his plan for our lives. If you enjoy a mix of contemporary and historical romances, I highly recommend The Wedding Dress.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2013 by Dawn Kinzer
When Charlotte, the owner of a high-end bridal boutique in Birmingham, Alabama purchases an antique trunk at a charity auction, she questions her impulses. Especially when she has to tell her fiancé that she spent $1000 on the trunk. But Charlotte stows the trunk in a corner of her home while she questions her own life and engagement. In the end, the trunk presents its treasure to Charlotte - a beautiful wedding dress fashioned in a timeless style. As readers we are treated to the history of the wedding dress that somehow manages to find its way into the hands of exactly the right bride(s) over a period of over one hundred years. The magical thing about the dress is that it seems to shimmer from a light that is sewn into it while it has the capability to fit the next bride without alterations of any kind. When I picked up this book I was intrigued to find that the history of the dress spanned such a long time period. I was enthralled with the story of the dress's first owner - the woman for whom it was made initially - and how this young woman found the courage to follow her heart. To me it seemed as though this part of the story was set out in great detail and flowed easily. The stories of the next two owners of the dress seemed a bit choppy and I would have liked more detail. Charlotte's own story was sprinkled between the stories of the other dress wearers and although it was easy to follow it didn't seem to move forward; at times it felt as though I was stuck in Charlotte's mind as she waffled between her independence and her not being able to call off her own wedding. I would recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction/romance. Giving it 3 stars because there were places where the story did not hold my interest.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2013 by Marion Marchetto, author
I previously read this title back when it was released in 2012 but had very little, if any memory of it since then. Reading it again was like for the first time - both riveting, mysterious and awesome all rolled into one. As the title suggests - The Wedding Dress is about yep a wedding dress but about four very different woman who the dress finds it’s possession in. Our present day Charlotte is almost propelled into purchasing an old battered trunk from a overly persuasive (if slightly hypnotic) auctioneer. Spending way more than she should have - she brings home a welding shut trunk weighing almost less nothing apart from the weight of itself. Once opened - the aforementioned wedding dress is revealed and so starts a dawning realisation that this tale is definitely a saga and will each previous owner of the dress will form an intricate portrait once revealed. The Wedding Dress could well fall into the typical chick lit genre and starts off very much that way but soon morphs into something far deeper and more satisfying. Each previous owner of the dress has a story unique to her history and encourage the reader to find out just how they all magically link together. And despite the different era’s and customs of each, the self same love story is told. I encourage anyone who loves a sweet yet satisfyingly deep narrative to give this one a go. You won’t be sorry you did.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2017 by Angela
According to the information provided by Amazon, this book was published in 2012. However, according to my content information I purchased it in June 2011. How do you explain that? Unfortunately, I just finished reading it. I am a Christian and a believer in the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike. I can't remember where or how I learned of this book but by the time I got around to reading it I had no idea what to expect. I have read a large number of "romance novels" that include foul language, sex, sex, and more sex. I was more or less expecting the same with this book. Boy was I wrong. I'm not surprised that readers who are not committed to the Lord and His work in the lives of individuals found it too "Christian" for their tastes. I really enjoyed it. It is a romance novel without any overt sex (just a few hints of what a man wants to do to his fiance') and it has mystery surrounding the title theme, the wedding dress. It is a good, clean, enjoyable story ranging from 1912 to the present day. The characters are believable and their situations plausible. I recommend this book, even for those young people who enjoyed the Twilight series (I enjoyed those books too and I am 75 years old).
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Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2016 by M A Martin
I truly could not put this book down. I read the entire story, which is really 4 stories woven together, in one week. It's not easy to get the historical fiction plus modern day romance mix right, but Rachel Hauck does an incredible job. The novel both transports us back in time and envelopes readers with a sense of love's timelessness. If you're like me, you love the light, easy, and meaningful read of an interesting love story with a protagonist that you can relate with. You don't want the overly flowery language or cliche phrases. "The Wedding Dress" surpasses those two extremes and has both a plot and voice that stirred laughter, tears, and reflection for me-a winning combo in my book! There's just enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat as you're traveling the worlds of Emily from the 1900s to Charlotte in modern times. I also appreciated how this wasn't just a two dimensional story (girl and guy aren't right for each other, or they are). Instead, I thought the evolution of Charlotte's and Tim's characters demonstrate how it's equally about becoming the right person as finding the right person. Finally, as a Christian woman who loves a good love story, I thought Rachel Hauck did a great job writing a powerful romance that speaks to God as the ultimate Storyteller. I will be the first to say that romances with overzealous religious tones turn me off even more than a typical shallow love story. However, I thought this book had a very genuine story of women who are still very much human and flawed, with faith that grow out of real, complex circumstances.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2013 by Amazon Customer
The short version: interesting story, decent characters, but purple prose and historical inaccuracies weaken this book. Some readers might be offended by the heavy-handed theology and/or the way the race and gender issues are handled in the book. Full review: First off, as many other reviewers have noted, this book is not clearly advertised as a Christian book, and yet spends a lot of time talking about God and Jesus. I will address the theological aspects of the book at the end of the review, but I tried to leave those out of my star ratings, and will first address the book's relative strengths and weaknesses sans Christianity. The book centers on a magic wedding dress that makes its way to different brides over a hundred year period. The bulk of the story is focused on two women: Emily, the 1912 bride for whom the dress is made (by a black seamstress), and Charlotte, the modern-day owner of a bridal salon whose own wedding is on hold as she and her fiance try to work through their problems. The characters and stories of each bride (including the two who are talked about but not a focus on the book) are interesting, as is the general concept. The dress, of course, is meant to stand in for something more, though the "more" that the author reveals in the author's note at the end of the book seems (at best) a weak comparison, since the seeds of that connection between the dress and what it stands for were not really sewn (pun intended) throughout the book. As a result, the book really seems to be about a dress until the author's note, when the author tacks on a "oh, yeah, this is what the dress means." Even so, the book could have been an interesting read, if not for a few big problems. First is the prose; the story can go on perfectly well for a few pages, but then the author throws in a phrase or a few sentences that are awkwardly purple. It's as though the author fell in love with an image or a turn of phrase and kept it in though it sounded awkward and out of place (I kept hearing Faulkner's voice in my head: "kill your darlings!"). These regular interruptions of what is, elsewhere, decent prose are a distraction. More than the prose, though, is the problem of the characters' voices and the anachronisms (which, in my mind, are related). All of the characters sound the same. Literally, all of them. When reading a passage of dialogue, it is impossible to tell who is saying what. Not only that, despite taking place in the vivid south, I felt like this story could have taken place anywhere. There was no local flavor, in the characters' voices or in the story itself. (Once or twice, the author would throw in a semi-southernism, like having a character who otherwise talks like a back-east educated lawyer suddenly saying that he feels like a "coon up a tree." This might have worked if it didn't sound so different from the rest of the character's speech and narration.) And certain words or phrases (like "Mercy" as an exclamation) were given to too many different characters to offer any punch. Meanwhile, there were all sorts of anachronisms in Emily's story, starting with the character herself. She describes herself as not being strong or rebellious, and yet she goes against the grain of society again and again. I just don't believe that a character who lived in Birmingham in 1912, and was as religious as she was, would be so quick to rebel against her parents and fiance, much less society. (Remember that this is the time when "good Christian women" were taught that racism and sexism was biblically based, much as "good Christians" today view homosexuality.) Her big hesitation was in going back on her word, not on the outrageous rebellion of being outright argumentative with her mother and fiance. (Today, her argumentation wouldn't be seen as un-Christian, or probably even all that rebellious, but then it certainly would have.) And, as if that weren't bad enough, the anachronisms of the story itself were distracting. For example, Emily's wedding, on New Year's Eve in 1912, took place in the "First Southern Methodist Church." That's amazing, since the SMC was not formed until 1940. Details like that abound and kept taking me out of the story. So, an interesting concept was ruined in the execution. For those interested, a word on the religion and race in this book. The Christianity in this book is very, very heavy-handed, to the point where it becomes pedantic. To each their own; I know some who like that. However, there are a lot of theological issues in this book that are specialized to certain corners of Christianity. If you object to God-as-magician (who walks around wearing a purple ascot and making sure brides get a pretty wedding dress), this is not the book for you. If you do not believe in tent revival healings or speaking in tongues, you also might be put off by some of the theology of the book. In addition, it is important to note that the way race is treated in this book falls under the trope of "white person as savior to black society," a trope that many find offensive. If you fall into that category, this is not the book for you.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2017 by ncb