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Deborah (162 KP) rated The Dressmaker in Books

Dec 21, 2018  
TD
The Dressmaker
Posie Graeme-Evans | 2010
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have previously read Posie Graeme-Evans' trilogy based around Anne de Bohun, and very much enjoyed it. The Dressmaker was another well written book with a likeable female protagonist. I found the first half of the book a bit of a struggle to get through as so many bad things happen to Ellen, our heroine and you get a sense of how awful things are, but the lingering sense that worse is still to come! I liked the second half of the book better as it had a more positive feel to it and of course it did have a satisfying ending.

The book opens with Ellen visited by a mysterious man. We don't know very much about what is going on at this point, but she is clearly shaken by the encounter. After this, we are taken right back to the day of Ellen's birthday and see how events unfold that take her up to the moment we saw in the prologue.

Overall I did enjoy this, but especially to get through the first part I think you need to be in the right frame of mind.
  
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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Mista in Books

Jan 15, 2018  
M
Mista
John J. Kaminski | 2010
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I won a copy of this book on Goodreads. I entered the giveaway because, as a teacher, any book about teaching by a fellow teacher is worth checking out. When I read the description I had only 1 thought go through my head, "This sounds like where some of the kids I have now are going to end up." I myself teach in an "innercity" elementary school. Some of the things John experienced are things I've seen too...thankfully not the pervasive sex & drugs culture, I mean my students are 8 after all. But the blatant disrespect, cursing, lack of motivation, & uncaring attitude toward education are all definitely things I contend with on a daily basis as well. To me, reading this was both encouraging and heartbreaking. Encouraging because it is nice to know that there are teachers out there that truly care about what happens to these "tough kids" & are wiling to put up with a great deal of abuse to see that they get what they need. Heartbreaking because this story is all too common. There are not enough people that care & not enough dedicated teachers that sacrifice so much for the kids.
The book was well written & as far as I'm concerned, spot on. I've never taught high school, let along in the city, but based on my experiences this is where some of my students are headed. I can only hope that they have the benefit of a caring, persistent teacher like John that won't give up on them or let the students give up on themselves.