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The Dressmaker Paperback – 1 September 2000

by Rosalie Ham (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 8,528 ratings
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The bestseller from the author of the upcoming new novel The Year of the Farmer.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING KATE WINSLET AND LIAM HEMSWORTH

Tilly Dunnage has come home to care for her mad old mother. She left the small Victorian town of Dungatar years before, and became an accomplished couturier in Paris. Now she earns her living making exquisite frocks for the people who drove her away when she was ten. Through the long Dungatar nights, she sits at her sewing machine, planning revenge.

The Dressmaker is a modern Australian classic, much loved for its bittersweet humour. Set in the 1950s, its subjects include haute couture, love and hate, and a cast of engagingly eccentric characters.

The major motion picture also stars Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, and extras from the author's hometown of Jerilderie.

PRAISE FOR THE DRESSMAKER

"[Rosalie Ham] is a true original. Blessed with an astringently unsentimental tone and a talent for creating memorably eccentric characters, Ham also possesses a confidently brisk and mischievous sense of plot. It's no wonder The Dressmaker, a tale of small-town couture and revenge, is being adapted for film." The Sydney Morning Herald

"It's clear we're visiting a small 1950s town not of history but as imagined by Tim Burton: the gothic, polarized world of Edward Scissorhands... Ham has real gifts as a writer of surfaces and pictures, bringing Tilly's frocks to surprising, animated life." The New York Times Book Review

"Ham's eye for the absurd, the comical, and the poignant are highly tuned. [The Dressmaker] is a first novel to be proud of, and definitely one to savor." The Weekend Australian

"The book's true pleasures involve the way Rosalie Ham has small-town living down pat...she channels welcome shades of British novelist Angela Carter's sly, funny, and wickedly Gothic adornments...Blunt, raw and more than a little fantastical, the novel exposes both the dark and the shimmering lights in our human hearts." The Boston Globe

"With the retribution of Carrie, the quirkiness of Edward Scissorhands, and the scandal of Desperate Housewives..." Booklist

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Duffy & Snellgrove
  4. Publication date
    1 September 2000
  5. Dimensions
    13 x 2 x 19.9 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1875989706
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1875989706
  8. See all details
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  1. ‘The sense of being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity which religion is powerless to bestow.’
    Highlighted by 64 Kindle readers
  2. She used to have a lot of falls, which left her with a black eye or a cut lip. Over the years, as her husband ground to a stiff and shuffling old man, her injuries ceased.
    Highlighted by 46 Kindle readers
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Product description

From the Publisher

Rosalie Ham is the author of The Dressmaker, Summer at Mount Hope and There Should be More Dancing. Her novels are described as having fresh, unusual and entertaining ideas and have sold over 75,000 copies. Rosalie was born and raised in Jerilderie, NSW and now lives in Melbourne. She holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and teaches literature.

About the Author

Rosalie Ham is the author of The Dressmaker, Summer at Mount Hope, There Should be More Dancing, The Year of the Farmer and The Dressmaker's Secret. Rosalie was born and raised in Jerilderie, NSW and now lives in Melbourne. She holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and teaches literature.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Duffy & Snellgrove (1 September 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1875989706
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1875989706
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13 x 2 x 19.9 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 8,528 ratings

About the author

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Rosalie Ham

Rosalie Ham

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Ham is a gifted storyteller, her ideas are fresh, unusual and entertaining, and result in marvellous stories steeped in an Australia at once recognisable but also new. There’s not a cliché within cooee. Ham also has a great talent for arranging words, using them sparsely to express the most fantastic sentiments…

Rebecca Green, The Sun Herald

‘As anyone who read Rosalie Ham’s debut novel, The Dressmaker, knows, she is a true original. Blessed with an astringently unsentimental tone and a talent for creating memorably eccentric characters, Ham also possesses a confidently brisk and mischievous sense of plot.

‘The authenticity of every detail is never in doubt from this consummate but unshowy storyteller.

Caroline Baum, Sydney Morning Herald

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3.7 out of 5
8,528 global ratings

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Top reviews from Australia

Sheldon Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars The novel on which the acclaimed movie was made.
Reviewed in Australia on 28 November 2023
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A perfect birthday gift for my Mother.
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NicShef❤️Reading
4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky, original, great read!
Reviewed in Australia on 14 November 2015
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Rosalie Ham's heroine, Tilly, returns to the small Australian rural town of her childhood having travelled the world. Harbouring bad memories from long ago, she weaves her own special magic, just as she creates amazing courtier for the townsfolk. She returns to attend to her elderly mother, stays despite being inflicted with the same disproval the parochial town folk subjected her to when she was shunned as a young child. Despite Tilly returning as an accomplished dressmaker, unrecognisable and sophisticated most of the town treats her with suspicion and continue to circulate gossip. The story with its colourful characters has a very Australian flavour. Despite the resentment she faces she manages to gain the admiration and friendship of Sergeant Farrat, the town’s policeman who is also a mysterious character with his own secrets. Local football star, Teddy is also enchanted by Tilly and although their romance flourishes it also brings a host of surprises.
Although the story delivers light hearted moments and the satisfaction of Tilly’s revenge, it is laced with dark humour. I will however see the movie as soon as possible as the fashion will be to die for!
21 people found this helpful
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vixen 55
3.0 out of 5 stars The Dressmaker
Reviewed in Australia on 11 December 2015
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Enjoyed the beginning of this book, but I became bored with it when one of the characters was no longer in it. I found the story line jumped around a bit too much and confused me on who was who? Not sure if I'd recommend this book although I do love Australian books.
One person found this helpful
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SusanJM
5.0 out of 5 stars The Dressmaker novel
Reviewed in Australia on 10 May 2023
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Fantastic story plan and interesting novel.
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bruce ingram
4.0 out of 5 stars A very worthy Australian novel.
Reviewed in Australia on 24 December 2015
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I enjoyed the book very much because 1. the decriptions of the fashions were detailed 2.characters within the town setting were drawn, revealing the darker side of humanity. The characters were limited by their narrow environment in their Australian town.3. the town reminded me of small town mentality. 4. it was a very well balanced book in context with the main protagonist's child hood misdemeanor carefully contrasting with the hatred of many of the judgemental women within the town.
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Ms Debra Monaghan
2.0 out of 5 stars ... hype around this book but I was a tad disappointed. Throughout the novel I felt the story was ...
Reviewed in Australia on 18 April 2016
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Perhaps my expectations were a little high due to all the hype around this book but I was a tad disappointed.
Throughout the novel I felt the story was going no where and what was the purpose of the what Tilly did in the end - revenge maybe?
I feel as though I just didn't get it - maybe if I saw the movie I would.
I was so looking forward to reading this book however when I turned the last page I felt very let down.
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kez
3.0 out of 5 stars A depiction of life in old rural Oz
Reviewed in Australia on 30 December 2019
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A hood book but wish I had read it before seeing the movie. Characterisations reminded me in part of Priscilla Queen of the desert.
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Penelope Mcfarlane
4.0 out of 5 stars Stitched Together Well
Reviewed in Australia on 30 November 2015
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I wanted to read the novel after seeing the film of this book. The novel delves far more deeply into the townsfolk as would be expected. This gives the reader an opportunity to really get to know the characters and just what they're like. For such a small place there are many veryodd characters. it's an enjoyable read, but I needed a lot of referencing to help understand a lot of the design terminology..
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars See the movie first
Reviewed in Canada on 23 August 2018
Verified Purchase
I watched the movie first, and it was weird, quirky and enjoyable. Plus, Liam Hemsworth shirtless. Just sayin'. I read the novel afterwards, and it was weird, quirky and enjoyable as well. Having the visual references from the movie made the book more enjoyable for me. It's different from what I usually read, and I really really enjoyed it. :)
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Camila
4.0 out of 5 stars bom
Reviewed in Brazil on 18 July 2018
Verified Purchase
livro bom, com um enredo mediano. mas a escrita é cansativa. poderia ser mais curto. mas a descrição dos personagens chega a ser excessiva, e vc acaba não se prendendo tanto a protagonista. é bom, mas poderia ser melhor.
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Kevin Craig
5.0 out of 5 stars Glad I bought It!
Reviewed in India on 21 April 2019
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The story is unique and the author adds humor to it making it delightful to read. Very well collaborated and presented. The packaging was good and delivery on time.
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Blue and white
5.0 out of 5 stars Tilly's revenge
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2018
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What a brilliant book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want to put it down at any point. I love the characters, Tilly of course, Molly and the Sergeant, and Teddy and Barney. Although at first I found there were so many of them, I couldn't always keep track of who was who.
The story was sad in parts , but also very comical. Most of Dungatar turns against Tilly when she first arrives, but she brings them round slowly with her dressmaking skills. Unfortunately fate is against her, and she finds herself isolated, except when the amdram group need her to make their costumes for them.
Judging by the descriptions of the clothes, cars, houses etc, the story is set in the 1950's. I should imagine small outback towns like Dungatar are quite insular, and most city dwellers would find life difficult.
The book expands on Tilly's back story more than the film does, but for me the film brings the characters to life. The ending which sees Dungatar in flames, and Tilly's final scene with the ticket collector on the train (which isn't in the book) is poignant, but very funny.
I would dearly love to know where Tilly went, and how she fared after leaving Dungatar.
One person found this helpful
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Luissa D
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in Germany on 7 November 2016
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Absolutely loved this book!
If you enjoy black humour - this is for you.
Small town jealousies, gossip, a love story or two all topped by revenge. Well done!
2 people found this helpful
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