04/28/2014
Kelby cleverly combines historical fact with fiction in this engaging tale of a talented seamstress and her quest to find love and happiness. Kate is an Irish immigrant living in 1960s New York and working as a seamstress at Chez Ninon, a Park Avenue dress shop. As a devout Catholic, Kate starts her days with mass and works tirelessly at the dress shop before returning home late in the day. The highlight of her work involves the shop's most important client, the Wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. And Kate's primary focus is creating the Wife's pink suit, a Chanel creation copied by Chez Ninon to fulfill the Wife's every expectation. Facing the dilemma of many working women, Kate seeks to find balance between her increasingly demanding job and her budding relationship with Patrick Harris, a local butcher. The disparity between her possible future as a butcher's wife or a principal partner in a dress shop is not lost on Kate, and throughout she struggles with the promise of love or fortune. Kelby excels brilliantly at imbuing the reader with the ability to see the beauty of fabric and design through Kate's eyes, as well as to personally feel the depths of emotion in Kate's difficult life choices. (Apr.)
The Pink Suit: A Novel
Narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir
Nicole Mary KelbyUnabridged — 9 hours, 9 minutes
The Pink Suit: A Novel
Narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir
Nicole Mary KelbyUnabridged — 9 hours, 9 minutes
Audiobook (Digital)
Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
Already Subscribed?
Sign in to Your BN.com Account
Related collections and offers
FREE
with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription
Overview
On November 22, 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy accompanied her husband to Dallas dressed in a pink Chanel-style suit. Much of her wardrobe, including the pink suit, came from the New York boutique Chez Ninon where a young Irish immigrant named Kate worked behind the scenes to meticulously craft the memorable outfits.
Kate is torn between the glamorous world of Chez Ninon and her traditional Manhattan neighborhood. Finding balance is not easy in a time when women are still expected to follow the rules. And when you're in love, it's impossible. Kelby's luxurious narrative gives fascinating insight into the real story behind the iconic pink suit, introducing the reader to the wildly unforgettable characters that made Jackie Kennedy into the fashion icon of the century.
Editorial Reviews
"Luxuriate in shades of pink, in descriptions of haute couture so exquisite and precise that you can feel elegant just by reading the words. Nicole Mary Kelby has stitched together from scraps of facts a compelling novel, a lovable heroine, and a living neighborhood in its last few moments of innocence. From its startling opening to its poignant ending, The Pink Suit shows us that behind events of global significance, there are unknown individuals worthy of our interest." --Susan Vreeland, author of Clara and Mr. Tiffany and Luncheon of the Boating Party
"Beautifully written and engrossing, The Pink Suit gives us an extraordinary alternative reality, transforming JFK and Jackie's romance into the unforgettable love story of a seamstress and a butcher. Kate and Patrick are wonderful creations, and the evocation of the early 1960s is moving and convincing. Kelby spins a compelling tale of one of the most iconic garments ever sewn, and makes it entirely her own."
-Claire Kendal, author of The Book of You
"The Pink Suit is a rare work, fascinating and beautifully crafted.Nicole Mary Kelby's sensuous prose is as opulent as the couture she describes." - Jennifer Chiaverini, author of the New York Times bestseller Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
"The Pink Suit is a wonderfully absorbing and richly textured novel, strikingly rendered with a keen eye for the details of art and fashion and an equally acute ear for the workings of the human heart. Kelby captures perfectly the yearnings, disappointment and aspirations of an unforgettable heroine against the backdrop of a national tragedy."
"The Pink Suit, built around the Garment District back story of that now-famous outfit, is sure to catapult the writer's career straight from pret-a-porter to haute couture... Kate gets an insider's glimpse into the rarefied world of high-society matrons and wealthy socialites so often cloaked in mystery to outsiders. So do we... The Minnesota author herself seems poised to reach rosy new career heights with the publication of this carefully tailored novel."--The Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A delectable romantic novel with brains and a heart."--Maggie Gee, author of The White Family
"A luxurious narrative... This is a novel that book clubs will relish."--Bookpage
"A novel that's just about the pink suit worn by Jackie Kennedy that day in Dallas? Yes-and it's terrific."--Entertainment Weekly
"Excels brilliantly."--Publisher's Weekly
"Getting a behind the scenes glimpse inside the fashion industry of the 1960s was a treat. But the real charm of the book is the protagonist herself, portrayed as a strong, independent and courageous woman who defies conventional expectations."--Historical Novel Society
"Here reality and fiction intertwine, held together by the power of a single, fascinating narrative thread."--Harper's Bazaar (UK)
"Inspired by the true story behind Jackie Kennedy's iconic outfit, Kelby has stitched a compelling tale of politics, fashion and history."--People
"Novelist Nicole Mary Kelby picks up those threads of memory and weaves them into The Pink Suit, a subtly heartbreaking, completely believable tale inspired by the Irish immigrant dressmaker who made Jacqueline Kennedy's Chanel knockoff."--Dallas Morning News
"One of history's most tragic and iconic outfits has long had its own strange and compelling story. Now, at last, that story has been told-and beautifully." -Jeffrey Kluger, author of Lost Moon: The Perilous Journey of Apollo 13
"While the novel is filled with politics, history and lots of insider views of designer fashion, Kate remains grounded... It's a look at an ordinary woman and how she played a small role in an extraordinary time."--The Fort Worth Star Telegram
Entertainment Weekly's #1 Mother's Day pick for 2014 An Oprah Magazine Top Ten Book of May 2014
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170176007 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hachette Audio |
| Publication date: | 04/29/2014 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Videos
