Wordfest presents Jennifer Robson

The perfect night out for fans of The Crown: don’t miss best-selling author Jennifer Robson as she presents her new novel about one of the most famous dresses of the 20th Century — Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown — and the fascinating women who made it. In the tradition of something old and something new, you’re invited to come wearing attire from your special day. Yes, it’s a rare opportunity to dust off your own wedding dress, bridesmaid dress or tux. Hosted by Jenny Howe of CBC Radio’s Homestretch, this event includes an on-stage interview and audience Q&A, followed by a book signing. Cash bar available. And yes, Jenny and the Wordfest staff are all going to dress bridal (or groom-al) for this special occasion!

“For fans of The Crown, looking for history served up as intimate drama, and those seeking another angle on royal lives, The Gown seems likely to dazzle and delight.” – Washington Post

About The Gown

London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers – a legacy from her late grandmother – that closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II almost seventy years before. What was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?

Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, Jennifer Robson introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.

About Jennifer Robson

Jennifer Robson is the #1 Globe & Mail bestselling author of Goodnight from London, Moonlight Over Paris, Somewhere in France, and After the War Is Over. She holds a doctorate in British economic and social history from the University of Oxford, where she was a Commonwealth Scholar and an SSHRC Doctoral Fellow. Jennifer lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and children.

For this novel, Jennifer traveled to England to speak with the last surviving woman who worked on Queen Elizabeth's gown, and was greatly inspired by all the stories the seamstress remembered.