Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Book Summary and Reviews of The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights by Kitty Zeldis

The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights by Kitty Zeldis

The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights

A Novel

by Kitty Zeldis

  • Critics' Consensus (11):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Dec 2022, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

For fans of Fiona Davis, Beatriz Williams, and Joanna Goodman, a mesmerizing historical novel from Kitty Zeldis, the author of Not Our Kind, about three women in 1920s New York City and the secrets they hold.

Brooklyn, 1924. As New York City enters the jazz age, the lives of three very different women are about to converge in unexpected ways. Recently arrived from New Orleans, Beatrice is working to establish a chic new dress shop with help from Alice, the orphaned teenage ward she brought north with her. Down the block, newlywed Catherine is restless in her elegant brownstone, longing for a baby she cannot conceive.

When Bea befriends Catherine and the two start to become close, Alice feels abandoned and envious, and runs away to Manhattan. Her departure sets into motion a series of events that will force each woman to confront the painful secrets of her past in order to move into the happier future she seeks.

Moving from the bustling streets of early twentieth-century New York City to late nineteenth-century Russia and the lively quarters of New Orleans in the 1910s, The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights is a story of the families we are born into and the families we choose, and of the unbreakable bonds between women.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

"Though a bit melodramatic by the end, Zeldis's characters are well crafted and the narrative propulsive. Historical fiction fans will be drawn to this snapshot of an era less often portrayed in the genre." - Publishers Weekly

"The most striking and heartbreaking element of the story is how the women are connected not just by their past, but by the persistent thread of sexual harassment and abuse—Alice, especially, suffers at the hands of men. Ultimately, though, the real story is about the bonds among the three women and the ways they help and support one another through immense challenges. An intriguing and occasionally heartbreaking novel that's perfect for historical fiction fans." - Kirkus Reviews

"With themes of betrayal and love, followed ultimately by hope and new beginnings, Zeldis has written the type of historical fiction that book groups love, about strong women overcoming horrible situations." - Library Journal

"With lush descriptions of the fashions and customs of the day, Zeldis places readers in 1924 Brooklyn...Readers of Fiona Davis and Beatriz Williams will delight in this story about the strong bonds of women and motherhood in a rich historical setting." - Booklist

"A haunting meditation on the bonds between mothers and daughters. Zeldis offers a fascinating look into historic New York City and New Orleans, and her skill as a storyteller is matched by her compassion for her characters. What a beautiful read." - Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace

"The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights is a page-turner about dreams dashed and rediscovered, secrets kept and revealed, and the redemptive power of love. The three women at the core of this unforgettable journey—from early 20th century Russia and New Orleans to 1920s New York, and from loneliness to belonging—will work their way into your heart." - Meg Waite Clayton, bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris and The Last Train to London

"Every single page of The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights is filled with life. And in this beating heart of a book are three unforgettable women who show grit when reckoning with their painful pasts, grace when navigating vibrant 1920s Brooklyn, and glee when discovering their second acts. It's a timely reminder of how strong women are—and how much stronger we are together." - Karin Tanabe, author of A Woman of Intelligence

This information about The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Elizabeth@Silver's Reviews

Elizabeth@Silver's Reviews - Seamstresses and historical fiction fans will love it
Bea, Alice, and Catherine. What is their connection? What are their stories?

Bea had come from Russia, moved to New Orleans, and had met Alice there. Bea found something out from her past that was in New York so she and Alice moved there.

Bea and Alice opened a dress shop and met Catherine the day she stopped in.

Bea was acting very odd when Catherine paid for her purchase. 

Catherine never came back into the shop because Bea had frightened her.

Catherine found out what caused Bea to act so oddly the day they met by accident.

THE DRESSMAKERS OF PROSPECT HEIGHTS takes us from Russia to New Orleans and then to New York and is a beautiful read about family and forgiveness.

Find out the stories and the secrets of these three women in this lovely read that will have you turning the pages and joining in their sorrows and joys.

There are some agonizing moments, but many beautiful, endearing ones.

Seamstresses will adore this book as well as historical fiction fans and women's fiction fans. 5/5

This book was given to me by the author for an honest review.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Author Information

Kitty Zeldis

Kitty Zeldis is the pseudonym for a novelist and non-fiction writer of books for adults and children. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.

More Author Information

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Recommendations

Readers Also Browsed . . .

more historical fiction...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...
  • Book Jacket: The Women
    The Women
    by Kristin Hannah
    Kristin Hannah's latest historical epic, The Women, is a story of how a war shaped a generation ...
  • Book Jacket: The Wide Wide Sea
    The Wide Wide Sea
    by Hampton Sides
    By 1775, 48-year-old Captain James Cook had completed two highly successful voyages of discovery and...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

At times, our own light goes out, and is rekindled by a spark from another person.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.