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Marius Gabriel

The Designer Kindle Edition

by Marius Gabriel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3,979 ratings

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Winner of the RNA Historical Romantic Novel of the Year Award.

In 1944, newly married Copper Reilly arrives in Paris soon after the liberation. While the city celebrates its freedom, she’s stuck in the prison of an unhappy marriage. When her husband commits one betrayal too many, Copper demands a separation.

Alone in Paris, she finds an unlikely new friend: an obscure, middle-aged designer from the back rooms of a decaying fashion house whose timid nature and reluctance for fame clash with the bold brilliance of his designs. His name is Christian Dior.

Realising his genius, Copper urges Dior to strike out on his own, helping to pull him away from his insecurities and towards stardom. With just a camera and a typewriter, she takes her own advice and ventures into the wild and colourful world of fashion journalism.

Soon Copper finds herself torn between two very different suitors, questioning who she is and what she truly wants. As the city rebuilds and opulence returns, can Copper make a new, love-filled life for herself?

Print length

337 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Lake Union Publishing
Publication date

1 October 2017
File size

1203 KB
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Product description

From the Publisher

In Paris during the closing days of World War II, American journalist Copper Reilly befriends a timid, unknown designer from the back rooms of a decaying fashion house. His name? Christian Dior.

I was swept away by Marius Gabriel’s vivid descriptions of the Parisian fashion world—I could practically hear the rustle of silks. The Designer’s evocation of Paris in the dying days of the war and the admirable spirit of the French people as they find their way again after years of occupation was simply enthralling.

In one memorable scene, the Paris fashion community is determined to make a stand, despite the country being in ruin. With limited resources, they’re unable to gather the material needed to create full-sized designs for real women. Undeterred, they use miniature mannequins to showcase their talents—decked out with all the intricate design details of jewelry, buttons, and cuff links. This scene was beautifully depicted, and I was delighted to learn that it was not an imaginative invention but a true event!

And that’s the beauty of the novel. Gabriel has seamlessly interwoven the fictional tale of Copper with the real events of the period and the rise of the genius that was Christian Dior. Meticulously researched, full of glamour and nostalgia, this is a book that, like Dior’s signature scent, will linger in the memory for a long time.

- Sammia Hamer, Editor

About the Author

Marius Gabriel was accused by Cosmopolitan magazine of ‘keeping you reading while your dinner burns’. He served his author apprenticeship as a student at Newcastle University, where, to finance his postgraduate research, he wrote thirty-three steamy romances under a pseudonym. Gabriel is the author of several historical novels, including the bestsellers The Seventh Moon, The Original Sin and the Redcliffe Sisters series, Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye and Take Me To Your Heart Again. Born in South Africa, he has lived and worked in many countries, and now divides his time between London and Cairo. He has three grown-up children.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XH432WX
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing (1 October 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1203 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 749 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 3 in Fictional Historical Biographies
- 8 in Biographical Fiction (Books)
- 11 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3,979 ratings

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Marius Gabriel

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According to Cosmopolitan, Marius Gabriel 'keeps you reading while your dinner burns.' He is the author of a number of historical novels, including The Girls In The Attic, The Ocean Liner and The Parisians.

His novel set in wartime Paris, The Designer, won the Romantic Novelists Association Prize for Historical Romance.

He lives in Lincolnshire and has three grown-up cildren.

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Customer reviews

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2 star		2%
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Top reviews from Australia

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Angart

Designer Disappointment!

Reviewed in Australia on 23 November 2017

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I bought this book because I am interested in fashion and the idea of a story based on the life of Christian Dior sounded very appealing. But alas, that is not what the author delivers. He has done a lot of research in to post war Paris and instead of editing has rammed everything in, at the expense of a plot. He spends most of the book rambling off the topic, setting the scene and introducing us to numerous irrelevant and quite frankly, boring characters. The plot never really takes off until the final 30 pages. Most of the novel’s focus is on a character called Copper. A very one dimensional, irritating woman, that I found totally un engaging. The author fails to convey any emotion in his writing, so although he calls himself a romance writer he has not imbued his characters with much in the way of ‘feelings’ and as a result, the reader is left not really caring, about any of his protagonists. If you are interested in Christian Dior, I suggest you skip the first 300 pages and go straight to Chapter 16. That’s when the story really begins and unfortunately finishes, 30 pages later. The Author’s final Epilogue provides us with the most intriguing read of all. What a pity he didn’t concentrate on the relationship between Dior and Yves St Laurent as the basis for this novel. That really would have made a fascinating tale! To sum up the book would have been better if the author had ditched Copper and given us MORE DIOR!

8 people found this helpful

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Sarah Doolan

Good story

Reviewed in Australia on 4 February 2022

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I enjoyed the story, and the (fictional) insight into the life of Christian Dior and life in Paris at the end of WW2. I found the characters lacked depth, some of their actions seemed to have no credible motivation behind them.
A couple of other things annoyed me, it seems unlikely that ordinary people would fly from the US to Europe in 1947, and equally unlikely that a father would be present for the birth of a child in that era. There is also mention of a character becoming docile and withdrawn after injecting cocaine, again something that seems unlikely.
All that being said, the story kept me reading well after I should have gone to bed. I’m not sure I’d bother to read anything else by this author but I might.

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Dianne M

An interesting story set at the close of the war in France

Reviewed in Australia on 27 December 2021

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For anyone interested in the history of couture in Paris and more especially Christian Dior you will enjoy this book. I mostly enjoyed it but did at times find it had too many unnecessary characters that were thrown in. And at times I wondered why the whole relationship between Copper and Suzi was given so much of the book when it was titled The Designer. I put it down for days on end before picking it up again. Not something I usually do. Still an interesting read but not my favourite Marcus Gabriel book.

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Decadent, naughty and so sad.

Reviewed in Australia on 21 September 2017

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I didn't really know what to expect with this, but it was great. Set in Paris before the end of WW2 but just after the German occupation, this centres on the rise of Christian Dior and the recovery of Parisian fashion houses. Mixing fact and fiction, this is a fascinating period of time. Oona 'Copper' Reilly is an American who befriends Dior and tells his story as well as her own. This book has a bit of everything, my only criticism it seems to end too quickly.

One person found this helpful

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Mrs. J. Richmond

A sensitive historical novel in liberated Paris

Reviewed in Australia on 29 August 2018

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Marius Gabriel has created an absorbing mélange of cultural elements in the dying days of war-torn Paris. The story centres on Copper, an Irish American who becomes an accidental resident of Paris. It is Copper's relationships with various people from different walks of life, which forms the spine of the novel. Her liberation and search for freedom echoes the historical events occurring around her as Paris shakes off the shackles of German occupation and stares down the threat of Communism. Her personal search is intertwined with the fortunes of the rich and famous, in particular Christian Dior. Along the way we are introduced to the heady world of French fashion, the debauchery of gay bars, pimps, prostitutes and drugs, survivors of concentration camps and the cruel treatment of German sympathisers, and that's not all. The characters are all interesting and represent each of the milieu our heroine engages with . There are some very evocative scenes as she explores a relationship with a well-known lesbian, at the same time developing one with her future husband. She is no shrinking violet our Copper. In fact she is really a beacon for true feminism. Mr. Gabriel has created a fascinating book with much to entertain and educate.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Light, entertaining read

Reviewed in Australia on 1 February 2018

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Light literature where nothing of significance really happens. Vague narrative arc, no obvious theme(s), and the only notable characters were Dior and Amory (ex husband of protagonist). Having said that, it was still an engaging read that kept me entertained to the end. The pace was great and the scenes flowed well. I found the title ‘The Designer’ a little misleading - not much about the Parisian fashion scene until the very end - perhaps the title was meant metaphorically....

One person found this helpful

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John Barrington

It was Something to Read" it is the best.

Reviewed in Australia on 1 February 2022

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Starting at the latter stages of WW2 you feel the deprivations. War end you feel Paris awakening. I like up, as a man a woman's book to find myself engrossed in possibly the best yet.l can thoroughly recommend it.

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Kindle Customer

An interesting insight into more things thing just fashion

Reviewed in Australia on 27 December 2017

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This is more than just a novel about a fashion designer. It describes a period of time and other people who I previously was not aware existed. Now I'll have to do some research to find out more about Dior and these other interesting people. Definitely one of those hard to put down books and I'll have to look out for more of this author's books

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Top reviews from other countries

Definitely recommend this.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2017

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This was my Kindle First choice. I have to admit I only chose it because I didn't fancy reading any of the others and I didn't have any great expectations of it, particularly as designer clothes are not something I am interested in. I was also unsure about it being a biographical novel which seems to be neither one thing or the other.

However my pre-order reservations were wrong. The book is excellent and is one of those books you don't want to put down. It isn't the fusty book I was expecting. Copper, an American, came to Paris with her journalist husband and the story starts at the time near the end of WW2 when the German army was retreating from France. She meets Christian Dior when her husband agrees to buy her some new clothes but from that meeting a friendship grows and many changes occur for both of them. I won't spoil the story by going into detail other than to say it gives insights into Paris at the end of the war and also into the restart of the fashion industry in Franch after the war. However it does this while managing to be an excellent read.

25 people found this helpful

b a

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2017

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Most women have a fascination of the world of haute couture. Most of us will never experience that glamorous world first hand, but we gaze at the impossibly sumptuous creations with the thought 'one day - perhaps!'
This novel covers the 're-emergence of Paris fashion in the dying days of World War 2. The need for something new after the deprivation of the war, the political struggles for supremacy and the rising star of Christian Dior in all his ambiguous glory, form the backdrop to the emergence of Copper as a journalist and as a fulfilled happy woman.
Read it!

13 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Sheer perfection.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2018

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Beautifully written, engrossing. This is a story of Paris at the end of the war seen through the eyes of a young American woman who meets a shy Christian Door and is introduced to a new Bohemian life full of drug addicts, male and female gays, artists, writers, singers, dress designers and a lot of wounded bitter war survivors. The joy of this book is that is full of hope, life and rebirth. A city, a people, an industry pulling themselves out of the dirt and into a New Look world. Marvellous. It is not sordid. It not grim. It is marvellous. Although it does not flinch from the horrible details of the time it concentrates on the decency in people. I felt a glow of happiness while reading it and I hope you will do too. Our lovely American abroad is one of my favourite fictional characters. I am glad to have met her.

6 people found this helpful

jojo5

Reading a different book .......

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2018

Verified Purchase

I’m very confused about the reviews of this book, especially the one that talks about the fascinating rise of Paris fashion. I was very disappointed indeed - I had hoped the novel would be a well researched piece about Dior and Parisian fashion in general, but sadly there is virtually no detail about design or fashion at all. There are a couple of pages on which gowns are mentioned (Coppers wedding gown for example) but virtually no description or detail - in the case of the wedding gown, for example, we find out only what fabric it is made from and nothing else. Perhaps the title of the book is meant to refer metaphorically to one of the other characters, but I don’t think any of them are strongly enough portrayed in this way. I’m reading to the end but not really interested. Others seem to love this so I guess this is just not my taste, but be warned - if you are looking to this novel because you are interested in the detail of fashion you will be disappointed.

7 people found this helpful

Cami W.

and I'm glad I did

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2017

Verified Purchase

I chose this book for free as part of the Kindle First selection, and I'm glad I did! Copper is the kind of woman I admire: adaptable, independent, with a good head on her shoulders and unwilling to settle for anything less than she deserves. She refuses to stay in a miserable marriage, and sets off to live her own adventures, together with her new friends - the best couturiers in Paris, and their extravagant company. She becomes the closest with Dior, and their friendship is based on unconditional help and support, as well as mutual respect - just like all good friendship do. We see her evolve from an innocent American girl into a well-rounded woman, at a pace that effortlessly keeps you reading page after page; all in all, it's a very good combination of history and fiction, and I recommend you give it a shot once it's officially released in October.

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