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Great Setting: late 1950s/early1960s, Goode department store-Sydney

Four Goode saleswomen dressed in variations of black dresses, sell frocks. I read this bc it was free on kindle unlimited, but found the story of the women and their husbands or SOs to be bland and repetitive; but realize it was not my cup of tea; though perhaps others may love it. I believe à film might be better.

#Pantone2023 @Clwojick
#JoysOfJuneReadathon Day 7 @Andrew65

Hey #foodandlit friends...

If you have Kindle Unlimited in the US, this book is set in Australia and was a fairly quick read. Thought I'd share if you're still looking for a book for the challenge. It wasn't some spectacular, life-changing novel, but it was an enjoyable visit to mid-century #Australia .

1. We take our decorations down after the Baptism of our Lord which is the end of our Christmas season - this year that is January 9. 2. I like to read by the fireplace, so snow for me, but rain is soothing, too.

#newbeginnings #beginswith #black TBR

My sister gave this to me; I hope to read it soon.

Catching up on reviews. I read this book in December due to a recommendation from a staff member at my local bookstore. Having spent a good deal of my career working in an elegant specialty store, the story of four women selling women‘s dresses in 1950‘s Australia was interesting. Has the feel of Miss Maisel.
Themes: Women‘s issues, friendship, marriage
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

I really enjoyed this light little book - thank you @CarolynM for sending it on to me. It is just a short look at the lives of four women working in a big department store in Sydney in the 1950s - and while each of them have their struggles, it‘s an uplifting little book.
Also a school ball photo - very very lucky to have a school ball this year, most of them were cancelled last year. So girls in “evening frocks” a little like the book!

#GreetingsFromKingsCross #theotherKingsCross This photo of 1950s #Sydney #AUS illustrates the world of the women in black, the staff of the Ladies Cocktail dress department at Goode‘s department store. They live, they suffer, they grow, independent of but affected by their fellow salesladies. Patty, Lisa, Magda, Fay — I rooted for every one of them. They‘re all so full of the future when we leave them. #bookspin / #doublebookspin for June.

This is a light pick since it was short on pages and plot. It does transport you to a 1950s department store in Sydney, where we meet a few ladies working in the dress departments at Christmastime and follow a few weeks of their lives. My favorite character was Magda, a sassy & sexy continental who takes young Lisa under her wing. Nothing wildly interesting, but good enough to read in one day.

Lovely story

I had read this author ages ago ( I remembered her name over the title 🤷🏻‍♀️The Essence of the Thing ) my husband gave me this for Christmas and I picked it to read this first solely on the cover. It was the perfect choice as it‘s set in the 6 weeks leading up to Christmas and then the New Year. It‘s a lovely female focused story set in 1950‘s Sydney 🇦🇺❤️

Starting one of my Christmas books

I had not imagined you to have such a tale to tell—you Australians are mysterious people, no one would guess that this is a place where people can also suffer. It is the constant sunshine, it hides everything but itself.
(Photo: my Australian friends demonstrate how to make beer angels amidst the empties tossed over the veranda rail.)

This uplifting story set in 1950s Sydney, Australia, follows six weeks in the eventful lives of several women who work in the same department store. It‘s smart and funny. #Ozfiction

“Give me your opinion of the cake, anyway,” said Rudi to Lisa. “I must say that in Melbourne, where I have been living so miserably, there are at least many better cakeshops than here.”
“In Melbourne they have more need of cake,” said Stefan, “having more or less nothing else.”

Mrs Williams was a little, thin, straw-coloured woman with a worn-out face and a stiff-looking permanent wave. Her husband Frank was a bastard, naturally.

Originally ‘Women in Black‘ this is a nostalgic look at Sydney from the perspective of the department store floor after WWII. It is simple, beautifully written and makes me appreciate just how far we have come.

I read this between Mar 18 & 22 and rated it 3.5 ⭐️. This was an impulse buy because the cover and title caught my eye. I enjoyed it but parts of it were flat for me - probably because I didn‘t like all of the ladies. It was a pleasant read and I would recommend it. It just wasn‘t a favourite for me

This is a super quick read that was quirky and fun. Set in Australian at a department store the book follows the lives of several woman who work in the cocktail dress department during the lead up to Christmas. Great character and fun and happy way to spend a few hours. Literally a one sitting read if you have the chance.

Charming, fun, quick read. I‘m hardly the intended audience, I suspect, but I romped through this. The writing is exquisitely sharp, even if the subject matter (shop assistants in 1950s Sydney) is hardly the thing of legend. We‘ve sold a lot at the bookshop. It‘s a cheerful breeze of a book, and we could all use some cheering up right now.

Carolyn , I enjoyed this one so much ! I love fashion & frocks ... this was delightful..I was in Sydney a few times when my daughter lived there & was in Randwick & Coogee& Elizabeth Street (in the David Jones shop I bought a bag ) ... so this was fun to remember . I‘ve already stacked another of her books.
Thankyou ! Nice one 👍🏻😘

Happy Christmas Carolyn ! And Thankyou very much got thinking of me & sending this book. I see Hilary Mantel calls this “ A pocket masterpiece. A jewel “ Well that‘s good enough for me 👍🏻✨ really looking forward to it! Love, Cathy X

So, trying to catch up on book reviews before the end of the year. I've still got a couple to do. I enjoyed listening to this one, and enjoyed it enough to add other Madeline St John books to my TBR. Its a nice charming chick lit books. I liked that the characters weren't perfect, living perfect lives, but instead were a bit quirky and struggling with everyday problems.

Just watched the book recently. and the book was recommended to me so I got it from the library.

A consummately beguiling little story, catching a cut of life in Australia in the late 50s.

https://www.booktopia.com.au/ladies-in-black-madeleine-st-john/book/978192560399...

Five women in different life stages are working in high end women‘s sales in a department store in 1950s Sydney. The novel is a neatly woven and beguiling, often funny, tapestry of these women‘s lives, both on and off the sales floor. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Full review at https://www.librarything.com/work/1650636/reviews/173980731

Ladybug would rather have another treat than pose with my Kindle. Set in 1950s Australia, this was originally published in 1993 and was made into a film last year called “The Ladies in Black.” It is being re-released in February and marketed to fans of the Mrs. Meisel show. #Netgalley #ARC

#DownUnder

This novel, set in a 1950s Sydney department store‘s frock shop, has been described as Barbara Pym in Australia. That‘s good enough for me (and I hope to get to it soon)!

#WanderingJune

So I guess I missed the point of this novel. It was an ok read but for me it was not the classic others seem to see.

Loved the movie and loved the book...even though it's set in the summer of 1959, before I was born, there were a lot of references that gave me a memory from my childhood.

A young girl takes a summer job as a sales assistant in the "Cocktail Frocks" section of a fashionable department store in 1950's Sydney. The book follows her experiences, as well as those of the other staff members in the section and of Magda, the chic European emigre who presides over "model gowns". A lot of the attitudes, particularly towards the "Continentals" reminded me of my grandparents. It's a delightful story and beautifully read.

#31bookpics #MovieAdaptation
My book group is reading this book this month, and going to see the film for our meeting.

All the way from a book pal in Australia so excited to read&then watch the characters come alive on screen.

Enjoyed this comedy of manners set in Goode's department store (Ladies' Cocktail Frocks) in Sydney 1960, based on David Jones. Her observations of the tone and atmosphere of the store, & its customers, are very funny. A Jane Austen-style wit and a Tolstoy influence in one party scene, her writing is light but clever. Shows the fun, and the constraints, of being a woman in that era. Love the Hungarian characters ('Continentals'). A good read.

I picked this up on a whim at the bookstore last weekend. Hilary Mantel describes it as 'a pocket masterpiece. A jewel.' So that's good enough for me! Waiting for the book club crew. 😊📚