A Dangerous Dress

By Julia Holden

If there s one dress that could make Jane Stuart think that anything is possible, it s her late grandmother s vintage 1920s Parisian dress. And when the dress becomes her ticket out of Kirland, Indiana, Jane takes her first tentative steps on her own reckless, passionate, and oh-so-dangerous adventure...."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451218647
• ISBN13: 9780451218643
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: NAL
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!

I am so happy to have come upon this jewel of a book. Jane is an art/college student who writes a paper about a dress that has some rather 'dangerous' properties. The dress, which once belonged to her grandmother is the catalyst for the rest of the book - Jane is spirited off to Paris and NYC as a result of the dress, and her life takes some interesting turns as well. Because of the dress? Maybe so. The entire concept of the dangerous dress is quite unique, and the story was very entertaining, funny, and involving. The narration is first-person, and Jane is the commentator throughout; in fact, she speaks directly to the reader at times, and her commentary is fun. The book is witty and entertaining and is better than your average 'chick-lit' offering. In fact, I wouldn't even call this chick-lit, just an entertaining story. One of the best parts of the book are the settings too; Holden definitely captures the essence of Paris and does a great job of making you feel like you are right there with the characters. Holden's next book is a definite must for me, and this should be a definite must for you!

A Gem!

Julia Holden has struck diamonds with her first novel. This sparkling story of a young women from middle America who unexpectedly has an adventure in Paris and New York, was a joy to read, hard to put down, and I was sorry it had to end. Jane Stuart has inherited a dress from her grandmother. Not just any dress, but a fabulous, spectaular, dangerous dress. As Jane attempts to discover the history of the dress she is swept into one mis-adeventure after another. Funny, engaging, and thoroughly entertaining, this fast moving and well written book will leave you wanting more of Jane, and more from Julia Holden.

I loved it!

I want to know what happens now. I sure hope Julia will continue the story to let us know what happens next. Yes, we can all assume "they live happily ever after", but I sure would like another book. The characters had so much personality I think it would be fun to see on film too! It was a fun story!

complex tale with a relatively simple story line

Jane Stuart always dreamed of making it in the big city where she feels fame awaits her. However, for now she remains a small town girl with only dreams of leaving Kirland, Indiana for the bright lights of the big time fashion world in New York or Paris. Jane's grandma dies. Amongst the inheritance is a beautiful in excellent condition 1920s Persian dress that totally fascinates her. She decides to investigate the origin of the dress and her grandmother's life for a school paper. To her surprise the paper is published and comes to the attention of French movie director Gerard Duclos. He invites Jane to come to Paris, which she accepts as the first step on her journey to fame; not yet understanding that fame is not everything, love and to live is. A DANGEROUS DRESS is a complex tale with a relatively simple story line; that is the beauty of the novel and the amazing talent of author Julia Holden. Whereas the theme is a coming of age plot, Jane learns several lessons about fame, love, and responsibility. Fans who appreciate a deep but straightforward well written character study, must read the intelligent A DANGEROUS DRESS. Harriet Klausner