The Gown by Jennifer Robson

All of England is abuzz this week as Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 70th year as Great Britain's most beloved public servant.  We all know that the Brits handle pomp and circumstance better than anyone, but there will be some livelier celebrations later this week as notable musicians rock out in her honor.

The Gown tells the behind the scenes story of the making of the Queen's wedding dress.  Robson uses the trendy framework of characters in different times and places narrating their stories. She also incorporates the rather trite convention of someone finding an odd bit of this or that tucked away which leads the finder on a mission to learn more - of course, ultimately uncovering family secrets.  In this case, it is Heather who suspects that an intricately embroidered piece of fabric left to her by her grandmother might have some connection to the royal wedding. Really?  Why did her grandmother not include some sort of note in the box with the fabric?  This just does not happen.

Oh, but it does. sort of.  In fall, my basement flooded  again, and in order to fix it correctly this time, extensive masonry work needs to be done.  In clearing out the area for work to begin, I ran across a gallon freezer bag filled with items from England.  Among other items, I found this program dated June 2, 1953 - the approved program from the Queen's coronation.  What a wealth of information and history!  Following several pages of pictures, Arthur Bryant writes " A coronation is a nation's birthday. It is the day on which people celebrate the union that makes them one. Of that union the Crown is the symbol."

What I found most captivating were the thirteen pages (in tiny, tiny print) detailing the coronation procession - what carriages/vehicles were used, who sat where in each, the time each was to leave the palace...hundreds of names and titles.  A few pages beyond that, the Archbishop of Canterbury offered a tribute, followed by the complete text of the coronation ceremony itself.  

I have no idea where this treasure trove came from.  I do not remember buying it, or receiving it as a gift.  Unlike our protagonist Heather,  I will not attempt to discover the source of this mysterious gift. Instead, I will enjoy it, and perhaps if you stop in the store and are real nice to me, I will show it to you.

Back to The Gown.  This is simple book, elegant, stylish.  History, romance, self discovery all play parts in this multi-generational tale of a dress. Often, major televised events such as this pique our interest, and lead us to a bit of personal research.  Although The Gown is historical fiction, there is enough time and place info to satisfy your need to continue you royal fix.

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