The writing in this book feels Very dated (but not quite in a good way) and slow to start, I ultimately bailed on this novel.

The Women in Black by Australian author Madeleine St. John was originally published in 1993, but is receiving an American release in 2020 with an updated cover and a recommendation of appealing to fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Short and spiffy, The Women in Black, about the female retail workers in an upscale department store in Sydney, will appeal to a specific kind of reader - one who enjoys novels of the past which have a distinctly dated tone to their writing style. The Women in Black is about the 1950s, and it is believable that it could have been written in the '50s. With a distanced feel, The Women in Black peeks into the lives of a dissatisfied wife who yearns for a child with her aloof husband, a young single woman with a checkered past, a teenage girl on the cusp of womanhood, and a glamorous emigre from Slovenia. Together they work at Goodes Department Store, and are the subject of St. John's short novel. While this book isn't as engaging or head-turning as some modern novels, it still holds merit, detailing the plight of women in the constrictive 1950s, trying to make a living and find their own way and identity apart from the role of wife, mother, and daughter.

I have been trying so hard to find my groove with this book. Being a huge fan of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," I thought this book would appeal to me. However I find it difficult to bound around from one character to another and it is taken forever for those characters to develop. I've read about one-third of the book but am not captivated. As much as I don't want to, I have to give up.

Such a fun, unique setting. I loved this one! Super quick, adorable read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Madeleine St John does a wonderful job of painting a picture of Australia in the 1950’s. The story follows and interweaves the lives of the women who work in Goode’s department store. They are a range of ages and stations in life and all working in the dress department (and Model Gowns) and we see their work lives and home lives and really get a clear picture of the time period. It’s definitely an easy read- a great beach read or book to read after something emotionally heavy.

A sparkling, lightweight read counterbalanced by an intriguing look at the women who work in a Fifties dress shop. Perfect reading!

A lovely, light read that's just what you want in-hand after you've just finished a big, deep, complex work, or for when you're not feeling up to intense focus nor getting dragged into a long work. This novel creates such a nice sense of place and era, and St. John does a fine job of rounding out so many wonderful women characters, weaving their storylines well, keeping the reader engaged. I loved visiting that era, and I also enjoyed the unique layers of ranking in the frock department. It's a nice confection, and a nice twirl in a pretty dress. Time well spent.

I really liked this book. It takes place in the 1950's in a women's dress shop. I really enjoyed reading all the characters stories.
I fell right into the book and could imagine myself working with these women in this store. It's a really good women's read and I think book clubs would enjoy it!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book

I thought that this book was nice. It didn't appeal to me from the get go. I liked the cover and the description and so I requested it based on those two things. I thought that the opening of the book was dry. Not one of my favorites, but a nice book over all.

This is a fun great read that follows a group of women working in a department store in the 1950's. I loved how all the womens story intertwine with each other.

Delightful story about a group of women working in a 1950's Sydney department store named Goode's. A fairly quick read, I enjoyed the brisk pace of the story filled with humor and sharp wit. The 50's style attitudes seemed archaic to me but the women's journeys to better situations made up for it. I must say that this is one of the few cases where the movie version "Ladies in Black" was just as enjoyable as the book. I'd recommend this book for those looking for a trip down memory lane when going to a department store was an event not a chore.

The Women in Black is a fabulous book. There is a character for every type of reader to enjoy. The familial relationships that the women form while working together is relatable and endearing. The amount of characters and different storylines makes this a book that will appeal to a diverse audience.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a sweet getaway! It was a quick read and had such a lovely story to it. I enjoyed the characters and liked how the book portrayed how all of these women were so different, yet connected by work. Although it was written originally in 1993, the themes still ring true. Often times you find if you work with people long enough they are like a little family, you know about each others lives and become invested in things within and outside of work. Although there was not one main character, I felt that Lesley (Lisa), really was the person who started part time at Goode's and really experiences so many changes occurring in just 7 weeks!
In reading this book, it felt as if there was a character for every reader, a woman that you relate with more than the others. In this sense, the book it unique, many people can read it and take different things from the story as they read. Depending on what is going on in their own lives, the book may impact them in different ways. I cannot wait to buy this book and share it with some women in my life!

Loved this charming involving story .Each character the setting drew me in a very special story Highly recommend #netgalley#scribnerbooks

Loved it!! You can see the threads twin together in the story. It was such an enchanting book. I read it all in one sitting.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An elderly single woman (Miss Jacobs), a mature married woman (Magda), a young married woman (Patty), a young single woman (Fay), and a teenaged girl (Lesley, who is going by Lisa) are working in women’s sales in Goode’s department store in 1950s Sydney. The reader is treated to a neatly woven and beguiling, often funny, tapestry of these women’s lives, both on and off the sales floor. Patty, Fay, and Lisa are right on the brink of change as Goode’s prepares for the Christmas shopping season. The novel is rather like “Enchanted April” without the vacation.

Miss Jacobs (no first name or address known) is the mystery woman, the oracle, in charge of alterations with a tape measure around her neck. The bedrock of Ladies’ Cocktail Frocks, Miss Jacobs picks her battles, but can fix more than hemlines. She’s your woman in a crisis. Her longest speech in the book is explicitly feminist, to buck up young Lisa.

Magda, an emigre from Slovenia, is a glamorous femme fatale in charge of haute couture. She has everything she needs in life except a young protégée, whom she finds in Lisa. She’s a subject of envy and racism (snake woman! Continental! We’re not even going to TRY to pronounce her last name!) by her colleagues and awed but purely businesslike admiration by the boss of Goode’s, Mr. Ryder. Magda is such a success at sales that she should be running the whole store.

Patty, who is in her mid-thirties in a lousy marriage, has a nursery in her home and would like a baby. She spends much of the book in a state of major depression and the reader wonders what will happen to her and her hopeless dolt of a husband, Frank. Can this marriage be saved?

Fay, in her twenties, is sick of disastrous relationships and would love to find a nice man to marry and have a big family. How will Fay find The One who is ready to commit?

Lisa née Lesley has big dreams. A mousy nerd, she fingers delicious designer gowns while dreamily quoting the poem “The Tyger.” Is there a Tyger inside this teenager? Can the older women, beyond the pull of needing a man worse than anything, call up the Tyger with her whole life still ahead of her, a stellar student who just read “Anna Karenina” and awaits the results of her Leaving Exams?

There are a few too many secondary and tertiary characters for the casual reader to keep track of (i. e., Frank’s boss’s children and Fay’s best friend Myra’s family); however, this re-release of a 1993 novel is whimsical and joyful: a natural choice for women’s book clubs. The Australian film “The Ladies in Black” (2018) is based on the novel and stars Julia Ormond as Magda. Audible has the 1993 audiobook listed under both titles, with an excellent narrator. The US re-release of the novel from Scribner will be out in February 2020.