The Tailor’s Daughter by Janice Graham is a historical fiction book, set in Victorian England, featuring the main character — Veda Grenfell, a master tailor’s daughter. She is a very passionate young woman who loves and excels at her father’s work. At the age of sixteen, a fever leaves her deaf, disconnecting her from her life as a young woman emerging into society. With no hopes left of marriage, she turns to what she loves most — tailoring. She persuades her father to promote her to the front of the shop and makes a very reputable name for herself amidst London’s young sporting set. Even though she is happy sewing all day, she longs to be a normal young woman. She longs for the grand balls and the woeful suitors. While she receives a few proposals from ambitious suitors, none appeal to her. Her heart is set on only one — Harry Breadlebane, a young viscount with many rumors about his family, especially his father. When her dutiful passion is met with betrayal, she leaves her home, only to find herself in a world filled with deceit, murder, and more mysteries.
I truly enjoyed reading this book a lot and did not want to put it down. The descriptions of places and clothing, word choice, and dialogues all work together to create a very accurate depiction of England in the 1860s. The plot is so interesting and contains the perfect mix of mystery, love, hardships, and many other elements that make a book captivating. The characters are so realistic, and I felt that I could relate to each of Veda’s emotions. At the end of the book, I really felt like I knew Veda like I would a friend of many years. While this was a really well-written book, I felt that the plot wasn’t very original. A handful of historical fiction books set in similar time periods follow similar plots with a romance between and commoner and a person of social status whose relationship is then tested by dark and mysterious family histories. In that area only did I feel that it disappointed me a little, hence the 4 stars.