The Dressmaker (Bainbridge novel) role. The Dressmaker (Bainbridge novel) The Dressmaker (US title The Secret Glass) is a gothic psychological novel written by Beryl Bainbridge. In 1973, it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like many of Bainbridge's earlier works, the novel is semi-autobiographical. In particular, the story was inspired by a relationship that she had with a soldier as a teenager. The characters of Nellie and Margo were based upon two of her paternal aunts. Set in Liverpool and Lancashire during World War II, a repressed dressmaker and her sister struggle looking after their 17-year-old niece, who is having a delusional affair with
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing wife, a Shoshone Indian named Cat Dancing, and his actions after the murder. Pursued by Catherine's husband and a railroad agent, Catherine and Jay fall in love. The novel, Durham's first, became a best seller, and was generally praised by reviewers for its deft character studies as well as its effortlessly entertaining style. In 1973, the film version of the novel was released. Directed by Richard C. Sarafian and produced by Martin Poll, "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing" starred Burt Reynolds and British actress Sarah Miles. It would be Reynolds' first romantic movie. Many who regarded the novel highly