The Dressmaker (Bainbridge novel) 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 an
The Dressmaker (2015 film) became the second highest-grossing Australian film of 2015 after "" and eleventh highest-grossing film of all time at the Australian box office. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 55%, based on 128 reviews, with an average score of 5.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, ""The Dressmaker" boasts a strong central performance by Kate Winslet and a captivating array of narrative weirdness -- all of which may or may not be a comfortable fit with viewers." Metacritic gives a score of 47 out of 100, based on 27