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 Dressmaker (2015 film) old matriarch is enough of a hoot to make one further wonder what she might have done with the role of Violet Weston in "", onscreen or onstage." Sarah Ward of "Screen International" noted, "Light comedy, romantic drama, small-town secrets and revenge schemes might not seem an easy or winning mix; however in "The Dressmaker", the combination fits." She also praised the costumes in the film, saying that "with the intricate work of costume designers Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson clearly pivotal." Richard Ouzounian of "The Star" gave it four out of four stars, calling it "a true bravura style