Synopsis
Pru is on her own. But then, so are plenty of other people. And while the loneliness can be overwhelming, surely she'll find a party somewhere?
Pru's husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She's missing not so much him, but the life they once had - picnicking on the beach with small children, laughing together, nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there's just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it.
In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend's funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but...it doesn't sound like the friend Pru knew. And it isn't. She's gone to the wrong service. Everyone was very welcoming, it was - oddly - a laugh, and more excitement than she's had for ages. So she buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, now I'm all set, why not go to another? I mean, people don't want to make a scene at a funeral, do they? No-one will challenge her - and what harm can it do?
Publisher information
- Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
- ISBN: 9781472260505
- Number of pages: 288
- Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 28 mm
- Weight: 204g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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An enchanting tale
After finding a "little black dress" in a charity shop Pru buys it, knowing one day it will come in handy. What she doesn't realise at the time is that ver... READ MORE
Entertaining and original
4-5 stars
When Pru sees the black dress in the window of a charity shop in Deal she views it as a metaphor for her life. She’s mourning the loss of her ma... READ MORE
A moving, poignant and witty novel.
Do you have a little black dress? Could it tell a story? Pru’s black dress could. Quite suddenly and unexpectantly, Pru’s husband leaves her. She did not ... READ MORE
I wanted to like it more than I actually did
I wanted to like this book. I liked that a 70 year old woman was the romantic lead for a change. The author is very astute in her depiction of life and rel... READ MORE
Absorbing adventure
This is a fast-paced, engrossing novel - I read my review copy in a day.
Deborah Moggach explores her familiar themes - growing old disgracefully, middle-c... READ MORE
First Class
I have long been a fan of Deborah Moggach and I grabbed the chance to read her latest novel with great enthusiasm and eagerness. I have hungrily devoured a... READ MORE
Is it all about the dress?
They say 'it's all about the dress?
Dress for the occasion they tell you...
Good read, heart breaking in places but also witty.
Good story, certainly worth... READ MORE
Witty & funny
Seventy-year-old Pru is heartbroken after her husband files for divorce. Deborah Moggach mixes heartfelt sadness and emotion with humour in The Little Blac... READ MORE
ARC
Pru suddenly finds herself alone when her husband decides, after a cancer scare, to shed his possessions and start his spiritual journey. Can a black dress... READ MORE
Dear Prudence!
I am not a woman, nor am I (quite) 70 years old, but I really lived this story through Prudence’s eyes. You feel as if she is talking to you, the writing i... READ MORE
Dastardly dark novel set in MUSWELL HILL
4.5*
This is a novel of two halves. The first half has a breezy and funny tone, with some wonderful observations and an undercurrent of gravity. In Parts ... READ MORE
A book of two halves
This is the first Deborah Moggach book I've read and I'm not in a rush to try another.
From the description on the cover I expected a darkly comic tale ab... READ MORE
A surprising read
The Black Dress is definitely a book of two halves! The first act lives up to the blurb on the back – a darkly witty account of a desperately sad older wom... READ MORE
The Black Dress by Deborah Moggach
The Black Dress by Deborah Moggach is a very entertaining read especially for the older readers. It is about how love and hate change as we get older and h... READ MORE
Lost The Plot
I was so looking forward to this book as it sounded so good. I think it had real potential and could have been made into a wonderfully funny movie. The ref... READ MORE
Perhaps better suited to the big screen!
Moggach might have been better writing `The Little Black Dress` for the screen - she has clearly lost the way with holding her readers attention with colou... READ MORE
Immensely readable
The Black Dress is a novel my book group received to read and review.
Ageing, loneliness, second chances and love in later life are all covered in this am... READ MORE
Frustrating
Our book club was given copies in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to read The Black Dress, I was intrigued by the plot and hoped the story w... READ MORE
funny and memorable
This was a good read although I was slightly disappointed that COVID took over the story but I assume this also happened to the author. I have to admit th... READ MORE
A plot intended to leave readers with whiplash!
I felt that this plot, whilst initially enticing, disintegrated into a series of instances that were no longer coherent. The character 'development' was la... READ MORE
Funny, poignant, full of unexpected twists and turns
These days I read less than I used to (not sure why) however there was something about the premise of this book -older widow seeks companionship, and an in... READ MORE
Kept me Reading!
I enjoyed The Black Dress following the twist and turns of Pru's life but found some of her experiences quite bizarre and unbelievable. I could not take t... READ MORE
Trial and tribulation
The book had some very sad depressing parts and some very funny parts.
Loads of unexpected twists and turns. Half way through the novel becomes
very far fe... READ MORE
Unrealistic Ending
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thought that The Black Dress was well written and engaging, mixing humour with darker emotional wr... READ MORE
Confused and Disjointed
The premise of the story sounded interesting and there were a few plot twists which surprised. However overall the novel felt confused and disjointed, this... READ MORE
The Black Dress by Deborah Moggach
The Black Dress by Deborah Moggach is a very entertaining read especially for the older readers. It is about how love and hate change as we get older and h... READ MORE
A contemporary tale of an unreliable narrator telling of her surprising later life
Pru is the narrator of a contemporary story of relationships, memories and several surprises. As a narrator she is perhaps a little unreliable, and she is ... READ MORE
The Black Dress
Easy enough to read but it’s a little dark for my taste, that’s not saying others wouldn’t enjoy it. I do prefer some it light entertainment though, so not... READ MORE
Powerful Stuff
Pru's husband has walked out on her and she is going mad with loneliness. One day she attends a stranger's funeral by mistake and it starts a chain of even... READ MORE