The Last Silk Dress

I read this book when I was the same age as the heroine of this book, Susan, and I absolutely LOVED it!! I bought this book that it was just "another civil war story" but it turned out not to be like any other book I've read before, and certainly not like any other civil war book I've read. If someone told you the plot of "the last silk dress" you would at first think it was totally cliche, and it kind of is, but it still seperates itself from so many other books like it and that is what makes it truly great!! You learn so much about this book and it is at times very moving. Anyway, my advice is to read this book!!!! REally!!

I am an avid reader with a wide range of interests. I first read this book when I was about 12 years old. I read it a couple more times as a teenager and just came across it again about 10 years later. When I re-opened the book as an adult, I was pulled in just as dramatically as I had been the last three times I read it. "The Last Silk Dress" is the only book I've ever read more than once. It is riveting; truly the best juvenile fiction I have found. The heroine is one for all ages, facing life struggles that can be translated to today's situations.

First of all, I'll say that Susan is my favorite character Ann RInaldi has ever created. She has spunk, intelligence, and bravery, and she isn't like a lot of 19th century women who sat home sewing all day.I loved this book and flew through it even though it was pretty long. This book, set in the Civil War-from the Southern point of view, is about a fourteen year old girl (that'd be Susan) and her disfunctional family. Her mom has a few screws loose and is really cruel, her older, dashing brother Lucien is the talk of the town because of the gambling house he owns, and her father has got some secrets of his own as well. I loved this book because of its drama and fast pace. I recommend reading this book at least twice- it wa sbetter on the second time and I picked up clues that I'd missed before that unlocked some of the family's secrets.

When I read this book about Susan Chilmark I felt as though I was standing beside her and helping her collect silk and meet her brother and even kiss Timothy. I was compelled to read more and was dragged into the story. The Last Silk Dress was the first book I had read by Ann Rinaldi. Since then I have read many others but none could compare to the first book I read. It got me interested in reading to the point where I devour every book I can get my hands on. I have recomended this book to all my friends and even my Grandmother and they have all loved it as much or nearly as much as I did.

The Last Silk Dress is my favorite book by Ann Rinaldi, which is saying quite a lot since I've read all of her books and loved them all. Unlike Rinaldi's later books, the main character, Susan Chilmark, is entirely fictitious, but I think she is Rinaldi's strongest character to date. Susan is headstrong from the very beginning, but she undergrows a radical change as the book goes on. Although, Susan was never the stereotypically innocent (or conniving) southern belle, she gains a genuine perspective on where her life should be headed and what she, individually should be fighting for. Then she must make a decision in order to face the consequences of her earlier actions (and when Susan makes a decision, she pulls out all the stops.) Mix in an abusive mother, a brother who was kicked out of the house, and the Yankee artist who sneaks through the rebel lines and you are left with a remarkably fresh perspective on the Civil War. Read it.