Vintage by Susan Gloss

Vintage is the debut novel by Susan Gloss who uses her own experience to create a charmingly crafted novel about a vintage shop. If you enjoy all things vintage, and learning more about the stories of cherished items from the past, this is definitely a book that will captivate you for an enjoyable weekend read this summer.

Book Description

“At Hourglass Vintage in Madison, Wisconsin, every item in the boutique has a story to tell . . . and so do the women whose lives the store touches.

Yellow Samsonite suitcase with ivory, quilted lining, 1950s

A small-town girl with a flair for fashion, Violet Turner had always dreamed of owning a shop like Hourglass Vintage. But while she values the personal history behind each beautiful item she sells, Violet is running from her own past. Faced with the possibility of losing the store to an unscrupulous developer, she realizes that despite her usual self-reliance she cannot save it alone.

Taffeta tea-length wedding gown with scooped neckline and cap sleeves, 1952

Eighteen-year-old April Morgan is nearly five months along in an unplanned pregnancy when her hasty engagement is broken. When she returns the perfect vintage wedding dress to Violet's shop, she discovers a world of new possibilities, and an unexpected sisterhood with women who won't let her give up on her dreams.

Orange silk sari with gold paisley design, 1968

Betrayed by her husband, Amithi Singh begins selling off her vibrant Indian dresses, remnants of a life she's determined to leave behind her. After decades of housekeeping and parenting a daughter who rejects her traditional ways, she fears her best days are behind her . . . until she discovers an outlet for her creativity and skills with a needle and thread.

An engaging story that beautifully captures the essence of friendship and style, Vintage is a charming tale of possibility, of finding renewal, love, and hope when we least expect it.” – Vintage

My Thoughts

Vintage is a story that is able to really show how women can work together and form a powerful female friendship that inspires and empowers one another. Stories like this are fun, and something that I think women should read more of. Life is not about competition, we should empower one another and be there for one another. This author captures that spirit in this book, and it is something I definitely can recommend to others to read, too.

The main character in this book is Violet Turner. She owns Hourglass Vintage, which is a vintage shop in Madison, Wisconsin. All of the items in the shop have their own unique story waiting to be told and hopefully sold to customers. The two other main women in the story, Amithi and April are fixtures for showing this female friendship, and helpful when Violet may lose the shop to developers wanting to turn the building into condos.

Overall, I found this to be a great read, and think it is a worthy book to read for a weekend this summer.

* Thank you to the publisher of Vintage, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.