A Vintage Affair

April 1, 2010
In search of a fresh start, sad chick-lit heroine immerses herself in old clothes and new relationships.

As obvious as a Vivienne Westwood bustle skirt, this lightweight romance with melancholy overtones introduces British author Wolff, with seven previous novels already published, to a U.S. readership. It's the story of guilt-ridden ex-Sotheby's textile specialist Phoebe Swift, now opening a vintage-clothes shop in South London as a means of starting over after the death of her best friend Emma, caused in part by Phoebe's altered priorities after her engagement to a man Emma wanted for herself. The shop takes off at lightning speed, and bruised Phoebe soon has two new possible suitors in view, color-blind journalist Dan and suave, older solicitor Miles. Among a rash of subplots including her parents' failed marriage and the mini-narratives of customers visiting the store, Phoebe becomes involved with frail Mrs. Bell, who also let down her best friend, a Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France. Despite a cast of one-dimensional secondary characters and an array of weak, fraudulent and self-deluding men, the novel achieves some emotional engagement in its mirrored themes of loss, redemption and forgiveness, which Wolff weaves neatly into her predictably upbeat conclusion.

Innocent, tidy and simple escapism, with frocks.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from May 1, 2010
Vintage clothing lover Phoebe opens her own resale boutique in London's Blackheath neighborhood, meeting much success. She's grateful for the hustle and bustle the shop provides, because it lets her forget her guilt over the death of her best childhood friend, not to mention that she just left her fianc at the altar. When the elderly Mrs. Bell contracts with Phoebe to sell her entire wardrobe, Phoebe finds herself reeled in by the story of Mrs. Bell's childhood friend, thought lost in the horrors of the Holocaust. Additionally, our heroine's got not one but two new suitors keeping her on her toes. Sounds like a lot, but Wolff manages to keep every story line interesting and on track, including plenty of fashion talk. VERDICT Fans of British chick lit, rejoice! (And readers who aren't already fans, prepare to become such.) With a wide cast of realistic, wonderfully drawn characters, a deft blending of the past with the present, and a seemingly effortless managing of several plots at once, this charming novel by the author of"Behaving Badly" and "The Trials of Tiffany Trott" deserves a place in all popular fiction collections.Rebecca Vnuk, Forest Park, IL

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2010
When vintage clothing expert Phoebe Swift decides to abandon her career as a Sothebys auctioneer, she opens Londons Village Vintage, selling only the best recycled designer duds. However, it isnt long before we discover that the cupcake dresses and alligator clutches that populate her quaint neighborhood shop arent Phoebes only baggage. Reeling from the death of a close friend and the subsequent collapse of her wedding engagement, Phoebe is in need of a change. She certainly loves the clothing she sells for its history, but it takes a new and profound friendship with the elderly client Mrs. Bell to show Phoebe to care for herself in the same way. Although the novel is sometimes predictable, UK best-seller Wolff keeps us entertained by sending a few courtiers Phoebes way and threading intriguing wartime historical fiction into Mrs. Bells backstory. Readers with a passion for couture fashion will appreciate (and feel vindicated by!) Wolffs well-researched and intricate descriptions of beautiful, significant vintage pieces. While the dialogue is occasionally a bit bloated, this book is a smooth read with enough flair and fun for the beach or the pool.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)