Nine Women, One Dress (Rosen)

Nine Women, One Dress 
Jane L. Rosen, 2016
Knopf Doubleday
272 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780385541404


Summary
A charming, hilarious, irresistible romp of a novel that brings together nine unrelated women, each touched by the same little black dress that weaves through their lives, bringing a little magic with it.

Natalie is a Bloomingdale's salesgirl mooning over her lawyer ex-boyfriend who's engaged to someone else after just two months.

Felicia has been quietly in love with her boss for seventeen years and has one night to finally make the feeling mutual.

Andie is a private detective who specializes in gathering evidence on cheating husbands—a skill she unfortunately learned from her own life—and lands a case that may restore her faith in true love.

For these three women, as well as half a dozen others in sparkling supporting roles—a young model fresh from rural Alabama, a diva Hollywood star making her Broadway debut, an overachieving, unemployed Brown grad who starts faking a fabulous life on social media, to name just a few—everything is about to change, thanks to the dress of the season, the perfect little black number everyone wants to get their hands on. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
Jane L. Rosen is an author and Huffington Post contributor. She lives in New York City and Fire Island with her husband and three daughters. She often takes inspiration from the city she lives in and the people she shares it with.

She is the author of a young adult novel, The Thread, which she self-published with a print-on-demand company. In addition to her writing she has spent time in film, television and event production and is the cofounder of It’s All Gravy LLC, a web and app-based gifting company. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
Nine Women, One Dress is a love letter to New York. Rosen deftly peels back the layers and reveals the lives that inhabit the skyscrapers, brownstones, the department stores, hotels, and parks.
Liz Matthews - Town & Country


[A] witty debut novel featur[ing] a transformative item of clothing. This is a fun book, tightly plotted and perfectly timed for the summer season.
Publishers Weekly


[An] "it dress" from New York's fashion season and how it affects the lives of the women who wear it.... Chick lit at its best. If this book were a dress, it would fit everyone perfectly and flatter everyone's figure. —Jennifer Mills, Shorewood-Troy Lib., IL
Library Journal


A charming story that twists the lives of New Yorkers around a little black dress. Or is it the other way around?... Rosen's debut novel is rich in relationships, written with clarity and humor and surprise twists that bring the tale to a satisfying conclusion. A pure pleasure to read.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions.
1. On the boat to America, Max Hammer tells Morris Siegel that he know he wanted to marry his wife, Dorothy, since he saw her at age twelve. Do you know childhood sweethearts who are still married today? What do you think is different about their relationship?

2. What did you think about the scenes between Jeremy and his publicist and agent?  Did you think it was accurate to in terms of how celebrity images are manipulated in the media?

3.  Discuss the role that Bloomingdales plays in the novel. What’s your go-to store for occasions when only "the dress" will do?

4. Sometimes fate needs a helping hand and a "buttinski" like Tomás can be a godsend. Do you agree or disagree?

5. The portrayal of New York City is filled with affection. Would it have been possible for this novel to be set anywhere else?

6. In Chapter 10 we learn how Arthur wound up dating the much-younger Sherri. Did it offer a new perspective on how older men wind up with much younger women?

7. Andie’s 100th client has not been entirely truthful with her. Were you surprised when Caroline reveals her real reason for retaining Andie’s services?

8. In Nine Women, One Dress, people find love in very unusual but very satisfying ways.  Who was your favorite couple and why?

9. Sophie’s use of Instagram to portray a glamorous life she really doesn’t lead is not so far from the truth. Do you feel pressure to portray yourself a certain way on social media?

10. "The right dress makes an ordinary woman feel extraordinary," says Morris Siegel at the end of the novel. Why do women have a more complicated and intimate relationship with clothing than men?

11. Do you have a dress like "the dress" in the novel?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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