Unsinkable Lucile: How a Farm Girl Became the Queen of Fashion and Survived the Titanic

Employing novelistic flare and ample quotations, Brewster captures the life of 19th-century fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon (1863–1935) in this text-heavy biography. Organized into chapter-like sections that provide snapshots of Gordon’s life from a particular time and place, the book starts with her childhood in rural Canada before segueing to life in Britain, marriage, and postdivorce triumph: an international fashion empire, the popularization of elegant undergarments, and the innovative use of models and fashion shows. Drama appears briefly with wrenching descriptions of Gordon’s escape from the Titanic on a tragically half-empty lifeboat, but the chronicle is largely one of business savvy. McGaw’s realistic paintings mingle with historical photographs and evoke the spirit of the age, allowing readers a glimpse of both the subject’s life and the era. A brief glossary concludes. Ages 9–12. (Sept.)