RaveiNews (UK)... as much a memoir about family and the deaths of Finlay’s parents as it is a travelogue and exploration into the origins of fabric, as the author movingly entwines stories of grief and the history of textiles ... Her lively prose also incorporates well-known tales, such as Theseus using a ball of thread to find his way out of the labyrinth, with lesser-known facts, such as how the word \'clue\' is \'from an Old English term for a ball of yarn that can be unwound to show the right path\' ... Despite its historical bent, Fabric reads nothing like a dry school textbook and Finlay deftly mixes conventional tales of the past with personal recollections – including her encounters with those who are preserving textile traditions ... Community is the recurring motif, as Finlay juxtaposes how the world of textiles has driven societies apart and brought them together. She stitches the literal and figurative beauty and horror into a patchwork of fascinating revelations to terrific effect.
Justine Picardie
Positivei (UK)... far more than a simple collation of archival material exploring the intersection of fashion and war in the 20th century, with Picardie’s personal reflections adding an effective emotional thread ... The book juxtaposes the macabre and ethereal, reflecting the contradictions of this era ... In Miss Dior the perfume ... At times, Picardie’s vibrant description makes it seem as if the scent is wafting off the page. Ultimately, Catherine Dior remains an elusive figure, but by following in her footsteps, Miss Dior ensures the bravery of the women at Ravensbrück is not merely a distant echo.
