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67th out of 415 books
—
623 voters
The Last Silk Dress
by
Ann Rinaldi
High-spirited, beautiful Susan Chilmark, fourteen, vows to do something meaningful to support the Confederacy during the Civil War.Despite the wishes of her mother, Susan and her best friend, Connie, collect silk dresses from all the ladies of Richmond to make a balloon that will be used to spy on the Yankees.
But the issues behind the war aren't as obvious as Susan thinks....more
But the issues behind the war aren't as obvious as Susan thinks....more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
October 4th 1999
by Laurel Leaf
(first published 1988)
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I was hooked on her writing. They are researched history books with the character experiencing the events.
The best Ann Rinaldi book and also her first, I think. Snooty Confederate girl learns to sacrifice during the War, ends up collecting all these dresses to make a hot air balloon to spy on northerners.
She has a bad relationship with her mother, and an attractive, disowned brother who sort of is Rhett Butler-like, loves the South but profiting off of the war. Later learns her brother was kicked out of the house because he fell in love with a slave girl who turned out to be his half-sister (oops.)
She has a bad relationship with her mother, and an attractive, disowned brother who sort of is Rhett Butler-like, loves the South but profiting off of the war. Later learns her brother was kicked out of the house because he fell in love with a slave girl who turned out to be his half-sister (oops.)
Valerie Watson
Rinaldi, A. (1988). The last silk dress. New York, NY: Dell-Laurel Leaf.
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Award:
ALA Notable Children’s Books 1995
Format:
Print
Selection Process:
Booklist Review
The last silk dress. TitleWave.com. Retrieved from www.titlewave.com
Review:
Susan Chilmark, a true Southern Belle, lives in Richmond during the start of the Civil War. Her father is gone, off fighting for the Cause; her brother, Lucien, is long estranged from the family; and Susan is alone at home with he...more
Rinaldi, A. (1988). The last silk dress. New York, NY: Dell-Laurel Leaf.
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Award:
ALA Notable Children’s Books 1995
Format:
Selection Process:
Booklist Review
The last silk dress. TitleWave.com. Retrieved from www.titlewave.com
Review:
Susan Chilmark, a true Southern Belle, lives in Richmond during the start of the Civil War. Her father is gone, off fighting for the Cause; her brother, Lucien, is long estranged from the family; and Susan is alone at home with he...more
I read every single Ann Rinaldi book when I was younger, and this was one of my favorites. The silk dress balloon looms large in my memory:
While we were longing for the balloons that poverty denied us, a genius arose for the occasion and suggested we send out and gather silk dresses in the Confederacy and make a balloon. It was done, and soon we had a great patchwork ship of many varied hues which was ready for use in the Seven Days' Campaign [...] The Federals gathered it in, and with it the la...more
4 likes · like · see review
This is my favorite Ann Rinaldi book by far. Here is a sweeping and epic Civil War story. The main character is Susan Chilmark, a fourteen year old girl living in Richmond, Virginia in 1861. Richmond has just joined the Confederacy and she watches as the changes of war sweep through the South. Her father is sent away to help build a ship for the Confederate navy and she is left with her abusive mother. Her mother, Charlotte, is unpredictable, going from hitting and yelling at Susan one minute to...more
4 likes · like · see review
May 24, 2012
Benjamin
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
NO ONE
Shelves:
books-i-would-not-recommend
Just so you know, this is probably the worst book EVER! Well, out of my currently read books.
In The Last Silk Dress, a historical Civil War book, that examines the life of a girl in Richmond, VA, who supports the Cause and wants badly to be accepted by everyone. Told in first person from the point of view of Susan Chilimark, this book examines the American Dream, black injustices and south culture during the civil war, including that (whites) can have endless opportunity if they work hard and al...more
In The Last Silk Dress, a historical Civil War book, that examines the life of a girl in Richmond, VA, who supports the Cause and wants badly to be accepted by everyone. Told in first person from the point of view of Susan Chilimark, this book examines the American Dream, black injustices and south culture during the civil war, including that (whites) can have endless opportunity if they work hard and al...more
This is the story of a young Southern belle during the Civil War. Susan is enamored with the cause and supporting the South, and decides to lead the women's efforts at creating a silk hot air balloon with the ball dresses of the women, to aid their soldiers in spying on the Yankees, for the north had multiple baloons. An unexpected encounter with her disowned brother, however, opens her eyes to the evils of the south, the scandals in her own family, and the abolition movement. With difficulty, S...more
1 like · like · see review
it snot such an AMAZING book but it is ok...it's kind of like a dramatic soap opera
Great book! Well research history novel. The story takes place during the Civil war - and the main character is a fourteen girl living in Richmond, VA. Being that I'm from Ohio - I never understood the Confederate side of things. In the novel Richmond has just joined the Confederacy and she watches as the changes of war sweep through the South. This book is written beautifully, the characters are wonderfully though out. I would definitely recommend this book - especially to young adults.
Young southern girl organizes collection of silk dresses to create a hot air balloon for the southern army to spy on the Yankees.
Opening lines of the book:
Whenever I think of my father, which is very often, I remember the day of the riot at Tredegar Iron Works. And I think of the way he got hit with the rock and how his face bled. that is the memory that will always come to my mind first, I suppose, when I think of my father. For me that was the moment the war started.
Opening lines of the book:
Whenever I think of my father, which is very often, I remember the day of the riot at Tredegar Iron Works. And I think of the way he got hit with the rock and how his face bled. that is the memory that will always come to my mind first, I suppose, when I think of my father. For me that was the moment the war started.
![Megan [find me somebody to love]](http://d.gr-assets.com/users/1362015640p2/3109640.jpg)
Nov 16, 2010
Megan [find me somebody to love]
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
want-to-own,
need-to-read-again
So. I love this book. :D
I read it a few years ago and loved it then, and I still love it now. And yes Timothy Tobias Collier is one of the reasons that I love this book. :D
I could have sworn it ended differently, though. I thought I remembered some part in there with Tim and Susan that never actually happened...guess my imagination is just getting the best of me. :)
but yeah, even though I would have liked this book to go on longer, the ending is still okay. And I still love this!
I read it a few years ago and loved it then, and I still love it now. And yes Timothy Tobias Collier is one of the reasons that I love this book. :D
I could have sworn it ended differently, though. I thought I remembered some part in there with Tim and Susan that never actually happened...guess my imagination is just getting the best of me. :)
but yeah, even though I would have liked this book to go on longer, the ending is still okay. And I still love this!
This is a young adult novel, but I enjoyed reading it as a teenager *and* early 20-something because I love Ann Rinaldi's description of Civil War era Richmond, Virginia, where I lived for some time. I also loved how she told a story based on a small, not really well known detail about the Civil War. In addition, the characters of Susan, Lucien and Charlotte were interesting and well developed. Excellent storytelling, excellent historical fiction.
I thought the story was adorable. I loved the was Susan was dedicated to her work, and dedicated to her family. She had a bit of an attitude, but that was what made her interesting. This is, without a doubt, one of the most greatest of Ann Rindaldi's books. I never thought I would be interested in Civil War books, but I was wrong. Five Star. I recommend this book to anyone.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Even though I have enjoyed reading Rinaldi books all year, this one was especially good. It tells an intriguing story about a girl in the civil War South and her efforts to make a hot air balloon for the confederacy out of silk dresses. Her own discoveries about love, family, and the Southern lifestyle really made me think about the Civil War in a new way. This was a fascinating read.
OMG THIS BOOK WAS RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!!! okay my heart aches after reading it for a few hours. its extremely intense. well, its historical fiction, i know how that is, but once you get about halfway through it just gets incredibly exciting and terribly nerve wrenching. a great read, even if i was forced by history class.
I went through a massive Ann Rinaldi phase beginning in seventh grade and I usually remember best the ones I read early on. I don't know if she tapered off or if I simply outgrew her novels, but I definately prefer the older ones. The novels all have a heroine who is usually based on an actual person and who participates in various degrees in certain formative events in American history. These are definately books for a teenage girl niche as the main character is always a young woman and there i...more
I like all of Ann Rinaldi's books. This one was about a girl during the civil war who gathers silk dresses so the confederacy can make a hot air balloon that can spy on the Yankees. As the war goes on, she begins to see that what the south is fighting for is wrong.
I read this book when I was in Middle School. I read a lot from this author because she writes about the Civil and Revolutionary wars and I like that time period. I don't remember much about this book in particular. I just know I liked all her books.
One of my favorite historical fiction books by Rinaldi. Loved reading the bravery of Susan Chilmark (going through the war, meeting her long lost brother, helping the Cause, standing up to her mother, etc) and the romance. :)
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
I believe that this book was very eye-opening for me as far as understanding the social customs and ideologies of the people during the Civil War. The North and South were very different, polar opposites, and they were horrible to one another. Susan Chilmark had a hard time with finding a place in the society in which she lived. Her parents and older brother looked through different shaded glasses than each other and as a result were not on speaking terms. Susan struggled with this rift and also...more
Not many people know about the use of Hot Air Balloons as spy equipment during the Civil War and Rinaldi seizes about that. I have always loved this book, which in many ways led me to study Southern Civil War era women.
I read this book years and years ago, but I remember getting swept up into the story. This is a great example of how a great story can be tied into historical events. I read this book so many times the cover almost fell off.
I loved this book so much, I wrote letters to the heroine's brother. In retrospect, I am not sure it warranted so much adoration, but it must have had some wonderful quality to keep me hooked for years.
This is one of my favorite Ann Rinaldi books. It's just a great story, with plenty of action and romance. I like the characters and its setting in the Civil War. I still reread it periodically.
This was another of Ann Rinaldi's books I read when I was a younger girl, and although I remember liking this as well as Time Enough For Drums, I didn't like it as well this time around.
I read this book for a book report when I was a kid. It was THE book that made me want to read. Recommended for younger readers who want a fun book with a great female lead.
This was the first book of historical fiction (other than the Little House or Anne of Green Gables series) I ever read, starting me on an insatiable quest to READ THE WHOLE GENRE.
My favorite childhood historical fiction. It has everything a girl wants in a novel: dashing men, intrigue, passionate romance, and a strong-willed heroine.
I loved this book. I read this when I was younger and this is the book that made me love to read. It is a great story and I have read it several times!
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Ann Rinaldi (b. August 27, 1934, in New York City) is a young adult fiction author. She is best known for her historical fiction, including In My Father's House, The Last Silk Dress, An Acquaintance with Darkness, A Break with Charity, and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons. She has written a total of forty novels, eight of which were listed as notable by the ALA. In 2000, Wolf by the Ears was lis...more
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May 19, 2013 12:19pm