I have always had a soft spot for historical fiction, and the further from reality the better.  So why choose “The Red Ribbon” then you might ask, as it might be too close a historical painful recent past. Well, The World Of Fashion and all the “glitz and glamour” association that comes with it would not fit together with Auschwitz, but somehow a very different side of fashion and the creativity it brings, managed to integrate that world. No catwalk here well, not one under the gaze of fashion photographers, but only a will for survival. And Here’s the synopsis:

Rose, Ella, Marta and Carla. In another life we might have all been friends together. But this was Birchwood. 

As fourteen-year-old Ella begins her first day at work she steps into a world of silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no ordinary clients. Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz. 

Every dress she makes could be the difference between life and death. And this place is all about survival. 

Ella seeks refuge from this reality, and from haunting memories, in her work and in the world of fashion and fabrics. She is faced with painful decisions about how far she is prepared to go to survive. 

Is her love of clothes and creativity nothing more than collaboration wth her captors, or is it a means of staying alive?

Will she fight for herself alone, or will she trust the importance of an ever-deepening friendship with Rose?

One thing weaves through the colours of couture gowns and camp mud – a red ribbon, given to Ella as a symbol of hope.

What’s more? Well, all you have read so far as picked your interest, you now have a chance to WIN a copy by following that tweet :).