Miss Dior
A Story of Courage and Couture
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Miss Dior
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Narrated by:
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Justine Picardie
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By:
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Justine Picardie
About this listen
Miss Dior is a wartime story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal and 'a gripping story' (Antonia Fraser).
*The New Look, a new Apple TV drama series starring Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior - in a role inspired by Justine Picardie's Miss Dior - is out now*
'Exceptional . . . Miss Dior is so much more than a biography. It's about how necessity can drive people to either terrible deeds or acts of great courage, and how beauty can grow from the worst kinds of horror.'
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Miss Dior explores the relationship between the visionary designer Christian Dior and his beloved younger sister Catherine, who inspired his most famous perfume and shaped his vision of femininity. Justine Picardie's journey takes her to wartime Paris, where Christian honed his couture skills while Catherine dedicated herself to the French Resistance and the battle against the Nazis, until she was captured by the Gestapo and deported to the German concentration camp of Ravensbrück.
Tracing the wartime paths of the Dior siblings leads Picardie deep into other hidden histories, and different forms of resistance and sisterhood. She discovers what it means to believe in beauty and hope, despite our knowledge of darkness and despair, and reveals the timeless solace of the natural world in the aftermath of devastation and destruction.
*A beautiful, full colour package featuring over 200 archival images.*
'Extraordinary . . . Picardie uses her investigative reporting skills . . . the result is Netflix-worthy and the pace page-turning . . . Catherine's story shines - the quiet Dior who preferred flowers to fashion, the unsung heroine who survived the abuse of the Third Reich to help liberate France.'
SUNDAY TIMES
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 Justine Picardie (P)2021 Faber & FaberListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Miss Dior
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paula Caven-Lewis
- 09-02-22
Catherine Dior, Warrior Woman 💪 Magnifique!
What a treat! Wonderful account of French Fashion and life during WW2 and post war. At times incredibly moving and frustration that some evil people were not brought to justice.
Loved the whirlwind of post war fashion shows, balls and celebration of celebrity life in general.
So entertaining and informative, Will definitely listen again. I could smell the roses, lavender and Lily of the valley, heard the birdsong. Miss Dior❤️❤️❤️
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Thomas P Gliddon
- 31-08-24
the story of Catherine Dior
This was a completely mind-blowing story, for me was all about Catherine Dior, I struggle to comprehend the violence that any human being can inflicted on another. I have no words for it & still it goes on in todays world. I learnt a lot of history too and got lost in the beautiful dresses & fashion detailed in the book. The author has a beautiful soft peaceful voice for which this book definitely needed as it was depressing only for the horrors of truth. I would listen while gardening and attending to my roses which gave me some for of peace 🌹💖
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pips
- 05-06-23
A story worth a listen!
An interesting story explaining the relationship between fashion and the Second World War through the world of Dior. Such bravery under German brutality.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- cvetok
- 09-12-23
Not what I expected
Brilliantly written book. Not what I had expected at all. A tragic, courageous and powerful story of lesser known sister of Dior, Catherine and her life’s journey. Some historical accounts are hard to take in. A must read!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- E O'K, Dublin
- 29-11-24
Poor narration by author
The author’s dreadful french accent was very disappointing. Why the author did not have this professionally narrated is beyond me. Great historical research, good story, but fairly disjointed at times, and in places nothing to do with Catherine Dior. If it was re-recorded with a profession narrator I would enjoy re-listening. Poor french accent by author was very distracting and unforgivable for the French place names, people and subjects.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-10-22
Beautiful
Not always an easy listen but always inspiring. Read truly and compassionately by the author.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Felicity Maddison
- 01-01-22
Misleading Cover and Title but okay
The title of this book is VERY misleading. I'm not a fashion buff, but I do like Dior and history and I thought this would be a book that delved into Christian Dior's lesser-known sibling and her heroics during WWII. Sadly 'a story of courage and Dior' is not that.
Picardie spends a lot of time talking about the fashion house history, its founder and everyone else who knew or were believed to have come across Catherine (a.k.a Miss Dior) during the war but we learn next to nothing about Catherine. After all, she did not write a memoir or leave any trace of her thoughts and feelings about what happened to her as a member of the French Resistance, caught and imprisoned at Ravensbruck.
However, having said that, this book does delve into the history of the French and women's involvement in WWII and female POW's. As women, we tend not to hear about the female heroics of WWII. Therefore, I would recommend this book if you want to start reading more about this side of history - intriguing and horrifying, but these women were courageous, fearless and true heroines.
I gave this book three stars, not because I thought it was not good but because it doesn't deliver what it says on the cover.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Bryony Lawson
- 18-09-21
Highly recommend
I recommend anyone and everyone to listen to this book. Hugely important with a depth of description that is breathtaking. Perfection. I loved every minute.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- isabel
- 08-10-21
navel gazing drivel
sycophantic clap trap interspersed with a few interesting facts about her life and that of her brother. not worth wasting a credit
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Clare Connell
- 30-03-24
Catherine Dior is barely mentioned in this book
Confusingly this book is entitled Miss Dior, but Catherine Dior is barely mentioned. This is a shame as she was clearly a remarkable and very brave woman I would like to know more about. The coverage of her work for the resistance would fit on a postcard. The author talks more about herself and her travels than the subject of the book. It covers a lot of adjacent and barely relevant history everyone knows. Bizarre.
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