The writing in this book is so confusing and all over the place.
The premise is quite frankly ridiculous. I sadly have nothing positive to say

I enjoyed reading this book. I have read several books by this author and I felt this one was weaker than some of the others.

If you like unpredictable storylines with twist after twist try ‘The Black Dress’, the latest by Deborah Moggach. Like her last, ‘The Carer’, it is much darker and less humorous than the publisher’s blurb suggests. It is difficult to pin down to a genre owing to the numerous twists, it is part-crime, part-family drama, part-romance, part-humorous though I’d didn’t find it to be a laugh-out-loud story.
Pru is 69 when her husband walks out; shedding his wife and his possessions, he goes to a silent retreat in Rutland. Pru’s friend Azra says she should’ve fought to get him back. But as Pru remembers the last few years with Greg she starts to question the veracity of her memories and wonders what he’d really been thinking. Feeling alone, son Max lives in Canada and daughter Lucy in Iceland, Pru stays on in the family home in Muswell Hill, surrounded by smug couples leading exactly the sort of life she used to enjoy. Only Pam who lives opposite, nastily nicknamed Pritt-Stick-Pam by Pru and Greg as they mock what they see as Pam’s neediness, sees Pru is struggling and tries to help. As Greg moves to their cottage in Dorset and they agree a clean break, Pru spends more time with Azra, depending on her confident ballsy outlook on life. And then Pru gets the biggest shock [so far] of her life.
The black dress of the title introduces the next phase of the story. When Pru sees the dress, so not her, in the window of a charity shop she buys it and starts attending the funerals of strangers. What follows is a string of assignations until one day she meets Calvin in the dentist’s waiting room. Pru falls in love. To avoid plot spoilers I will simply say that nothing is what it seems in this story.
‘The Black Dress’ is about loneliness and friendship, exploitation and manipulation, the danger of not appreciating what you have and how lack of self-awareness and self-honesty will catch up with you in the end. Some of the plot twists made me gasp and want to read on, others seemed misplaced and unrealistic – because, although this is fiction, we still need it to be rooted in the real world. One word of warning in case, like me, you read fiction to escape the real world, part of the story takes place during Covid-19 lockdown.
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After reading this I knew we had to host an event with Deborah Moggach. She is brilliant and so if this funny, witty, naughty book. The twist just blew me away.

I have long been a fan of Deborah Moggach and I grabbed the chance to read her latest novel with great enthusiasm and eagerness. I have hungrily devoured all that she wrote except, for some weird reason, her mega best-seller ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, although I have read 'Tulip Fever'.

This is a sharp look at grief and loneliness that is both darkly funny and deeply sad. I just knew I would treasure this marvellous tale as Deborah Moggach's writing style is second to none and the story flowed beautifully. The writing is visual, the characters are colourful and well crafted and Pru makes an excellent narrator. With plenty of originality, The Black Dress is a mightly enjoyable, first-class tale from start to finish.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Headline via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I enjoyed this book overall, but I loved the writers other books more. Beautiful writing and great characterization. The plot wasn't so original, but there was a creative device of black dress, which was interesting.
Overall I enjoyed my time with it.

This is a real melodrama of a book. Prudence's husband has just left her and her cosy existence in Muswell Hill is shattered. There's only her friend,the Bohemian Azra to help her through as her children live abroad.

She finds herself accidentally at the wrong funeral which plants a seed in her mind which leads to her buying the titular (Little) Black Dress from a charity shop. Funerals seem to be a good opportunity to meet men...

The plot after that has lots of twists and turns. I can easily imagine this being a successful TV drama. Is the last twist a turn too many?

There is a lot of satirical observation and social comment . Moggach obviously has an acute eye for telling details, social stereotypes etc but for me it's a plot driven book in which I can't sympathise with the main character. There were just too many unlikely events for my taste.

Pru’s husband of nearly fifty years suddenly leaves her for vague reasons leaving her alone and confused. Her best friend Azra is there to listen to her puzzle it out and commiserate with her until she to betrays Pru. Struggling to cope Pru accidentally goes to the wrong funeral and starts making connections with strangers.
This is a short, sharp look at grief and loneliness that is both darkly funny and deeply sad. Through Pru we realise that people are not only one thing and are seen differently by everyone they encounter. Even Pru herself who’s life is turned upside down by events and they push to act in ways that she never would have imagined.

Compared to other books I’ve read by this author I found this hard going, I found it to be quite badly written and I was really disappointed by it! When I read the last page I was relieved to have finished it.

Pru suddenly finds herself alone when her husband decides, after a cancer scare, to shed his possessions and start his spiritual journey. Can a black dress she spots in a charity shop be the answer to conquering her loneliness? I really enjoy Deborah Moggach's writing which gently pokes fun at the concerns of older people. It's not a laugh out loud book but it definitely makes you smile. The story is packed full of charm, dry humour and abject loneliness. All wrapped up with a nice little twist I wasn’t expecting.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Moggachs writing is simply enchanting. I became swept up in this book and couldn’t get enough. Touching and hopeful, I loved this.

As soon as I read the blurb for this book I fell in love with the premise. How isolated one must feel to attend the funerals of strangers just to feel a sense of belonging and a little bit of release from a lonely life? And of course someone must eventually call her out, recognize she's a stranger? Ask her why she's there, right? What would happen then?


Pru is a really intriguing character. Alone at 69, her grief defines her. A grief so deep for the life she once had that it's palpable. This is what makes her take risks and chances. She needs to fill the emptiness that surrounds her. So she sets off on a series of romantic adventures.


Those adventures are poignant yet darkly funny and a delight to read. They kept me turning the pages late into the night. There are moments of tragedy, joy and sadness. All of them feeling relatable and exciting. At times I screamed at Pru to wake up and smell the roses but at other times I was there laughing out loud with her. I could hardly believe when she sought out more liaisons but I was so glad she did because I really enjoyed them.


The pace of this book races ahead and the twists and turns keep you on your toes. You never know what is going to happen next. However, I was as annoyed as her at a certain betrayal.


The narrative style of Pru talking directly to us is very engaging. She welcomes you into her world and asks you to question her experiences as a friend and confidante. With such sharp and acute observations of life. You want her to triumph and be happy. For her late years to be filled with love and purpose. But will they?


Beautiful witty prose and gorgeous descriptions of characters and locations bring this book to life and make it a joyous read.

The Black Dress by Deborah Moggach is a very entertaining read especially for the older readers. It is about how love and hate change as we get older and how our memories and recollections can be so different to the other people who were then at the same time.
You have murder, death and life still to be lived.
I really enjoyed reading this book
Highly recommended

Well, where do I start with this one? I love how this centred around the one black dress and that charity shop scene at the start really sets the tone. Pru is a character entering freefall after her husband unexpectedly leaves. I couldnt relate to her at all (thankfully) but that certainly didnt spoil it for me, I found her really intriguing.
So many shocks in this, and some I kicked myself for not seeing them coming. Great book.

When Pru finds herself alone at the age of almost 70, she is at a bit of a loss as to what to do. She misses the life she had with her husband and craves the love of a good man again. After noticing a little black dress in the window of a charity shop, she thinks it will be perfect for an upcoming funeral. Only she realises mid-way through the ceremony that this isn’t the funeral she was supposed to attend. Yet no one is questioning her identity and in fact, everyone is very welcoming of her. So, she sees no problem in going to another one because well, why not? This is a wonderful story about healing and forgiveness. There were some big twists littered throughout the narrative that I certainly didn’t see coming as well as plenty of humour. The end of the book lands us in very recent history and I think it’s the first time I’ve read such a realistic account of the UK in lockdown. Ultimately, The Black Dress is a celebration of finding love in later life, letting go of the past and the undeniable passion that can be found in long-term friendships.

This tells the story of Prudence who as she enters retirement her husabnd leaves her to 'find himself' and she is left alone. She buys a black dress from a charity shop and starts attending funerals in the hope of finding an elgible widower. Its a starnge/quirky story but I enjoyed it. Some really funny moments which made me laugh at loud. A nice quick read for anyone who needs a laugh!

I could totally identify with Pru. I like to think I’m a strong, independent woman, but if I found myself in her position, I feel I would be the same. Slobbing about the house, while the dust collects on the kitchen work surface (I’ll be living on microwave meals and cheese and crackers if I can be bothered to spread the butter), while the weeds grow waist high in the untended garden.

Because Pru’s husband of decades, the father of her children, had gone off to find himself on a spiritual journey, as you do in a middle aged, mid-life crisis. Except that Pru and Greg are not middle aged anymore – they are really in their twilight years, knocking seventy, not forty. He could have just bought a motorbike and a leather jacket or gone brum brum round the garden.

Then one day Pru goes to a funeral only to find it’s the wrong one, but it gives her an idea. She buys a little black dress from a charity shop and goes to another and another on the lookout for a grieving widower. It’s not such a bad idea and no-one is going to call her out. After all, there are always strangers at funerals – people the deceased knew in their childhood or university days that no-one else knows. It becomes exciting and a little bit naughty, but it’s not doing any harm, is it?

We, the readers, and Pru meet some brilliant, eccentric, unusual and frankly bat-shit crazy characters along the way and there are a number of twists that I didn’t expect, making this more than just a humorous story of looking for love in the third age.

I loved this book. I read it two sessions and it has shot straight into my favourite books of 2021 Part Three. It’s very different from the usual feel-good novels because of the dark twists.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This has to be made into a film/tv series, it is so relevant to these times, funny, insightful and sometimes downright naughty. Moggach has a way of capturing a character so well that they become real, whether you like them or not and this tale is full of surprises, of chance meetings, of questionable viewpoints and life! Beautifully written, wryly comic, unbearably sad, I loved it.

A nicely written tale with much wry wit and with a well drawn and well crafted cast of characters. An undercurrent of bleak humour and a dark edge finishes the package off nicely. A satisfying read and one I recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Approaching her seventieth birthday, Pru’s comfortable life in Muswell Hill is shaken to its foundations when husband Greg leaves her, wanting to take a “spiritual journey” and moving out to their cottage in Dorset. But she has a strong friendship to support her, the larger-than-life Azra – and then finds she doesn’t, following an extraordinary act of betrayal that leaves her entirely alone. When it’s amply clear that her separation from Greg will be permanent, she stumbles across a way of meeting a suitable new partner – funerals are the perfect opportunity (all those bereaved widowers needing support and consolation), and while her first outing is entirely accidental, the black dress she finds in a charity shop in Deal becomes an important part of her armoury as her future attendances become considerably more calculated and deliberate.

The romantic adventures that follow are an absolute delight – an endorsement of the fact that age is only a barrier when you allow it to be – and some of the scapes she gets into are exceptionally funny, if tinged with embarrassment at times and a mounting horror at her degree of desperation. But the real joy of this book is Pru herself – the clarity of her voice, the confessional and conversational style, keep you firmly in her corner, cheering every small victory and urging her on at every turn. In many ways, she’s an unreliable narrator – but that’s balanced by her openness and honesty, and there was never any point when I found her less than likeable as she changed from the sad figure we met at the start, wallowing in grief and unable to move on, into the adventures that follow.

But there’s far more to this wonderful book than its initial premise – it portrays loneliness with searing accuracy, exposes the human condition and the way appearances can differ from reality, and manages to be immense fun as it does so. The dark humour in the story is totally delicious, there are plenty of touches of poignancy, and it’s filled with well-developed characters who come to figure large in Pru’s life – there are also plenty of surprises along the way, none of which I saw coming. The whole book is extremely contemporary too – it does touch on the growing impact of the pandemic, but in a way that’s wholly appropriate and only enhances the story and the emotional pressure-cooker that’s beginning to develop.

I really adored this book – the writing is quite superb (I’d forgotten how much I enjoy Deborah Moggach’s wit and take on life), the story exceptionally engaging, and Pru herself is magnificent and entirely unforgettable. I do agree with others that more mature readers might find the most to identify with, but I really would recommend it most highly.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)