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A Single Thread |
1930's Winchester, newly-arrived Violet Speedwell, resigned to bleak spinsterhood, visits the Cathedral and is drawn into the world of the Broderers, extraordinary women who design and stitch the cassocks and cushions so exquisitely. Their stories reveal fascinating insights into the lives of single women challenging the norms of their time. A beautiful and quietly emotional story based around true characters and events, inspiring me to revisit the Cathedral with greater insight. I hope it inspires the same reaction in other readers.
(Clare Gratton - bwl 97 Summer 2020) |
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A Single Thread |
This is a lovely read. The heroine is from that generation of women whose lives were blighted by the First World War and who struggled to find a role in the aftermath. It explores embroidery, cathedral architecture, bellringing, the south of England and female relationships. But fundamentally it is the story of a woman who is lonely, loveless and trapped who finds salvation in unexpected ways. And it certainly demands a trip to Winchester Cathedral once lockdown is over.
(Annie Noble - bwl 99 Winter 2021) |
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Burning Bright |
Chevalier vividly reconstructs 18th century London, particularly Lambeth - you can almost smell it. Jem and Maggie, bordering on adulthood but from different backgrounds and experiences, form the connection with Blake's 'Songs of Innocence and Experience'. Blake is their neighbour and influence. Whilst the book is beautifully written and researched, I was not completely satisfied by it, perhaps because, having seen the Blake exhibition, I wanted more about him and should have read a biography.
(Christine Miller - bwl 45 April 2008) |
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Falling Angels |
In 1901, two little girls meet in Highgate Cemetery and become acquainted with the gravedigger's son. Over the years, their friendship has a profound effect on themselves and their families and ultimately leads to tragedy. Although I felt the American author did not truly understand the mores of Edwardian England, the pages kept turning. If you enjoyed 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' (bwl 7), you'll want to read this but maybe wait for the paperback in June.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 12 January 2002) |
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Falling Angels |
Set in Edwardian London (often in a cemetery, hence the angels) a drama unfolds, recounted in turns by members of two middle-class families, their servants and a grave-digger's son. Disconcerting intrusion of modern/American English in the supposedly Edwardian narrative and dialogue and the 'working class' language doesn't ring true. The Edwardian lifestyle is rather more convincingly portrayed. The suffragette movement is a strong theme and I found this fascinating and greatly enjoyed the book overall.
(Wendy Swann - bwl 25 August 2004) |
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Girl with a Pearl Earring |
'Every picture tells a story.' True! The timeless wonder of Vermeer's ravishing painting has inspired an interesting and lovely book on a possible history behind this portrait. Imagination and fine research leave a vivid impact on the reader of the isolated and harsh life in Delft in 17th Century Holland. Clear, beautiful writing, as the not-so-simple girl herself tells her tale.
(Joan Jackson - bwl 7 February 2001) |
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The Lady and the Unicorn |
Nicolas, artist and womaniser, is commissioned to design a set of tapestries for the ambitious Jean le Viste. We move between Paris and the le Viste family - Jean's pious, unhappy wife and his beautiful, rebellious daughter, Claude - and Brussels, home of the weavers and blind Alienor. It is these three women who provide inspiration for Nicolas - each in their way the Lady to his Unicorn. Clever, assured and absorbing.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 21 November 2003) |
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The Last Runaway |
In the 1850s a young Quaker woman emigrates to America to marry an older Quaker settler. At the last minute, on impulse, her sister joins her. The one due to marry dies en route leaving the other to continue the journey. Her principles are tested to the limit when she encounters the situation regarding runaway slaves. A story of her survival.
(Shirley Williams - bwl 73 Summer 2014) |
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The Virgin Blue |
This is the first book by the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring (see bwl 7). Set in France, it concerns two women born centuries apart. The first grows up as a Catholic just when Calvinism is sweeping the country, the other is a modern-day American obsessed with discovering her French roots. Naturally the two are connected. It's a good read, suited to those times when you want to while away the hours with nothing too taxing.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 18 April 2003) |
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