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jennshelfishlife's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
"She did not expect Jacob to recognize the source of the materials she used, particularly since she hardly ever showed him her more sentimental side, preferring to hide behind a veneer of practicality and strength. She knew he would only see constellations atop the interlocking of dark blue squares that made up the night sky. But since the war began, she knew the importance of putting her entire spirit into every endeavor. So as she fashioned the only protection she could now give him, she sewed her soul into every stitch."
"Without the fingerprint of the heart, it would only be sound... not music."
I typically don't read books set in the Civil War, as I've read so many on the topic, but The Thread Collectors was interesting. Two families find themselves intertwined in this historical fiction novel set at the height of the Civil War. In this novel, two families, one in Louisiana and one in New York, are brought together because of extenuating circumstances involving the war.
Stella lives in Louisiana, as a kept woman, by a local enslaver. She is an expert embroiderer and falls in love with an enslaved person, William, who happens to be a gifted musician.
Lily is a New York Jewish woman and a strong abolitionist who is also a gifted seamstress; her husband, Jacob, is also a talented musician.
The two men, William and Jacob, join the war effort as musicians and become close friends, and then a tragedy happens, which leads Lily to Louisiana to find her husband.
My pros:
The character development.
The story's uniqueness explores Black and Jewish relations and lives during the Civil War.
My cons:
Some of the events struck me as unbelievable.
I recommend The Thread Collectors to readers that want to explore different aspects and stories during the Civil War (US) era.
"Without the fingerprint of the heart, it would only be sound... not music."
I typically don't read books set in the Civil War, as I've read so many on the topic, but The Thread Collectors was interesting. Two families find themselves intertwined in this historical fiction novel set at the height of the Civil War. In this novel, two families, one in Louisiana and one in New York, are brought together because of extenuating circumstances involving the war.
Stella lives in Louisiana, as a kept woman, by a local enslaver. She is an expert embroiderer and falls in love with an enslaved person, William, who happens to be a gifted musician.
Lily is a New York Jewish woman and a strong abolitionist who is also a gifted seamstress; her husband, Jacob, is also a talented musician.
The two men, William and Jacob, join the war effort as musicians and become close friends, and then a tragedy happens, which leads Lily to Louisiana to find her husband.
My pros:
The character development.
The story's uniqueness explores Black and Jewish relations and lives during the Civil War.
My cons:
Some of the events struck me as unbelievable.
I recommend The Thread Collectors to readers that want to explore different aspects and stories during the Civil War (US) era.
novakg's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
dev_merc's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
halkid2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In THE THREAD COLLECTORS, Alyson Richman (a favorite author of mine) and Shaunna J. Edwards (this is her debut novel) team up to paint a portrait of the Civil War from what might be called cross perspectives; Black and white, North and South, rich and poor, slavery and freedom. As explained in the Authors’ Note, the authors collaborated as a way to “find beauty” in the darkness of the racial violence and inequality that surrounds American society.
Drawing on their own decades-long friendship and their individual family histories (Richman is white and Jewish, Edwards is black and Christian), these two women have crafted a story of war, slavery, love, and friendship around four main characters:
• Lily - the daughter of a wealthy, Jewish New York City merchant who is a dedicated abolitionist.
• Jacob - her husband, a talented musician from a less prosperous Jewish family who fights in the Union army.
• Stella - a beautiful enslaved woman in Louisiana who is auctioned off to become the mistress of a rich white planter.
• William - an enslaved man whose musical genius gets exploited by his master until he runs away to fight for the North.
How these four lives intersect I’ll leave for you to discover. But all four take great risks in their efforts to protect their loved ones.
The book paints quite a bleak picture of the conflict, that can be hard to read at some points. Split families, massive casualties, rudimentary medical care, widespread disease, and lack of adequate, even minimal supplies. And of course, prejudice against Black Americans deeply ingrained on both sides of the war.
The novel covers just a few years, beginning just before the Civil War begins, though the back stories of each character are woven in. I definitely found the first half of the book much less compelling than the second. Perhaps that was because so many backgrounds needed to be explained. But the book eventually picks up pace and becomes quite dramatic and powerful (even suspenseful) as it builds toward its conclusion.
I recommend THE THREAD COLLECTORS, especially because it’s the only book I’ve ever read about this time period that includes three less well-known aspects of the Civil War story:
• That the Union Army treated Black soldiers MUCH differently than White soldiers, despite the fact that both were on the same side.
• That Jewish soldiers fought, facing their own hurdles of discrimination.
• The ways in which women contributed to the war effort.
You’ll learn a lot.
Drawing on their own decades-long friendship and their individual family histories (Richman is white and Jewish, Edwards is black and Christian), these two women have crafted a story of war, slavery, love, and friendship around four main characters:
• Lily - the daughter of a wealthy, Jewish New York City merchant who is a dedicated abolitionist.
• Jacob - her husband, a talented musician from a less prosperous Jewish family who fights in the Union army.
• Stella - a beautiful enslaved woman in Louisiana who is auctioned off to become the mistress of a rich white planter.
• William - an enslaved man whose musical genius gets exploited by his master until he runs away to fight for the North.
How these four lives intersect I’ll leave for you to discover. But all four take great risks in their efforts to protect their loved ones.
The book paints quite a bleak picture of the conflict, that can be hard to read at some points. Split families, massive casualties, rudimentary medical care, widespread disease, and lack of adequate, even minimal supplies. And of course, prejudice against Black Americans deeply ingrained on both sides of the war.
The novel covers just a few years, beginning just before the Civil War begins, though the back stories of each character are woven in. I definitely found the first half of the book much less compelling than the second. Perhaps that was because so many backgrounds needed to be explained. But the book eventually picks up pace and becomes quite dramatic and powerful (even suspenseful) as it builds toward its conclusion.
I recommend THE THREAD COLLECTORS, especially because it’s the only book I’ve ever read about this time period that includes three less well-known aspects of the Civil War story:
• That the Union Army treated Black soldiers MUCH differently than White soldiers, despite the fact that both were on the same side.
• That Jewish soldiers fought, facing their own hurdles of discrimination.
• The ways in which women contributed to the war effort.
You’ll learn a lot.
sarahslight's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
rachelbernholtz's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mikkif's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thebashfulbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards; Alyson Richman is a historical novel set in the American Civil War time period and follows two very different couples and how they managed during the war.
Stella is the slave mistress of a rich plantation owner in New Orleans, as the daughter of a slave and a white man, she’s able to live on her own in a small shack amongst other slave mistresses. But, her true love is a Will, also a slave, with the same awful master. When Will runs away to join the Union Army, Stella knows she has to do everything she can to help other slaves run away too. Stella embroiders maps on bits of cloth to help her neighbors find the Union army camp and escape a life of bondage.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Lily is doing everything she can for the war effort and is waiting for her husband, Jacob, to come home from the war. Jacob is a private in the union army, and also a gifted musician. Jacob and Will strike up an unlikely friendship as two musicians who bring music and joy to the troops. But, when Jacob doesn’t write home for weeks, Lily knows she has to go and find him.
I loved this book as it looks at four very different perspectives of the war. Instead of looking at the north/south perspectives, it looks at the perspective of a fairly wealthy Jewish couple from New York, and a black couple trying to free themselves from slavery in New Orleans. Both couples are on the side of the Union but come from very different backgrounds. Stella, Will, Lily, and Jacob are strong, courageous, and very compelling characters.
The book also revealed some of the ravages of war, both from the north perspective and the south's. It also reveals some of the horrific conditions of slavery and especially the different ways slave owners treated the girls and women they owned.
The Thread Collectors is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards; Alyson Richman is a historical novel set in the American Civil War time period and follows two very different couples and how they managed during the war.
Stella is the slave mistress of a rich plantation owner in New Orleans, as the daughter of a slave and a white man, she’s able to live on her own in a small shack amongst other slave mistresses. But, her true love is a Will, also a slave, with the same awful master. When Will runs away to join the Union Army, Stella knows she has to do everything she can to help other slaves run away too. Stella embroiders maps on bits of cloth to help her neighbors find the Union army camp and escape a life of bondage.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Lily is doing everything she can for the war effort and is waiting for her husband, Jacob, to come home from the war. Jacob is a private in the union army, and also a gifted musician. Jacob and Will strike up an unlikely friendship as two musicians who bring music and joy to the troops. But, when Jacob doesn’t write home for weeks, Lily knows she has to go and find him.
I loved this book as it looks at four very different perspectives of the war. Instead of looking at the north/south perspectives, it looks at the perspective of a fairly wealthy Jewish couple from New York, and a black couple trying to free themselves from slavery in New Orleans. Both couples are on the side of the Union but come from very different backgrounds. Stella, Will, Lily, and Jacob are strong, courageous, and very compelling characters.
The book also revealed some of the ravages of war, both from the north perspective and the south's. It also reveals some of the horrific conditions of slavery and especially the different ways slave owners treated the girls and women they owned.
The Thread Collectors is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
cjeanne99's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Two women support the men they love who are fighting on the side of the Union Army in the Civil War.