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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a hard read. I knew going in that it was set during the Civil War and that's always going to be tough. Thankfully the focus wasn't graphically descriptive around enslavement, but the other bits were really tough, too.
It was absolutely worthwhile, but I'm gonna need something lighter next.
It was absolutely worthwhile, but I'm gonna need something lighter next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexual assault, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Slavery, Antisemitism
The Thread Collectors drew me on a couple of levels. First, as a seamstress, I just had to at least read the blurb for a book titled The Thread Collectors. Then, to find out it's historical fiction set during the Civil War was all I needed to know I had to read this one. I was so caught up in the lives of these characters and how they intertwine. The story is, of course, emotional, and the authors have crafted the kind of characters who get under your skin. The type I won't soon forget. The book is very well-researched and beautifully written. It's my first experience with either of these authors, but it won't be my last.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"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.
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
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
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
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.
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
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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:
Complicated