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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an incredibly enjoyable book. First book I have read by this author and will certainly read more. The subject matter regarding domestic abuse, illegal immigration, the fate of children and so much more are intertwined in this tale. Highly recommend...
I enjoyed reading this book. Wasn’t exactly what I expected but I liked the direction it went in.
I so wanted this to be better, and it easily could have been. At times it delivered, but there were too many sudden story jumps around an unnecessary and loooong flashback that I can't reward it. I did add a half star because the author is sharing a percentage of her royalties to a nonprofit in her home county that provides safe, supportive, longer-term affordable housing for survivors of domestic violence. I borrowed this in ebook from NYPL. I will probably now buy a few copies to give as gifts.
Caroline is a young designer working in the NYC fashion studio of a hugely successful established designer. One of her best friends is supermodel Angelique, the single mother of 2 mixed race children for whom she agrees to stand as guardian if ever needed, and who also Caroline suspects is being physically abused. At the same time her boss is stealing her breakthrough designs and claiming them as his own, Caroline comes home to find Angelique dead from an overdose. Suddenly that casual agreement to be a guardian becomes real.
Having no other real options, Caroline returns home to Oysterville, WA where she reconnect with her family, beginning the process of providing a safe and secure home for the 2 kids and beginning from scratch as a designer. Personally struggling with understanding what happened to Angelique, Caroline atarts the Oysterville Sewing Circle as a safe zone support group for women experiencing, or have survived, domestic abuse.
And these chapters shine. What doesn't shine is the long revisit to Caroline's past relationship with her best friends Will and Sierra. Too much time and detail is spent on this, hurting the rest of the story and detracting from the eventual ending. Several chapters could easily have been summarized in a couple of paragraphs. Fortunately there is a terrific ending, one fitting in the era of #MeToo, that lived up to the initial promise.
Caroline is a young designer working in the NYC fashion studio of a hugely successful established designer. One of her best friends is supermodel Angelique, the single mother of 2 mixed race children for whom she agrees to stand as guardian if ever needed, and who also Caroline suspects is being physically abused. At the same time her boss is stealing her breakthrough designs and claiming them as his own, Caroline comes home to find Angelique dead from an overdose. Suddenly that casual agreement to be a guardian becomes real.
Having no other real options, Caroline returns home to Oysterville, WA where she reconnect with her family, beginning the process of providing a safe and secure home for the 2 kids and beginning from scratch as a designer. Personally struggling with understanding what happened to Angelique, Caroline atarts the Oysterville Sewing Circle as a safe zone support group for women experiencing, or have survived, domestic abuse.
And these chapters shine. What doesn't shine is the long revisit to Caroline's past relationship with her best friends Will and Sierra. Too much time and detail is spent on this, hurting the rest of the story and detracting from the eventual ending. Several chapters could easily have been summarized in a couple of paragraphs. Fortunately there is a terrific ending, one fitting in the era of #MeToo, that lived up to the initial promise.
I can't even. There are better books that deal with domestic violence. Also don't shame a woman for how she dresses or what she chooses to do with her body.
"I read somewhere that people lose their way when they forget their dreams. Do we?”
Susan Wiggs offers up storytelling at its finest. Rich, warm, and inviting, Wiggs effortlessly pulls you into her vitally alive world populated with family, forever friends, and small-town life — complete with rivalries, romances, and regrets.
"This is how it starts. We settle. We make compromises. We let them whittle away, bit by bit, and don’t really notice, or we rationalize it away. We tell ourselves it’s for the greater good.”
The author has a remarkable way of presenting cataclysmic events that penetrate her character's spirit to enable a transformative awakening. This story unfolds through life's adversities and accomplishments of designer extraordinaire Caroline Shelby. As the despair and pain get a tenacious hold into Caroline’s psyche, it also initiates a sea change of hope and possibilities. One such brainchild is the formation of the Oysterville Sewing Circle. Evoking the power of women coming together to support, promote and habilitate, and to simply “be present” for one another, to listen and to be heard.
"We believe you. We believe in you.”
Susan Wiggs offers up storytelling at its finest. Rich, warm, and inviting, Wiggs effortlessly pulls you into her vitally alive world populated with family, forever friends, and small-town life — complete with rivalries, romances, and regrets.
"This is how it starts. We settle. We make compromises. We let them whittle away, bit by bit, and don’t really notice, or we rationalize it away. We tell ourselves it’s for the greater good.”
The author has a remarkable way of presenting cataclysmic events that penetrate her character's spirit to enable a transformative awakening. This story unfolds through life's adversities and accomplishments of designer extraordinaire Caroline Shelby. As the despair and pain get a tenacious hold into Caroline’s psyche, it also initiates a sea change of hope and possibilities. One such brainchild is the formation of the Oysterville Sewing Circle. Evoking the power of women coming together to support, promote and habilitate, and to simply “be present” for one another, to listen and to be heard.
"We believe you. We believe in you.”
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
emotional
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:
Complicated