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samstillreading 's review for:
A Single Thread
by Tracy Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier’s books always start out as a quiet read for me but grow into something memorable. I shouldn’t really be surprised by that by now, but I am amazed at her ability to take a small, domestic setting and create a world much greater than the sum of its parts. This time the story is about the ‘surplus women’ who remain unwed after the conclusion of the first world war. Society isn’t quite sure what to do with them and they really aren’t too sure what to do with themselves.
Violet Speedwell is one of these women. She lost a brother and a fiancé to the war. Since then, she’s had the odd ‘sherry men’ (so named because she sits in a bar drinking sherry until she meets someone for a brief dalliance) but by day she blends into the background. So when she is offered the chance to move her work as a typist for an insurance company to a nearby town, she jumps at the opportunity to leave home and her mother’s abrasive tones. Violet has much more freedom in Winchester, but at the expense of food and spare money. She wanders into Winchester Cathedral one day and comes across the group of broderers, who are stitching cushions and other items for the church. Violet feels a need to make her mark in the world too, so joins them. There, she makes friends and meets more people. As Violet’s embroidery skills improve, she grows as a person, taking more risks and becoming stronger. Her life becomes full of colour as she is exposed to more about the world and makes her own choices.
What I really enjoyed about A Single Thread is Violet’s growth – like her name, she comes into bloom as the story progresses. At first, Violet is very timid with only the rarest demonstration of rebellion. As she becomes more comfortable with who she is, she strikes out in new directions, sticking up for her colleague and (gasp!) offering business ideas to her boss who is openly shocked. She also falls in love, with someone who will never be ‘hers’ and Violet must make the decision to take what she can get, forget it or compromise. It’s interesting to read the choices she makes, and as she wavers, she becomes more human to the reader. Initially, Violet is very upright but like her stitching, opens her eyes to the variety of shades and colours around her. The finale is somewhat unexpected, but fits in with Violet’s growth as the second world war looms.
As always, Tracy Chevalier shines a light on somewhat forgotten pieces of history in her novels. This time it is the Winchester broderers, who are real (including Louisa Pesel). The story of the embroidery is very detailed. There are also some very detailed sections on the art of bellringing and the bellringers of the cathedral. It’s interesting that these are all roles in the cathedral, but the story itself has very little to do with religion. It was also refreshing to read a book set in the 1930s without a heavy emphasis on the Depression. The story is one that is very readable and even though it isn’t about the ‘big’ questions, it really grew on me.
Thank you to Harper Collins for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Violet Speedwell is one of these women. She lost a brother and a fiancé to the war. Since then, she’s had the odd ‘sherry men’ (so named because she sits in a bar drinking sherry until she meets someone for a brief dalliance) but by day she blends into the background. So when she is offered the chance to move her work as a typist for an insurance company to a nearby town, she jumps at the opportunity to leave home and her mother’s abrasive tones. Violet has much more freedom in Winchester, but at the expense of food and spare money. She wanders into Winchester Cathedral one day and comes across the group of broderers, who are stitching cushions and other items for the church. Violet feels a need to make her mark in the world too, so joins them. There, she makes friends and meets more people. As Violet’s embroidery skills improve, she grows as a person, taking more risks and becoming stronger. Her life becomes full of colour as she is exposed to more about the world and makes her own choices.
What I really enjoyed about A Single Thread is Violet’s growth – like her name, she comes into bloom as the story progresses. At first, Violet is very timid with only the rarest demonstration of rebellion. As she becomes more comfortable with who she is, she strikes out in new directions, sticking up for her colleague and (gasp!) offering business ideas to her boss who is openly shocked. She also falls in love, with someone who will never be ‘hers’ and Violet must make the decision to take what she can get, forget it or compromise. It’s interesting to read the choices she makes, and as she wavers, she becomes more human to the reader. Initially, Violet is very upright but like her stitching, opens her eyes to the variety of shades and colours around her. The finale is somewhat unexpected, but fits in with Violet’s growth as the second world war looms.
As always, Tracy Chevalier shines a light on somewhat forgotten pieces of history in her novels. This time it is the Winchester broderers, who are real (including Louisa Pesel). The story of the embroidery is very detailed. There are also some very detailed sections on the art of bellringing and the bellringers of the cathedral. It’s interesting that these are all roles in the cathedral, but the story itself has very little to do with religion. It was also refreshing to read a book set in the 1930s without a heavy emphasis on the Depression. The story is one that is very readable and even though it isn’t about the ‘big’ questions, it really grew on me.
Thank you to Harper Collins for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com