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A review by ladyk23
The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
5.0
I met the author of this book a few years ago. We had done the same writing course and were attending a convention that ran alongside it. She talked then about the book which had just been published at the time. Always wanting to support fellow writers, and also wanting to support a fellow writer on the same course as I, this book was always in the back of my mind as one I must read at some point. I didn’t know much about the plot, but I wanted to read it to be supportive of Natalie.
Anyway, fast forward a few years. I had never quite gotten around to purchasing The Sewing Machine, and it came up on an Audible sale. Well, no excuse I thought, and made the purchase.
I’ve been listening to/reading a lot of serial killer books recently, Manhunt - about Millie Dowler’s killer Levi Bellfield, Killing for Company about Dennis Nilsen, and Serial Killers which is a history of loads of different murderers. I’m a fan of true crime and the My Favorite Murder podcast so this isn’t unusual for me, but maybe a bit unusual to read so many back to back, but they just happened to be what I had in my recent Audible library. Anyway, when I came to the end of this run, I really wanted to read something lighter, and completely different. I looked down my list and thought right, it’s about time for you and me Sewing Machine.
I had no idea that I would fall so in love with this amazing book. Or that I’d be so very envious of Natalie’s writing ability. Her characters are so perfectly sculpted, each with their own secrets, and traits, you can’t help but feel for them all, and wish that they were people you knew for real. And I’m not just talking the main characters, I’m talking Eva from the corner shop, Fred’s neighbour and her little boys, Donald’s cousin. People who appear only a couple of times in the story but they feel so real.
The interwoven threads of story keep you completely gripped, and even though I had pretty much guessed the ending before it came, I was so happy that it ended how it did that I wasn’t even mad about that. This book has had me sobbing pretty much all the way though, in a way that only great storytelling can. As I inched closer and closer to the end I didn’t want it to be over. I wanted to stay in these peoples lives and company forever.
This is a story that spans over 100 years, several generations of several families, and yet it feels just as relevant as anything else you could pick up, by showing the kindness (and cruelty too) of humans. This book is a masterpiece, and Natalie, if you’re reading this, I can’t wait to see what else you’ve written or are you’re working on.
Everyone stop what you’re doing and read The Sewing Machine. Right now.
Anyway, fast forward a few years. I had never quite gotten around to purchasing The Sewing Machine, and it came up on an Audible sale. Well, no excuse I thought, and made the purchase.
I’ve been listening to/reading a lot of serial killer books recently, Manhunt - about Millie Dowler’s killer Levi Bellfield, Killing for Company about Dennis Nilsen, and Serial Killers which is a history of loads of different murderers. I’m a fan of true crime and the My Favorite Murder podcast so this isn’t unusual for me, but maybe a bit unusual to read so many back to back, but they just happened to be what I had in my recent Audible library. Anyway, when I came to the end of this run, I really wanted to read something lighter, and completely different. I looked down my list and thought right, it’s about time for you and me Sewing Machine.
I had no idea that I would fall so in love with this amazing book. Or that I’d be so very envious of Natalie’s writing ability. Her characters are so perfectly sculpted, each with their own secrets, and traits, you can’t help but feel for them all, and wish that they were people you knew for real. And I’m not just talking the main characters, I’m talking Eva from the corner shop, Fred’s neighbour and her little boys, Donald’s cousin. People who appear only a couple of times in the story but they feel so real.
The interwoven threads of story keep you completely gripped, and even though I had pretty much guessed the ending before it came, I was so happy that it ended how it did that I wasn’t even mad about that. This book has had me sobbing pretty much all the way though, in a way that only great storytelling can. As I inched closer and closer to the end I didn’t want it to be over. I wanted to stay in these peoples lives and company forever.
This is a story that spans over 100 years, several generations of several families, and yet it feels just as relevant as anything else you could pick up, by showing the kindness (and cruelty too) of humans. This book is a masterpiece, and Natalie, if you’re reading this, I can’t wait to see what else you’ve written or are you’re working on.
Everyone stop what you’re doing and read The Sewing Machine. Right now.