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A review by thelibraryofklee
One Illumined Thread by Sally Colin-James
5.0
"… we were led to believe that we were not worthy of ourselves.
We couldn’t love ourselves.
So we felt alone."
A beautiful, enthralling and powerful story of three women separated by centuries, yet connected by a thread of longing and a singular creative spirit. In Judea, a woman yearns for a child but is outcast when she does not fall pregnant. Against all convention, she masters the art of glassblowing, a creative act that gives her an outlet for her dreams and aspirations. In Renaissance Florence, a young wife enamoured with art and finding a lost Aunt, is left penniless by her hopelessly unfaithful artist husband. And in contemporary Australia, a talented textile conservator, devastated by the most unthinkable of losses, is desperate to regain control of her life. Each woman wants something that seems unattainable, and it will take all their courage, creativity and determination to achieve it.
Sweeping two thousand years, this novel stole my wee feminist heart. I loved all three women, told across three timelines, whose narratives were linked by a thread, but a beautiful thread full of hope and determination. The age old problems of the patriarchy are every present, and this novel is full of so much feeling about the power of motherhood and the power of creative outlets. I cried on numerous occasions and there is a decent twist that made me gasp. Perfectly timed, the plot is entrancing, while the lyrical prose is delicious. Honestly I highly recommend you get this in your hands.
"A woman creating a thing of her choosing."
We couldn’t love ourselves.
So we felt alone."
A beautiful, enthralling and powerful story of three women separated by centuries, yet connected by a thread of longing and a singular creative spirit. In Judea, a woman yearns for a child but is outcast when she does not fall pregnant. Against all convention, she masters the art of glassblowing, a creative act that gives her an outlet for her dreams and aspirations. In Renaissance Florence, a young wife enamoured with art and finding a lost Aunt, is left penniless by her hopelessly unfaithful artist husband. And in contemporary Australia, a talented textile conservator, devastated by the most unthinkable of losses, is desperate to regain control of her life. Each woman wants something that seems unattainable, and it will take all their courage, creativity and determination to achieve it.
Sweeping two thousand years, this novel stole my wee feminist heart. I loved all three women, told across three timelines, whose narratives were linked by a thread, but a beautiful thread full of hope and determination. The age old problems of the patriarchy are every present, and this novel is full of so much feeling about the power of motherhood and the power of creative outlets. I cried on numerous occasions and there is a decent twist that made me gasp. Perfectly timed, the plot is entrancing, while the lyrical prose is delicious. Honestly I highly recommend you get this in your hands.
"A woman creating a thing of her choosing."