A Purple Thread for Sky: A Novel of Interwined Lives

Throw $25,000 in marketing money at this and you'd have a bestseller - it's a great book for all the right reasons.

Carol Bruneau's debut novel, "A Purple Thread for Sky," is a cathedral of fiction at its finest. Having thoroughly enjoyed her previous two short story collections, it was a delight to be able to remain with her characters for a longer span of time. "Sky" is a novel that seamlessly weaves the lives of three women and three generations, using strong prose and dialogue that was so pure, so sharp, I did laugh out loud. Bruneau's insight into the essence of the female condition is blinding in both clarity and compassion. She does not waver from the truth, she does not dance around the margins. Having said that, I feel one of her greatest strenghts as a writer is her view of the human condition. Make no mistake, this is not a book just for women. No, this is a novel for anyone who loves a good story. This is a novel for people who love to laugh and are not afraid to weep. This is best fiction, the kind not easily forgotten, the kind that reminds us of our frailty and the wonder of our survival. It's a deeply spiritual book and an invitation to celebrate life and language. Do read it. Do.

This novel expresses simplistic eccentricities of three generations of women who live by their own light, woven into a wide reaching, hearty read.With Ruby, Bruneau poignantly captures and richly explores the depths of Alzheimer's and its power to alter, influence and shatter lives. Very Authentic!!She depicts Lindys character as both strong and vulnerable, someone who hungered for love but would not risk reaching out to Wilf for it.The author accurately re-creates the texture of small town life and brings back lost memories of years gone by, breathing life and existence into the souls buried in long forgotten graves.With "A Purple Thread for Sky", Bruneau has found her place among today's great storytellers. I anticipate her next novel (perhaps a sequel)

This book is a delightful read. Ms. Bruneau's crisp, first person prose creates an intimacy with the reader as each narrator in turn reveals a secret life carefully hidden from other characters. You feel their burdens and dilemmas as you might a friend who confides in you. You care about these characters. Each yearns for freedom from laboring at life's relationships, chores and endless duty, yet each confronts different obstacles that will likely make you cry.The author explores concepts of individual, internal time with great skill. Lindy craves a move forward into a future of her own design, even though she's not young herself: it's not too late for her tenacious spirit. Ruby, whose dementia we observe growing, travels backwards in time in a fierce effort to keep her secrets locked in. Her journey to mental oblivion--the road we hope never to encounter--is plenty terrifying. The journal-writer, Euphemia, rushed through childhood by family circumstances, shows in her journal that imagination will buy you moments of freedom. Her list of wishes for her next life belongs on every woman's refrigerator! But that's the message in this rich novel--there can be a "next" life in this life if you can find your way to it; it's just very, very hard.This is a timely book, as society struggles with mental illness and bettering women's lives. My copy will rest among my favorites.