A Single Thread

Marie Bostwick's novel got me reading fiction again, after a hiatus of several months. For this I am grateful. In fact, if I had the kind of job where I could afford to stay up past midnight reading, I would have done it. But since I work with kids, well, impossible to read late and keep my focus. What I enjoyed, though, was reading the book every morning over coffee and my breakfast. I won't go into the details of character and plot; several other reviewers have done that quite thoroughly. I enjoyed the characters immensely, especially their distinct voices; giving each character a separate voice is not an easy thing to achieve. Mary Dell is a hoot, and Abigail's background story and evolution were such fun to discover. I read the book at a time when I needed a much-deserved spirit lift. Middle-Age Confidential: My Life as a Date (This Could be a True Story)

A wonderful story of friendship, bonding and how life's upsets can be blessings in disguise. Great characters. I especially loved Abigail. The author had a good sense of place and throughout the story I felt like I was right there in the quilt shop with the women. I'm not a quilter, but wish I had more hours in my day so I could pursue this wonderful craft.

A Single Thread is a beautiful book. I think it will speak to so many women - women married and divorced, women who have achieved dreams and women who have packed dreams away, women who have been left by men, and women who have had to start all over at one point, or many points, in their lives. Evelyn's a great character, finely drawn, and Abigail is so real I can see her and hear her clearly in my head. So much of what Abigail and Evelyn say rings so true, so authentic, I almost had to laugh. It's difficult to write with different voices and to make the characters sound different from each other, but Marie Bostwick has done a super job with it. Don't be scared away by some of the real life problems these ladies encounter, it's handled well and you'll keep wanting to read...

I just finished this book this morning, but would have finished it last night if I didn't have to get up this morning to send the kids to school. It's been awhile since I've gotten a book where it just kept my interest from the first page to the last. I am glad to report that this book, Bostwick's first contemporary book, fits the bill. Bostwick is more known for her historical fiction and now, she has jumped into a contemporary arena and I am excited. This book is just absolutely wonderful. It has in-depth looks of two main characters, who are so different from one another as far as one can see. There is Evelyn, a woman whose husband divorced her after 30 years of marriage. She leaves Texas to live in a small New England village to open up a quilting shop. Then there is Abigail, a wealthy woman who keep people at a distance, not daring to let anyone get too close to her. They began the most unlikely of friendships along with Abigail's niece, Liza, and another woman, Margot, who has been let go of her job in NYC and moved to New Bern, Connecticut. When Evelyn finds out that she has breast cancer, her entire world seems to have fallen apart especially since she hasn't been in New Bern for very long. The other women are drawn in to help her throughout the entire time Evelyn was fighting cancer and together, they discover truths about themselves that they didn't even realize that they were harboring. The events brought them all closer together in such a positive way, that it makes the reader long for cozy friendships like these women have, through thick and thin. It is about four women staying close to one another and while the cancer subject can be heart-wrenching, it is an easy read, very cozy and very comforting. It is almost impossible to write about a subject matter without getting too maudlin about it, but Bostwick did a great job of doing so. They first got together to make blocks for a quilting auction. Evelyn was going to send the finished quilt off to Koman's Foundation and the four women became fast friends. Evelyn and Abigail had to do some soul-searching before the end of the book, but the other two women's stories are just as relevant. I am hoping to read more of Margot and Liza in the future. Quilting is an art and it is not an exact art. If you like quilting or like to read about quilters, this book is PERFECT for you. If you know of someone who is going through cancer or if you are, this book may be the one for you. She touches the subject gently and with respect as well as delving into emotions that Evelyn faced, but at the same time, she isn't melodramatic and sentimental. It is just a lovely book and a lovely tribute to women who have suffered cancer. It is a frightening disease and Bostwick tackles that subject with grace and gentle humor. I am so looking forward to her next book which should be out in 2009 and if I read the excerpt right, it'll be about a domestic violence survivor. The quilting theme will still be there

Evelyn Dixon's life was forever altered the day her husband of almost thirty years announced that he wanted a divorce. With the knowledge that she has to go on with life, she decides to take a road trip and winds up in the cozy little town of New Bern, Connecticut. There she finds the perfect place to make her dreams a reality - only it's not as easy as she'd hoped and life has a few additional curveballs heading in her direction. For Evelyn opening a quilt shop is a dream come true but there's a lot of work involved and the building she's renting has some issues that put her way behind her intended `grand opening day'. Once she finally opens her good friend Charlie recommends she envision exactly what she wants her shop to be and set about making it a reality. One way she can think of to draw attention to her shop is by participating in the Quilt Pink Event. Women would come in to the shop and quilt a block for a quilt that will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to breast-cancer research. Women quickly began signing up and sharing their own stories - all while advising Evelyn to go in for a check-up. She follows their advice and the day before the big event at her shop Evelyn receives the news that she has breast cancer. She never dreamed that such devastating news could result in her forming friendships that will carry her through her treatments and beyond. Abigail Burgess, her niece Liza, and Margot Matthews all have very different reasons for attending the event at Evelyn's quilt shop but once they learn of her predicament the women gather around her and ensure that she has the support she needs to get her through her ordeal. Through their unique friendship formed out of necessity they discover that there's nothing wrong with sharing their burdens. I'm not a quilter but I have to tell you after reading Marie Bostwick's A SINGLE THREAD I'm definitely considering trying my hand at it. The way she takes such an age-old past time and makes it the glue that holds these women together is simply astounding. This story `speaks' to readers on so many different levels and brings these characters into your heart so that you don't want their story to ever end. Evelyn, Abigail, Liza and Margot are characters you can laugh and cry with and I did several times during the course of this story. One of my favorite characters, Mary Dell, we only get to meet sporadically. She's that eternally optimistic `kick in the pants' friend who comes in and doles out the dose of reality just when it's needed but does it with such humor and heart that leaves you smiling through the tears. I think I'll have to revert to a quote from Ms. Bostwick's book to truly sum this story up though - "The need for friendship is the single thread that we all have running through us." Through life, loves, friendships and heartaches true friends will always be by your side...and these are exactly the sort of friends I want in my life. Ms. Bostwick will be rel