The Lace Makers of Glenmara

This book was quite good, an easy summer read and it explored almost every female relationship you can have in a 'sewing circle'. It's definitely, a book for women.

I've been to Ireland a couple of times and after reading The Lace Makers of Glenmara I really want to go again. I so enjoyed my time spent reading this book. Heather Barbieri wrote an engaging story about people dealing with loss and trying to go on with their lives. Kate, a young American woman of Irish descent, has travelled from Seattle to Ireland. One day she misses her bus and winds up walking. She takes a ride from a kind stranger who drops her at the road leading to Glenmara. She meets some friendly people in the village who invite her to stay and learn how to make lace. From that point on the world becomes a bit larger for the ladies who dare to try something new and Kate finds a place where people won't leave her. Kate stays with Bernie, a 50-something widow whose husband died a year earlier. Over a cup of tea one evening Kate says to Bernie: "I was just thinking how funny life is. Seems like the more you want something, the more it eludes you. Then, when you least expect it, there it is." This is a theme of the story. I liked seeing both small and big changes happen in the characters' lives - changes that some didn't even know they wanted. A lovely book has found a home on my "keeper shelf" and I've added another title to my 2009 favorites list. I recommend The Lace Makers of Glenmara to fans of Women's Fiction and anyone who enjoys an enchanting novel.

The Lace Makers of Glenmara literally took my breath away. If I had to compare, I would say the last such books I read that affected me in this way were The Friday Night Knitting Club and Knit Two (which I also reviewed for Mother-Talk). All three books center on the power of friendship - how much our female friendships can define us - and how they can help you survive and even grow at the very times when you literally cannot go it alone anymore. You know, during these lazy days of summer, you will find a lot of talk about "perfect summer beach reads" and while I hesitate to throw such a quality book into such a catchall category, The Lace Makers of Glenmara could do worse than be categorized as such. That being said, this book is so much more than an easy "beach" read though. Barbieri has crafted a fine tale about loss, friendship, family and the rediscovery of one's own self. This book will move you, make you weep (there is a death in the book I absolutely did not expect), and give you hope. One caveat - this book is very hard to put down so do try and pick it up when you have a few hours to spend with it or you will find yourself going without sleep the way I did! Needless to say, I highly recommend The Lace Makers of Glenmara for summer beach reading and beyond. (Full disclosure - I received this book to review from Mother-Talk)

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri. I thought the book sounded good, but 10 pages in I was not only assured that it was a good read, but it was one of those books that was sure to sit endlessly on my counter with a broken spine waiting to be read as I cooked, cleaned, or steal a few quiet minutes of "me" time. The book is a well balanced mix of heartbreak, humour, condor, joy, bitterness, and hope that immerses you in poignant story of life, loss, and rebirth. Kate Robinson is a 26 year old fashion designer who is struggling to deal with the loss of her mother and the heartbreak of being betrayed by the love of her life. She flees to Ireland on a trip she was meant to take with her mother. By happy chance, and a ride in a colourful wagon with a kind spirit, she finds herself in the small village of Glenmara. It is there that she finds love, inspiration, purpose, friendship....a place to lay roots and bloom. The lacemaking society - Bernie, Aileen, Moira, Oona, Colleen - their friendship becomes her source of strength and self reckoning and in turn it changes each woman's life. There is no epiphany, rather it is the gradual and constant change that realizing you don't have to be perfect to be loved, you simply have to be. The women of the lacemaking society each have their own story to tell. Bernie -quietly wrestling with the loss of her husband she has sought a place of refuge and purpose, Aileen - struggling to hold on to her husband and daughter while battling with her own issues of self acceptance, Moira - the soft, gentle, and compassionate woman who loves despite the abuse she denies, Oona - as a survivor of breast cancer she struggles with her femininity, her marriage, and her role as a whole wife, and Colleen - waiting for the return of her husband from the sea she is sure has claimed his life. Throw in a blood thirsty priest, a handsome man who suffers his own pain, and a village who rally around the women when they need it most and you have what is sure to be one of the best reads on your shelf. What struck me about this book was not only the captivating story line....but the way in which Barbieri weaves the tale. A master at her art, it is the beautiful way in which she communicates that make the story so compelling...I have to share one of my favourite paragraphs from the book, one of the last. "You'll take up the same old needle and thread and see that they're magic, or could be - if only you let them, if you try --that the women, who gossip like sparrows and bite like midges and laugh so hard they cry, will teach you something new and you will teach them too, and it won't be all bitterness, not all, no, and the man walking up the road to see you is someone you could spend time with, make a life with, if you take a chance." If you are looking for a great beach book or just a keeper to add to your collection this book will not disappoint you.

I received the book, The Lace Makers of Glenmara, as part of a blog tour and saved it to enjoy while on summer vacation. I couldn't wait to read it because it sounded like a perfect summer read and I was not disappointed in the least. The story is set in Ireland, the place where Kate flees to hoping to escape from her old life, reinventing herself in her ancestral homeland. As she travels across the land she ends up in the seaside village of Glenmara where she meets the women of a local lace-making society. The lace makers are a diverse group from Bernie the lonely widow, Aileen with her low self-esteem and identity crisis, Moira an abused housewife, Oona a breast cancer survivor, and Colleen a fisherman's wife and leader of the group. The lace makers are finding that their craft is becoming obsolete as people are not purchasing the items they are designing anymore. Kate soon joins the group and finding inspiration through the women convinces them to use their lace making skills to create exquisit lingerie. They then use their talent to create lingerie with beautiful flowers, fish, fairies, and even skulls and bones. Of course while they are busy creating their beautiful handiwork, friendships are evolving. The lacemakers are faced with many challenges including a priest who thinks their work is evil, broken relationships between spouses and children, sickness, and even death. However, with the strength they receive from each other, they each face their long-denied desires and fears and overcome them together. Of course the bad is also countered with the good as new love unfolds, relationships are mended, and new friendships grow. Once I started the book I couldn't put it down. I was intrigued by each of the women and their story. They each added something unique to the group and the way Ms. Barbieri weaved the characters lives together was beautifully done. I often felt that I was sitting in the countryside peeking into the windows of their lives. The story flowed with ease and was filled with emotion as I related to what the women must be feeling individually and towards each other. May every woman be blessed to be in a circle of friends like The Lace Makers of Glenmara.