The Lace Reader: A Novel

This story was intense from the get go. The setting in Salem is absolutely perfect. The twists and turns and deep connections of characters makes it come alive. The idea of lace reading is so intriguing.

Once you get past the uniqueness of lace making, the Salem Witch theme and strange family of the heroine, it’s really just a drama romance novel. If you like witches, tarot cards and fortune telling this may appeal more to you.

This had all the making of a really good book except it lacks appropriate editing!!! I read 4/5th of it and did not finish it.....To have read so much and hung on so long is a testament to the fact that the story did grab the reader but ultimately, way, way, way, way, way too drawn out!!! I am am very tired of buying books billed as BestSellers, only to find they are just not very good! Do not waste your money on this one....Don't know what happened to Lindsey and dont care!!!!

ne thing is for sure. I will read this book again tonight. I didn't expect to love this book. I do. I didn't expect to believe Towner whole heartily. I did. I didn't expect to be so surprised by what unfolds. I was. I had no idea what kind of book The Lace Reader was when I agreed to attend a book club this month. I actually thought it would be about something that happened so long ago as I think of my grandmother when I think of lace. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you have seen a lace doily? However, I was wrong. Dead wrong. I couldn't be more thankful for the invitation that brought this book to me. The Lace Reader is one that changes just when you think you have everything figured out. Again and again. I never once thought what the ending actually was. I have to say, that I am never a huge fan of a book that does not describe what the main characters look like so that I can picture them throughout the book. However, Barry described the thoughts so convincingly of the characters, that I painted my own picture of them, and only wondered twice if what I was picturing would be what Barry would find acceptable for the characters she created. The relationship between Towner and Lyndley is a unique one. Towner always thinks she isn't ever as good as Lyndley. She can't compete with her beauty and strength. In fact, Towner has a mental problem that has led her to shock treatments and thus memory loss. Her mental health has created a strain between her and several other family members and local townsfolk. There is a mix between strong, independent women and weak, deflated ones. I love how they intertwine. What is Towner's true relationship with the men in her life, her mother, her father, sister, and aunt? What is she truly like and what really happens in the life of Towner Whitney? You will be pleasantly surprised to find out how Berry takes our heart and has it travel with Towner then Rafferty and back to Towner through the streets of Salem, Massachusetts. The only problem? I wanted a solid conclusion for Towner and Rafferty. However, what ever does happen and what characters I believe is such an intriguing part of why I love this book. You are left with a glimmer of hope for Towner and that satisfies me. I can't stop thinking about The Lace Reader!! I give this a solid 4.5 out of 5 STACKS. It's an ADULT MUST READ!

Brunonia Barry's The Lace Reader takes place in Salem, Mass., with a still point and a spiral of events that take place during Sophya "Towner" Whitney's journey from childhood to adulthood and inside her mind. Readers know from the beginning that Towner lies and is an unreliable narrator. The death of her sister weighs heavily on Towner's mind, sends her to a mental hospital, and forces her to move to the Pacific coast. She only returns to Salem when she learns her Aunt Eva is missing. Barry weaves a psychological mystery for readers, leading them into the dark alleyways of Towner's memories, seeking the truth about her past and her family. Who is her mother? What happened to her sister? Where is her father? And why in a family of lace readers is she the one that has shunned the practice? May, Towner's mother, refuses to leave her island in Salem Harbor, even for funerals, but she helps abused women and those in need, helping them learn how to make Ipswich lace. Aunt Emma lives on the island, but remains detached from reality following her abusive relationship with Cal Boynton. Barry's characters are human in their frailties, passions, and reactions to traumatizing events. Parts of The Lace Reader: A Novel are narrated by Rafferty, the police officer in town, and parts of the novel are narrated by May, Towner's mother, which can cause readers to pause. However, readers will love the how the tunnels beneath Salem resemble the crevices of Towner's mind, and when each page turns, readers and Towner will emerge from the darkness into the light of the bay.

Wonderful debut novel. I love the New England setting; the author's style of writing made me feel like I was there. I don't feel that way with every novel I read, and I really enjoy it when I do. I can definitely relate to the lace-making and textile creativity of the women in the novel. My grandmothers were both very talented and creative in that respect, and some of us have continued that craft. The story has a great pace - neither rushed nor draggy. If you like novels with strong, interesting women, you would enjoy this one. I am looking forward to Ms Barry's next novel - More Please!

This book is a wonderful and poignant book with many twists and turns along the way. It's hard to believe that this book is a debut! This has to be one of the hardest book reviews I've ever written. I feel there are just too many secrets to reveal! Living a very short way from Salem Massachusetts, this book really gives you the essence of this historical place. A beautifully written book and a page turner through and through, I never wanted to end. When it did, I went back to the beginning and started again. It really shocked me and I loved it! This book will always have a place on my bookshelf. Thank you so much Vine Voice!

In the town of Salem, Massachusetts, innocent women needing to be controlled were once accused of witchcraft. Now Salem plays host to a group of women who openly parade around as witches and a whole tourist industry reenacts the past in broad daylight. A new religious group calling themselves the Calvinists goes about admonishing and threatening witches and unusual or strong women. Towner's great aunt is a lace reader, a woman who can read the future in lace. Her home and the lace reader group become a sanctuary for women escaping their abusive husbands. Together this circle of women find support and strength. Towner comes back to town after her aunt Eva goes missing, embarking on a journey that puts her past and present life into perspective. She meets Rafferty, the detective intent on solving the case. Together, their perspectives create an aura of mystery to the events of both the past and present. Towner narrates the history of Salem, Salem's current life, her own personal history and her present in a unique pattern as finely interwoven as lace. Each chapter is prefaced by a quote from the Lace Reader's Guide written by Eva describing the art, history and technique of lace reading and the Ipswich lace makers. Towner's life is like the lace with fine threads all interwoven yet converging. The reader follows all the strands in her life, not as a straight direct kind of plot, but as different memories, some reliable and others imagined, all forming the uniqueness of a piece of art---the life of human being. Brunonia Barry's narrative presents a portrait of Towner not as an isolated separate individual but a person with whom other lives converge. Yellow Dog Island's circle of women reinforces this theme on the interconnectedness of individuals. This novel was incredible. Brunonia Berry does deal with some hard issues like spousal abuse so if you are looking for a light, happy easy read, this is not a good choice. That warning being said, this novel was awesome! THE LACE READER inspires readers to follow with the imagination and go it where it leads. By the end, all the narrative threads and images add up to something spectacular and rich as past and present and landscape, history and the personal all combine. THE LACE READER is a novel built in layers and nuances like a person's life or like the memories in the mind or like the depths of psychology. THE LACE READER has some surprising and poetic twists towards the end. There is no guaranteed happy easily resolved ending --- but the ending has it's own kind of satisfying richness that combines deep emotion, sadness, even trauma into a new beginning and a new sense of freedom. Beautifully poetic!