The Stitches of Life: "The Wishing Thread" by Lisa Van Allen

In February & March I spent three concurrent weeks in Helena, MT for training for my new job.  To say it was difficult is an understatement.  I learned a lot of new information and was exhausted at the end of every day and pretty much lived the hermit life in my hotel room.  However, one of the afternoons I ventured to a local used book store in the historical district of Helena.  It was a bit higher priced than I'm used to, but I still found a couple of fantastic books to add to my collection.  The first book was "The Wishing Thread" by Lisa Van Allen.  The plot intrigued me, and at the time, I was ready for a book that mixed magic with happy.  I learned while reading this book that sometimes the way our lives are stitched together is completely out of our control....hello, most of the time. Who are we kidding here?

The book takes place in Tarrytown, New York.  The main characters are the Van Ripper sisters named Bitty, Audrey and Meggie.  They have been blessed with the ability to weave magic spells into pieces of clothing they knit.  The magic has been present for generations and the book opens with the matriarch Aunt Mariah passing away.  Aunt Mariah has been the keeper of the magic knitting needles and the family's yarn store called The Stichery, all while raising her nieces.  Aubrey is the only sister who has remained in Tarrytown as an adult as well as kept with the tradition of magic and knitting. The other two sisters reluctantly find their way back to Tarrytown to pay their last respects to Aunt Mariah and the crazy begins.  We soon find out that these sisters are all very different from each other and they kind of resent their heritage and magical powers.

One of the things I really loved about this book, was the rebuilding of friendships among the sisters. Bitty has come to visit with her children and neglects to tell her sisters that she's also left her husband and their stay is a to-be-determined gig.  She's emotional and tired and trying to navigate her next steps in life while her daughter is starting to catch on that magic lives in this family.  She slowly opens up to Aubrey about her marital problems and eventually decides that it's in her family's best interest for her to stay in Tarrytown.  Meggie is all over the place and knows she should stay with her sisters to help settle the estate, but doesn't want to face her past either.  She reconnects with one of her friends from childhood and together they rekindle their friendship and mend their own broken pieces.

The second thing I liked about this book was it's beachy-read, happy nature.  Sometimes I just need to be able to get lost in a book and this definitely fits the bill.  I enjoyed knowing that when I picked up this book that it wouldn't leave me feeling down or drained emotionally.  While I was reading this book, I was still in a lot of transition in my personal life with changes continuing to be thrown at me from all directions.  This book was a nice escape from the adulting that forced me to have all the feels when I was just too tired to deal.

The end of this book was really sweet and had an ending that added to the pleasantries of reading it. It wasn't Hallmark-movie-cheesy, but it definitely warmed my heart and reminded me that there is always a bit of magic in our own lives, if we will look for it.  The plot of this book takes the reader through an interesting conflict and ultimately, the town comes together with the sisters to stand up for this magical place that has blessed so many lives.  I definitely think that can apply to real life  Sometimes, we just need to know that we have those people in our community and family who will stand behind us even when we might be a little bit different and/or crazy.

My recommended reading group would be age 12 and above.  It really is a great PG read that would appeal to multiple audiences because of the magic, family unity and knitting.

The moral of the story: Life has a way of changing courses and knitting new plot lines for us. It's our job to make the best of it and turn to those who know us best and will always be there when we need them.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!



Other Books by Lisa Van Allen

Embracing the Unexpected: "A Week in Winter" by Maeve Binchy

A few months ago I discovered the fantastic writing of Maeve Binchy.  At the time I had no idea that she was a well-known and beloved author, but I quickly figured it out as I read her first book, "Light a Penny Candle." After I finished that book, I went on an Amazon Wish List spree to find more of her books that I would enjoy reading.  One of those books was "A Week in Winter." As I expected, the plot line was completely different than "Light a Penny Candle," but it was still a very enjoyable book to read. It's also safe to say that the book had some unexpected elements that I definitely had to embrace, but that was also the whole point of the book.

"A Week in Winter" was the last book that Maeve Binchy wrote before she passed away.  The book was written for and dedicated to her husband, Gordon.  She wanted to share a book about love and the bond that it has between family, friends and sometimes complete strangers.

The main characters in the book are Chicky Starr, Rigger and Orla.  Together they take on the task of refurbishing an old Inn called Stone House on the coast of Ireland.  Stone House has rich history that Chicky doesn't want to be lost and the choice to move back to her home village is something she feels is necessary.  She also feels that preserving Stone House will be a liberating opportunity for her and to show her family she can make more of her life without them.  Together Chicky, Rigger and Orla decide that they will open Stone House for a week at a time during the winter when tourists may not generally come; thus providing a quiet retreat for people in need.

In previous blog posts, I've mentioned my favorite writing style is alternating point-of-view (POV) and I didn't realize this book was written in that style. In addition to this fact, I didn't realize that each chapter was describing the lives of each of the people who would be visiting Stone House for its inaugural event.  I have to confess this was confusing to me and my brain automatically expected at some point a dominant main character's POV would be presented again and the people's individual stories would tie back to the main character.  That was not the case and it was disappointing for me.  I can't remotely say the writing was poor because, hello, it's Maeve Binchy, but for me it was different because of preconceived expectations.  In a way, the book flowed more like a collection of short stories rather than a full-length novel.  The reader will definitely be able to connect the dots on how they will all interact at Stone House, but it's something that the author didn't really connect on paper for the ending.

On a positive note, the stories of the people who were coming to visit Stone House were all so amazing.  In true Maeve Binchy style she created characters with so much depth, pain and joy.  This was one thing that I really enjoyed about "Light a Penny Candle" because I could literally feel the emotion of her characters and it kept me reading, even when the plot was heavy.  That is a true art form in my opinion and the author definitely portrayed this exceptional quality in this book.  Each of the characters had a common struggle which was the unexpected events and paths of life. Can't we all relate to this sentiment? I know I can.  Each of the characters coming to visit Stone House had felt great failure in some form and made the decision to get away and figure it all out. They each embraced the unexpected in their own way and ended up together in this beautiful place where their similarities were shared more than their differences.  I loved this aspect and found myself dreaming about a life in which I could pack up for a week and retreat to a bed and breakfast by the sea with people who understood what failure and heartache felt like.  Hello, stress floating away.

Overall, I thought this book was a positive read with great writing and incredible characters. I don't know that I would choose to read it again, but only because the style wasn't my favorite. I think we can all agree that reading books about those who have overcome hardship can be very inspiring and motivating to continue our own good fight.

My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above.  It's a PG-13 read with adult relationship themes that might not be understood by readers under the age of 16. Nothing real crazy with sex or alcohol either.

The moral of the story: Life is always going to have days when we are hit with the unexpected or something happens completely the opposite of our expectation. However, that doesn't mean we should stop and close the book. Keep going. Always keep going.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!

 

Other Books by Maeve Binchy

Equal Temper of Heroic Hearts: "Rare Objects" by Kathleen Tessaro

Recently, I've had a number of women share with me about their struggles with mental health. This is a fairly common event since I am very open about my own struggles with depression. While some of these women have far more harrowing challenges than I do, the common denominator is always this -- some days we feel really sad, other days we are very happy and some days we are just straight-up crazy. Each time the subject of mental health comes up, it is really important to me to verbally recognize their struggles as something they live and breathe just as much as I do, that they are very different from mine, but also find our common ground. And you know what? Most of the time the common ground is this: it is so damn hard to deal at times, but we keep doing it.  "Rare Objects" by Kathleen Tessaro was a book that exemplified what I just described above. It was a moving story about mental health and what may seem to be heroic is likely all a ploy to just continue to deal.

This book was another book I purchased used from my Amazon Wish List to give some variety to my reading while I was at training for my day job.  Previously, I had read "The Perfume Collector" by Kathleen Tessaro and REALLY enjoyed it.  This book definitely showcased her writing style once again and I read the entire book in the course of four days.

The setting for the story is 1932 Boston.  There are two main characters in this book.  The first is Maeve Fanning, an Irish immigrant with a family who is barely making due and still trying to adjust to being in America. Maeve struggles with making the best choices and eventually finds herself in a mental institution. The second main character is Diana van der Laar, a high-society debutante whose family has excessively high expectations for her and she wants none of it.  She is also a bit too manic for high society and also finds herself in a mental institution.  Both of these women come from polar worlds, but one day find themselves interacting for a brief moment in the common area of the same mental institution.  Maeve is intrigued by Diana and, at the time, doesn't realize the feelings are mutual and Diana may not be as manic as the staff has portrayed her to be. Diana is discharged shortly after this exchange and Maeve assumes that life will just move on and the meeting was pure coincidence.

Following Maeve's discharge from the institution, she finds a job as a store clerk and assistant in a high-end antiques shop. She is a high-spirited woman and makes her way in to a career that includes interacting with many of Boston's high society residents.  One day a woman comes in to the shop and as they begin to visit they realize that they know each other, their common link is the mental institution and this woman is Diana van der Laar.  Both know that openly sharing their common link would negatively affect both their reputations so they start to meet for dinner and drinks after Maeve is off work and become fast friends. The friendship that unfolds is one of chaos and dysfunction, but also strength that comes from sharing the fear of ridicule for being imperfectly crazy.

There were a couple of passages that really resonated with me, especailly because I can relate quite significantly in the mental health realm.  In a conversation between Maeve and Diana, Diana shares with Maeve that she has purchased an apartment that will be a safe haven for both of them whenver they need it.  Both of them have keys and the rules are that they can literally come there any time they need to escape.

Diana says to Maeve, "I need a place to breathe.  You're not the only one who lives in a fishbowl.  I thought you'd understand." Maeve replies (referencing Diana's primary home aka mansion), "I do, it's just, well, it's so beautiful. Filled with so many lovely things." Diana's reply is what really struck me because I've felt it many times.  She said, "is it? Well, they're only things.  Anyway, I like secrets. What people don't know can't be interfered with." Bingo!  This is SO true.  There have been so many times in my own life when I thought it is just easier for me to deal with this on my own vs. freaking someone out or overwhelming them because they suddenly get to be aware of my imperfections. Is that necessarily the healthiest way to handle it? Probably not, but it's happened.

The next quote was shared with Maeve by her employer.  He said to her, "sometimes, my dear, being broken is the most interesting thing that can happen." {insert intended pause to reflect} How many of you have felt like your broken pieces were the ones that needed to be ignored or hidden under the rug? I have many times. This quote was powerful to me when I was reading the book.  I needed the reminder at the very moment I was reading it.  I was in a sea of transitions of life and a new job that was super overwhelming at the time.  I felt like my broken pieces were holding me back, but really they were the reason why I was in this new place and it was a good thing!

The final passage was what inspired the title of this blog post.  Maeve's employer becomes someone she confides in and shares a lot of her past with and how it has affected her present.  At one point she finds a copy of Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, "Ulysses" where the employer has written some notes. The section with the notes says,

How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!

As tho' to breathe were life!...

... that which we are, we are:

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.

This poem became a mantra for Maeve and she did her best to figure out what her purpose in life was. Simultaneously within the plot, Diana is doing the same and the reader discovers how their polar upbringings and social classes didn't stop either from having to make really difficult decisions and feel some deep pain and sorrow.  I love, love, loved the sentence, "One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will." This is life, my friends! We are equal because we have hearts, but what makes us different is the events over time that have caused us to find strength to keep going.  Did Maeve deal in the same manner as Diana? Nope.  Were there common themes? Yes, but it was not exactly the same. This is very important to remember in our own lives.  How I deal will never look the same as how you deal. But, that does not mean we can help each other to strive, seek, find and not yield.  

My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above.  It's a PG-13 read with strong mental health themes, relationship elements including sex and overall themes that may be too much to process for the younger audience.

The moral of the story: Finding our common link may mean recognizing our broken pieces, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it.  Rise to the occasion and admit you're imperfect, they're imperfect and it's OK.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!

Like what you read above - purchase this book by clicking the Amazon link below! Thank you for reading The Thrifting Ginger.  

Other Books by Kathleen Tessaro