“You can always start again,” Kate Robinson’s mother once told her, “all it takes is a new thread.” Overwhelmed by heartbreak and loss, the struggling twenty-six-year-old fashion designer follows her mother’s advice and flees to her ancestral homeland of Ireland, hoping to break free of old patterns and reinvent herself.
She arrives on the west coast, in the seaside hamlet of Glenmara. In this … In this charming, fading Gaelic village, Kate quickly develops a bond with members of the local lace-making society: Bernie, alone and yearning for a new purpose since the death of her beloved husband, John; Aileen, plagued by doubt, helplessly watching her teenage daughter grow distant; Moira, caught in a cycle of abuse and denial, stubbornly refusing help from those closest to her; Oona, in remission from breast cancer, secretly harboring misgivings about her marriage; Colleen, the leader of the group, worried about her fisherman husband, missing at sea. And outside this newfound circle is local artist Sullivan Deane, an enigmatic man trying to overcome a tragedy of his own.
Under Glenmara’s spell, Kate finds the inspiration that has eluded her, and soon she and the lace makers are creating a line of exquisite lingerie. In their skilled hands, flowers, Celtic dragons, nymphs, fish, saints, kings, and queens come to life, rendered with painterly skill. The circle also offers them something more—the strength to face their long-denied desires and fears. But not everyone welcomes Kate, and a series of unexpected events threatens to unravel everything the women have worked so hard for. . . .
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An enchanting story. The female characters charming, witty, strong, heroic. Good read for a book club.
This one will want you to start planning a trip to Ireland .
Pleasant story.
I was visiting Ireland again. 🙂
I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. I’m hoping for a sequel.
I felt like I was back in Ireland. It’s a tender story with beautiful writing.
Excellent read!!
Not a well written book. I finished it but the writing was poor and the events were predictable.
If you are drawn to stories about Ireland or fiber arts or about a circle of women friends then you will enjoy this book. A unique look on traditional yet contemporary life in rural Ireland.
This was a sweet story with memorable characters and interesting sewing facts throughout.
Nor what I thought it would be. It was even better!!
optimistic
Wonderful story!
Despite a great and interesting location and some very interesting characters from the village the book was just so-so. The focus on the priest was unnecessary. The timelime was also very confusing. All of a sudden she has been in the village a year. It was a book that never rose to its potential.
It was a very heartwarming story.
It was a tad slow in the beginning and I didn’t really care about the “main character”. However when Kate got to Ireland and we were introduced to a full range of residents of Glenmara, the story was witty, sad, and thoroughly entertaining
This book grabbed me from the start. A wonderful story.
I really enjoyed this book and having been to Ireland could picture it all.
A good read
The characters and novel unfold beautifully. one never knows what will change one’s life.