Monday, July 27, 2015

#REVIEW: The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen


Description:
For fans of Jennifer Chiaverini and Sarah Addison Allen, The Wishing Thread is an enchanting novel about the bonds between sisters, the indelible pull of the past, and the transformational power of love.
The Van Ripper women have been the talk of Tarrytown, New York, for centuries. Some say they’re angels; some say they’re crooks. In their tumbledown “Stitchery,” not far from the stomping grounds of the legendary Headless Horseman, the Van Ripper sisters—Aubrey, Bitty, and Meggie—are said to knit people’s most ardent wishes into beautiful scarves and mittens, granting them health, success, or even a blossoming romance. But for the magic to work, sacrifices must be made—and no one knows that better than the Van Rippers.
When the Stitchery matriarch, Mariah, dies, she leaves the yarn shop to her three nieces. Aubrey, shy and reliable, has dedicated her life to weaving spells for the community, though her sisters have long stayed away. Bitty, pragmatic and persistent, has always been skeptical of magic and wants her children to have a normal, non-magical life. Meggie, restless and free-spirited, follows her own set of rules. Now, after Mariah’s death forces a reunion, the sisters must reassess the state of their lives even as they decide the fate of the Stitchery. But their relationships with one another—and their beliefs in magic—are put to the test. Will the threads hold?
Includes an exclusive conversation between Sarah Addison Allen and Lisa Van Allen
Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

My Take:

3 Stars!
There are three ‘VanRipper’ sisters, Aubrey, Bitty and Meggie. Bitty had just returned home, and home is also known as The Stitchery. Bitty had just left her husband and brought with her her two children, her daughter, Nessa, and her son, Carson. Bitty did NOT want her children knowing about ANY references to ‘magic’ in their home. Hmmm? Probably because of the talk of the town as these girls grew up. Unfortunately, the girls had been living with and was raised by their Aunt Mariah. She passes away and leaves them the only home they know, along with the home also being known to the public and as the girls source of income, The Stitchery. They all continue to live together, while everything still pretty much stays the same, especially with Aubrey, having given up on love pretty much, as she feels more complete as she knits what she believes are the townspeople’s dreams and wishes into their clothing, all the while giving up on having her own life. Is what she does considered magic?
Meggie is a restless soul, and is only back so they girls can decide what to do with the house/store Aunt Mariah left them.
Not only are these girls trying to decide what to do, but the town also has plans of it’s own, too, that affected their home/The Stitchery.  
The story was a little slow for the most part for me. It was not one that I ended up diving into and couldn’t stop reading. There are a few unusual things that happened, and I found many things about this story intriguing, at least! One of the town’s names intriguing, Sleepy Hollow! (The Headless Horseman! Oooo!) The VanRipper sisters! More references to magic!
What interested me the most about reading this book were the references to the girls sewing/knitting, actually, secrets and perhaps spells that fit whom the article of clothing was meant for. My mother was a woman who was never without a knitting needle in her hand, and she belonged to a knitting prayer shawl group who while they stitched, they prayed for the person for whom they were making the shawl for, and whatever that person needed in life. That really got me thinking about her (I lost her back in 2010) this book, and what the girls did, why they did it, and was this magic after all?
This cover sure is beautiful, isn’t it! I want to thank Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for a review. Thank you!


ebook: $ 9.99
print:  $11.49

2 comments:

  1. Hi Writing Pearls,
    Yes! For those of you who like a little more 'fantasy' (I was going to say magic, but fantasy fits this much better!) in your reading, you'll love this much more than I did! I just found it to be a bit slower paced than most books I like to read. When I read, I need my stories to move faster, and that is what the general consensus seemed to be about this book, that it was a little slow. No, I would not recommend this for people who prefer a faster paced book. This one will drag you down, or you may even become bored. This was, though. a definite change of pace!
    Here is something that might help - on Goodreads, out of 340 reviews, the average rating was a 3.50, kind of low, if you ask me, and the reviews all seemed to focus on the same thing - the pace of the writing, that it was a little slow for their liking. Like I said, though, go for this one if you like the fantasy in your reading and don't mind that little slower pace of reading!
    Thanks for asking what I absently forgot to include!
    ALL the best reading to you!
    Laurie

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