This is a tough review to write because of my ambivalence about the story. What began as a total pleasure ended not with a bang, but a whimper. When we first meet 39-year old spinster Violet she is lurking outside a dedication service at historic Winchester Cathedral. Her interest in the church and her confrontation with an officious woman who refused her admittance to the service, brought to mind all the unique characters created by Barbara Pym. I practically hugged myself with anticipation. As the story continued, my original instincts proved to be right as Violet tried to declare her independence from the most delightfully horrible mother of recent literature. Her move to a boarding house in Winchester gave her a chance to meet new people and pursue new interests. Both her passions are centered at the cathedral. She joins a group of dedicated women embroidering kneelers and cushions for the church. She meets an older gentleman who introduces her to the art of bell ringing. The reader is given rather too-complete lessons and histories of both embroidery and bells.
Offsetting the rather tedious pages of information are some great insights into life in England between the Wars. Violet’s office mates, her landlady, the woman overseeing the embroidery project are rich interesting characters. I felt myself heading into Guernsey Potato Pie Society territory.
We soon learn that life is not always storybook charming. There is malicious gossip, homophobic viciousness and a threatening stranger lurking in the shadows. Violet must determine how to handle the threats and at the same time figure out what kind of a relationship she should pursue with her bell-ringing friend Arthur. We are eagerly awaiting the resolution of all there powerful storylines.
Unfortunately the end loses its power because much of it happens off-stage through explanation after the fact. Coupling that with the blandness of Arthur makes a very unsatisfactory ending. In the author’s defense, she adds a note to inform us the book is based on actual events. Sometimes an author has to declare her independence from the facts and choose to write a more satisfying story. This is one of those times.

In 1932 England, Violet moves 12 miles from home to start a new life. Having lost her brother and fiancee during the war, and in recent years her beloved father, she needs change. With a new job and a rooming house to live in, she still lacks social ties until she comes across a group of ladies who embroider kneeler covers and other beautiful items for the local cathedral. Here, she meets other ladies and other members of the community.
With her captivating writing, Chevalier clearly depicts the historical events that shape the lives of so many women after World War I. This book was hard to put down and I found Violet to be a very endearing character. Between her family obligations, her romantic inclinations and her loyalty to her friends at the embroidery group, Violet is a memorable character that readers can only root for.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I'm fortunate to have read this early copy.

I received a free advanced reading copy (Kindle) from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my second Tracy Chevalier book and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one that I read. It's a historical novel about post-World War I England and it covered two topics that I know very little about - embroidery and bell-ringing. She managed to make both topics fascinating (at least to me) and she also brought strong female characters and their relationships to life. Minus one star for a Hollywood ending, but definitely a thoroughly enjoyable read!

This book has many of the qualities that appeal to me about historical fiction: interesting people in other times and places experiencing things that are unfamiliar to me. Besides enjoying the story of a young woman finding her place in the world, I learned about an embroidery/needlepoint project, the results of which can still be seen today, and the intricacies of church bell ringing. Highly recommended!

Tracy Chevalier has crafted another intricate story.. Violet, a 30 something woman has lost both her brother and her fiancé during World War 1 and is now one of the two million women in England who are husbandless and alone. The novel has hints of Jane Austen's novels, lonely spinsters living with family although Violet begins a career as a typist and left home.
The story is based on real broderers, women who embroidered and repaired the cushions and kneelers embroidered in the 1930s for the choir stalls at Winchester Cathedral. The sight of them touch something in Violet and she begins the process of becoming a part of the history of the church with her needlepoint. She falls in love with a married man who is a bell ringer at the cathedral and the story envelops them in it's tapestry.
The story is slow moving and lovely and a tribute to all of the women after the first world war who made lives for themselves and created a new persona for women who went into the 2nd World War.

What a beautifully gorgeous book. So filled with everything I love about a book. And while it does have a good ending [a proper ending for this book IMO], it is not the "happily ever after" that so many are searching for when then read a book - this ending was real life. This is what happened back then and it happens now and I felt the author handled the whole story so well. What a joy [even as I am crying and will be dealing with book hangover] it was to read this book.

I know nothing about needlepoint - my mom dappled in it for awhile before moving onto counted cross stitch [which I also do not know anything about nor do I enjoy it, the one time I tried. It involves math and well, I just don't math at all], and we have what she made, but other than that, I know nothing. So that aspect of the book was fascinating to me - to sit and make kneelers and cushions for a cathedral - pieces that no one will really think about, that will be taken for granted - well, that takes special people indeed and I was glad to learn that these women are still [in real life] making and restoring the cushions at Winchester Cathedral.

I know a little about bells - not all the intricacies that they go into in the book, but I know some [from people and from a TV show I watch], and I know and love music, so it was absolutely fascinating to learn all that the author writes about the bells. What an amazing process and I would so love to be near where bells are rung on a regular basis. And to be able to sit in on a session? WOW. That would be the coolest thing ever.

Violet is so many women of that time [1932] - caught in the space between the wars, with little prospects, learning still to live with the grief of loved ones lost and also learning to live with the underlying fear that Hitler was starting to employ as his rise to power began, and also learning to live with the idea that there will be no husband, no babies, just a life of loneliness and drudgery and work and the possibility of being a burden to ones already [possibly] burdened family. I loved watching her find her spunk, her independence and watching her learn what true friendship was and how that often makes you unpopular, especially in an era that frowned on ANYTHING that seemed abhorrent or deviant. I loved her story, warts and all, and she will be staying with me for a very long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Viking Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed all of Tracy Chevalier’s books, and this one was great! She definitely did her research, and I loved learning more about Winchester Cathedral, and those who have given so much time and talents to make the cushions & kneelers there. Excellent character development, and just a lovely story.

A slow-but-lovely novel that examines changing social mores in the period between the First and Second World Wars. Violet Speedwell is one of the "surplus women" -- her fiancé was killed in the Great War, and she lives with her embittered mother whose son also died in the war. Seizing a chance to escape, 38-year-old Violet moves to Winchester, where she finds a job as a typist and joins women who are embroidering kneelers for the cathedral. While Violet is the novel's protagonist, the central character is Craftsmanship and the satisfaction to be found in creating beauty: the book is at its best in its descriptions of embroidery, bell-ringing, and all the homely creations of ordinary life (such as brewing a cup of tea). This is a small story -- there are no important historical personages as appear in other Chevalier novels. There is a bit of distracting melodrama that dramatizes the perilous situation of women living alone during this period, but for those willing to settle in quietly and be transported to the beauties and challenges of life in a rural town in the previous century, the novel provides comforting satisfaction.

A contemporary look at a time not often explored in historical fiction - the years between the two World Wars in England. Chevalier conveys the grief and loss of the nation as an even greater threat begins to build. Through one young woman’s growth in a society that gives her few options, the book also explores the healing value of the creative process. I found it to be engaging and subtle and satisfying until the final plot sequences, which fell into a bit of contrived feel-good cliche. I would still recommend this one wholeheartedly to many readers.

“A Single Thread” by Tracy Chevalier, Viking, 336 pages, Sept. 17, 2019.

It is 1932. Violet Speedwell’s brother, George, and her fiancé, Laurence Furniss, were among those killed fighting in World War I. She has a surviving brother, Tom, who is married and has children.

She has become a “surplus woman,” because so many men died in the war. Her mother is very bitter. The story focuses on the year when Violet leaves her mother’s home and goes to live in Westminster, where she works as a typist for an insurance company. She isn’t paid well.

Violet walks into the Winchester Cathedral during a ceremony for the “broderers” and is taken with the embroidered kneelers. She joins the women’s embroidery group. There she finds a sense of community. The leader is Louisa Pesel, who is based on a real person who designed embroidery.

Violet later meets Arthur Knight, one of the Cathedral bell ringers, whose wife’s mental health has deteriorated because of their son’s death in the war. They have an affair.

I have read all of Tracy Chevalier’s books. This is not one of my favorites. It is well-researched, but the author goes in to too much detail about embroidery and bell-ringing. It is very slow-moving.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Sorry. I cannot get into this book. A good book gives the reader SOME clue what it is about and sets up the preliminary story line pretty much at the beginning. I found myself reading and reading and my notes said literally "????" because I hadn't the faintest idea what this book was about. And if the author cannot bother to set up the premise of the book and/or intrigue us in some way where we want to know more, then I cannot continue to read. Reading a book should be a joy, not a struggle.

I found this book a bit of a drudge in the first half. Had I not committed to writing a review, I probably wouldn't have finished it. However, I did finish it, and I'm glad. The historical details are rich and informative. I enjoyed reading about the bell ringers and the embroidery. I could empathize with the characters who lost so much to the war.

Violet's character, though, is aptly named, for she is a shrinking violet. I could not even remember her name a week after reading the book!

I was also puzzled by the obsessive interest she sparked in a random man. How would that even happen? Why? How did he just happen to find her so many times? What was the point?

I will read more from Tracy Chevalier, but this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

Violet is a single woman, age 39, in England between the two World wars. Losing a brother and fiancée, Violet bucks tradition and moves out of her mother’s home to work and live independently. There was a lot to like in this story, but the book dragged in the middle. The extensive detail about Church bell ringing, and embroidery, was a bit much for me. Social issues were included, which enhanced the story. Just okay for me, but thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I am a big fan of Tracy Chevalier's other novels. I have always found them to be engaging and draw me into the story. I also usually feel like I learn something and they have inspired me to do more research into historical eras. However, this one did not meet my expectations. I'm not sure if it was just that I didn't find the particular historical setting to be engaging or if the story was just not engaging, but whatever it was I didn't really enjoy this book.

In A Single Thread, Violet, who is in her late thirties, seeks her independence from her overbearing and unpleasant mother, Set in the 1930s, Violet who has lost both her brother and fiancé to war struggles to find herself. Joining an embroidery group brings her friendship, love, and an understanding of herself and others. I enjoyed the book which kept me engaged throughout.

This novel takes place in England between WWI and WWII. It follows the life of Violet who breaks away from living with her mother to go live on her own and discover your own path in life after she lost her brother and fiance during the war. This book really helps show the day to day life during this time period. The growth of Violet throughout the book is nice to see. After finding the Society of Broderers, women who do needlepoint for the church, she starts to find a purpose and develop friendships. Quite a lovely read. Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing book by Tracey Chevalier. In this story, set in the 1930s, we meet Violet. She is an unconventional woman of the time. She starts a journey as an unmarried woman in her thirties and stumbles upon an embroidery group that changes her life. In this group she makes friends and grows to see the world in her own way. Although her choices aren’t the ones you would expect, she leads her life for herself and stands up for things she truly believes in. This amazing story weaves in the history of the cushions and embroidery of Winchester Cathedral beautifully.

This book is set in England in the years between World War I and World War II. It follows the life of Violet who lost both her brother and here fiancé to war.

I found this to be a very slow read. Much of it dealt with very mundane day to day living during the time period. It was a good look at what life was like for women in that time and place.

I really enjoy Tracy Chevalier's writing, and I found this book of the life of an embroider at Winchester Cathedral to be a fascinating look at both craft and the lives of women between the first and second World Wars.

I found the relationships and growth of the main character to be interesting and realistic, as well as her growing confidence to be inspiring.

This is a book that will stay on you and send you to the internet to look for the embroidery at the cathedral and to learn more about Louisa Peel!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.com for my ARC.

Tracie Chevalier has long been a favorite of mine and this book does not disappoint. Her books always take me back to simpler, less complicated, and more innocent times and give me a quick break from reality, all the while showing me that people “way back then” struggled with a lot of the same emotions and problems that we do in our busy world today. Her characters are as rich and colorful as the cushions they sew and give us a deep and rich look at the lives of single women in prewar England. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy of a book by a favorite author.