This time out Tracy Chevalier tells the story of the "embroders" in Winchester England after the close of WWI. There are a shortage of marriageable men and an excess of single women left at home lonely and at loose ends. Many join the group at Winchester Cathedral to embroider (today's needlepoint) covers for the pews and Kneelers until the tutelage of the great designer Louisa Pesel (true). Violet Speedwell is a 38 year old spinster from Southhampton who has fled the home of her cantankerous widowed mother to strike out on her own in Winchester and try to find some happiness for herself, af the loss of her fiance and brother in the way. She feels like an outsider with life happening around her rather than as a participant. The thrust of the novel is how Violet, through the emobroder group finds that life still holds some lessons and surprises in store for her, including friendship, love, and even change when you least expect it. The author captures the spirit of the times in her prose and moves the story along at a leisurely pace, building the depth of characters as wells as the location. This novel provides a historically accurate portray of Great Britain after WWI and its impact on their female population and how it began the societal changes we see today.

3.5 stars

"A Single Thread" is a novel that builds slowly to a far-fetched ending, but which nonetheless is a good read. It's pleasure is in the small joys that mount for Violet Speedwell, a woman in her late thirties whose fiancee and brother perished in WWI. Even with so few men in her generation to marry, single women are looked upon with distrust. Violet's steps toward independence are modest but transform her life--first she moves to a new town and out of her critical mother's home. She makes so little money she can barely survive, but the peace is worth it. Then, she becomes involved with some of the traditional arts of English cathedral cities, embroideries and bell ringing. These hardly seem the stuff of excitement, but Chevalier describes these pastimes with care and empathy, and you can understand Violet's growing connection to the work and the personalities involved.

Slowly, her circle expands, and the story start to fall apart. You really want some happiness for Violet but bringing in a lurking stranger and an impossible love rings false.

The pleasure of this novel is the quiet care with which Violet's life grows and develops. I wish Chevalier had just let the story be without adding those awkward romantic/threat elements. But "A Single Thread" is an enjoyable book, AND you'll be Googling bell ringing and brodering to learn more.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

"A story is like building a chapel; A novel is a cathedral." (Rosario Ferre)

Tracy Chevalier centers A Single Thread around the majesty of the Cathedral at Winchester with its mighty presence and its abundant history. Winchester Cathedral becomes the focal point of what has occured in the past in its community and what is transpiring in early May of 1932.

Winchester still bears the scars of World War I in which loss sits heavily at the elbow of family upon family. Young men left the township in droves only to return shattered in mind and body or not at all. Violet Speedwell feels the hollowness of fatality in the realization that there will never be a future for her brother, George, or there will never be the promises fulfilled of love from her fiance, Laurence.

At thirty-eight, Violet swallowed down the bitterness of living with her stern widowed mother who needles Violet constantly. Nothing that Violet does will heal the negativity and resentment that flows constantly within her mother. Violet decides to leave Southhampton and make a break for Winchester. She secures a job as an insurance typist in a small firm. She barely has enough money to rent a small room and certainly not much for extras.

But just as the Cathedral has always been the heartbeat of Winchester, it becomes the focus of Violet's new life. She inquires about the embroidering being done over the years by a group of women embellishing the kneelers, cushions, and alms bags with their works of art. Louise Pesel (a real life individual) takes her under her wing and soon Violet is creating impressive work herself.

The Cathedral becomes Violet's source of refuge as the world takes its place on the precipice of another war. The Nazi Party is securing a foothold in Germany with Hitler taking advantage of economic uncertainties and unrest. It is here that Violet will meet Arthur Knight, a bell ringer, within the Cathedral. Her entire life will take a drastic turn from here on out.

Tracy Chevalier takes us deeply into the world of broderers who stitched their way into creating small offerings of beauty in a world going so wrong. Chevalier also presents the talents and finesse of the bell ringers that brought forth awe within the Cathedral's walls. But bear with the indepth descriptions of embroidery and bell ringing. She sometimes steps too far into painting mental murals of these two entities that the reader almost wishes to step away from such finite detail. Be aware, but also be cognizant of the fact that there's so much more within these walls.

A Single Thread zeroes in on the quickening change within the expectations placed upon women. The severe casualties brought upon by the past war and the impending one will come to embolden women who will leave behind their pacificity and take on new and unexpected roles. Violet, herself, will walk a different path in regard to relationships, sexuality, employment, and a new emboldment in a changing world. Life certainly begins with A Single Thread.

I received a copy of A Single Thread through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House Books and to the highly talented Tracy Chevalier for the opportunity.

A Single Thread follows Violet, a single, middle aged women who is attempting to live her life on her own. She escapes her overbearing mother and her well intentioned brother and moves to the town of Winchester. She becomes friends and colleagues with the cathedral broders, and learns to become more independent. As independent as one can be as a single women in 1930's England.

I had high hopes for this one. I was so hoping this would be a novel about a strong single women making it on her own. While Chevalier does do that somewhat, the ending and the "surprises" are seen coming from a mile away. I think it would have been more interesting if our character did not fall into stereotypical pitfalls. All in all, I did enjoy the story. While not surprising it was pleasant. Although I could have done without so much bell ringing etiquette. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

Girl With a Pearl Earring was a favorite book for me, years ago. When I saw that Tracy Chevalier had written another historical piece, I was eager to read it. A Single Thread has many meanings in this story about Violet Speedwell who, in 1932, belonged to a misogynistic stereotype, a group of women called "surplus women." These women were unmarried and at age thirty-eight, not expected ever to find a husband. War had tragically taken so many sons, brothers, and boyfriends. In post-war England, there were five women for every man. Violet was among that group of women, unmarried and living with her mother in Southhampton.

Violet lost her brother in France, and shortly after that, her father died. Violet's mother was not a pleasant woman. Her constant judgment and criticism of Violet became unbearable. Violet finally found the courage to get a job as a typist and moved about twelve miles to Winchester, the home of a famous cathedral. She rented a room at an average boarding house and settled into a life of menial work, rewarded by menial wages.

Violet didn't make many friends and often felt that she might have made a mistake with this rebellious move out on her own. By chance, Violet becomes involved with a group of women called The Borderers who did needlepoint on cushions and pads for kneeling in the Winchester Cathedral. This one small move changed her life in tiny, as well as substantial ways. Making one friend created a sort of networking effect on Violet's life, and she enjoyed more of her life.

In 1933, Hitler's intentions were becoming apparent, and yet nothing had yet destroyed the life Violet created for herself. Unfortunately, the lives of women still depended on men. The meat of this novel points out that women were judged continuously for their decisions and actions. Although this reality brought sadness to the novel and, in many ways, and continues to exist today. Violet fought for her life and found something sustainable, enough to change her life forever. Whenever I hear church bells ringing and think about those who work to ring those giant bells, I will think of Violet Speedway.

Thank you to Tracy Chevalier, Penguin Group (USA), NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC (September 17th).

This latest book by Tracey Chevalier is set during the years between the Great War and World War II. The focus is on the role of women during these years and how difficult it was for those who were single and at an age where many men from their generation had perished in the Great War.

The main character is Violet Speedwell, a young woman who is grieving the loss of a fiancee and a brother. She has also lost her father, to whom she was very close. Violet has a contentious relationship with her mother. When she chooses to move out and live on her own, she upsets the family expectations and causes them to rethink what a woman’s place should be.

Two prominent subjects in the book are the bell ringers of the Cathedrals and the elaborate needlepoint (embroidery) that the women made to decorate the Cathedrals. Violet was fascinated by both of these subjects and decides to become one of the embroiders.

Her decision to become involved with the embroiders was pivotal in her life. She finds a purpose, finds her independence and even finds love and a way to live fully, despite what society dictates.

I found this one to be a slow burn, as I was almost halfway into the story before I became invested. The second half was very engaging and it was interesting to learn about a part of England and the Cathedrals that I was not aware of. Of course, after I finished the book, I had to go to the internet and find images of the needlepoint for the Cathedrals. Truly beautiful work!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to provide my honest review.

1932 England is the setting for Tracy Chevalier’s latest piece of historical fiction A SINGLE THREAD. For this reader, this offering was a less compelling read than some of her previous offerings like GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING and THE LADY AND THE UNICORN.

Where Lady & the Unicorn focused primarily on the creation of medieval tapestries, A Single Thread addresses subjects ranging from the embroidery of kneelers and cushions for the Winchester Cathedral and the art of bell ringing to the lesbian relationships.

Primary player in this offering is Violet Speedwell a spinster employed in an insurance agency who, years after the death of both her brother and her fiancé in WWI, decides to leave the home of her controlling and supercilious mother and take a small room in a boarding house, a daring act for a woman during that era.
A couple of chance encounters changes the trajectory of Violet’s life. The first introduces her to a service community of women embroiders, an alliance that offers her the opportunity for developing friendships she has never before experienced. The second brings her into the life of a married cathedral bell-ringer for whom she develops an initial affinity that later develops into romantic feelings.

While I personally thought a little too much time was spent detailing the art of bell ringing, I will admit that Chevalier writes with fresh passion and purpose for her subject matter as she examines rituals that bound together ordinary women trying to survive the mores and petty politics in the years between two great wars.
3 1/2 stars

Violet Speedwell is one of England’s “surplus women”. That generation of women whose husbands and would-be-husbands never returned from WWI, leaving countless females who were forced to alter their expectations and take up the mantle of earning a living, caring for their aging parents and accepting their spinsterhood. Violet has decided leave her embittered mother’s home to eke out a life for herself working as a typist in Winchester. One day, while visiting Winchester Cathedral she encounters one of the broderers who create the beautiful, intricate seats and kneelers for the cathedral. When she joins the group she meets real-life embroidery pioneer, Louisa Pesel. After a slow start, Violet begins to feel a sense of kinship with the other women and a regaining of the confidence she thought she had lost. The changes wrought by her work at the cathedral begin to spill over into her work and home life as well. The grayness of her life begins to peel away and hope for a sense of fulfillment and happiness begins to seep in.

This is a beautiful and compelling story, richly detailed and well-researched. Violet and the other surplus women in Chevalier’s novel are strong and resilient, refusing to just slip into the shadows as society wants them to. They are an ever present reminder of an horrific war that took away a generation of young men, yet these women are determined to not just survive, but to thrive; on their own terms. Bittersweet, but ultimately up-lifting, this is a novel to savor and share.

Charming little story of women's companionship in creating kneelers for churches. The friendships they form with this common goal is heartening. There is also a love story along the way. Tracy Chevalier is the author of "The Girl With the Pearl Earing," another great book that is worth investigating. That said, any book written by this great author is worth reading. She has a real sense of people's behavior and expresses it well on the page.

This book will not be published until September but I know this is a title I will recommend to patrons who love WWI/WWII historical fiction. It's set in Winchester, England in the time between the wars and becomes a fascinating study in the aftermath of one war while glimpsing a build-up to another.

The word 'thread' in the title refers to the embroidery that Violet learns as a member of the Winchester Cathedral brodeurs who are working on various cushions or kneelers for the church. This begins as a hobby and becomes a a means to give her a purpose in life after she's left a single woman, of a certain age, following the death of her fiance during the first world war.

Along the way, Violet meets some interesting members of her new community and we learn about bell ringing as well as the embroidery and the serious prejudices that are clearly apparent during this time.

Violet Speedwell is a surplus woman, one of the many females unable to find a husband after WWI. After moving out of her overbearing mother's home, Violet is lonely and barely able to make ends meet. After a chance encounter at the cathedral, she takes up with the Broderer's Guild - a group of women embroidering kneelers and cushions for the Cathedral. There, she finds friendship, contentment, and finally settles into herself.

This was a very enjoyable read. The characters were extremely dynamic and realistic. I thought it was set in a fascinating time period. I am definitely going to watch out for more books from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

In my mind, this is historical fiction at its best. The characters drive the plot and the "history" is accurate, but doesn't bog down the storyline. Violet's experience as a "surplus woman" after her fiance is killed in WWII (there were over 2,000,000 more women than men after the war) is heartbreaking, but emphasizes her resilience. Her relationships with her family and the women she meets through the cathedral broderers are a touching, heart-warming, and realistic story. I knew nothing about Winchester Cathedral (except the pop song from the 1960s) and even less about the women who embroidered the intricate designs in the cushions and kneelers that are still in use today. Chevalier does what she does best -- She creates a character that I grew to love and teaches me about these remarkable women. I now want to visit the Cathedral and take a look at the real thing!

A wonderful story with a strong and sympathetic cast of characters that is appealing whether or not you care anything about embroidery or history. Great read!

This book takes place in England in the '30s - between the world wars - and Violet is a 'surplus woman' who has lost her fiance and her brother in the Great War. She is unmarried and living with her overbearing and thoroughly negative mother before she decides to move away and live her own life. She joins a group of women (broderers) who embroider pillows and kneelers for the cathedral. Violet wants to leave her mark in the world, even if it is in this small way.

This story is not fast-paced, it moves pretty slowly, but Chevalier describes the characters and the place wonderfully. It deals with spinsterhood, single motherhood, and there is a lesbian couple who play a large part. This was a time when one would lose her job for being a lesbian, or a mother, or even just married. Violet does find illicit love with Arthur, who is already married and is old enough to be her father. She does find friendship and acceptance within her group, but it is a precarious acceptance, at best.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading this book I was prompted to learn more about the bell ringers and embroderers /embroiderers of London in the early 1900’s. This novel brings to life the story of their efforts through the fictionalization of the real life teacher of embroidery, Louisa Pesel. Very interesting historical fiction with some mystery and romance tossed in.

Violet Speedwell is one of the "surplus women" whose husbands and fiances were killed in World War One. Violet, like so many others, had to reinvent herself as a working woman and favorite aunt, and she settles in Winchester to get away from her embittered mother, working in an office and making her way in the cathedral city. By accident she stumbles on the Broderers, women who embroider cushions for the cathedral, providing beauty and comfort in the austere environment. Violet finds friends and kindred spirits among the women who accept and support each other without judgment. A bittersweet romance leaves Violet with an opportunity she never expected to have and friends and family help her restart her life. This is a quiet novel, very slow moving at first, but it lingers in the mind long after the last page is turned.

I have been a little disappointed with the last few books by TC, whose booksI have loved in the past, but this one has redeemed my faith. I loved it!! Great story. Highly recommended

Life, after WWI was hard particularly for the young women left behind to pick up the pieces. Violet was one of those women who lost her brother and fiance and now had to care for the family. One day she wanders in Winchester Cathedral and is welcomed into the Society of Broderers, the women who needlepoint the kneelers for the church. This gives her life a purpose and a friend support group. Her relationship with a bell ringer is also the focus of the story. This is a quiet look at a group of women that time forgot. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Can a 38 year old woman cast off society's expectations and find her voice? In 1932 England after the Great War steals one brother and a fiancé, Violet Speedwell takes control of her life. She moves to Winchester, away from her angry, critical mother to a room in a boardinghouse for women and a low paying job as a typist. When Violet discovers the broderers at Winchester Cathedral, she joins the society and begins to create borders and cushion covers for the cathedral. She forms friendships with other women who are quietly (or not so quietly) defying societal norms and expectations. Her time in the cathedral leads her to the bell ringers and another layer is added to her newly flowering life. Step by step Violet gains in confidence and makes the choices that are best for her. She is an inspiring character of many layers who finds her voice in an age where single women of her age were considered "surplus." I was very sorry to reach the end of this deceptively deep and layered story.

Thanks so much to Viking and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to review this excellent book in return for an honest review.

This is another great story written by a master of historical fiction. The story takes place in a time of history about which there isn't much written, the time between two world wars where people are all trying to recover from the devastation from WW I. Lives and relationships were lost and people struggled to come back to some sort of normalcy. It was a difficult time especially for single women. Ms. Chevalier has written a good book that tells how it was for those women and men trying to recover. Along with that she's told us of a needlework and bellringing. This is a story of a woman who finally finds happiness in her life after tragedy.

I felt like I was reading 2 novels, one about the intrepid Violet Speedwell, a spinster during the post WW I years. It is a wonderful story about a woman finding strength to become a full person after a time of despair.

However, the book also concerns her interests in embroidery, becoming a broderer for Winchester Cathedral. This part was simply too much information about the process and the stitches. It is here that she meets the people who will impact her new life.

She also becomes involved with the bell ringers at the Cathedral. Again, too much information about the process of bell ringing.

I liked Violet and enjoyed reading about England between the wars, but I would have liked a bit less information about the processes of embroidery and bell ringing.

I know many book groups will enjoy this, but I did find it too draggy in some parts.

As always, thank you Netgalley.