Customer Reviews

The Lace Makers of Glenmara: A Novel (P.S.)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Have you ever felt like escaping from your life for awhile? Jumping in a car, and just driving somewhere far away? Away from problems or the negative things that weigh you down?

I know that I have. And, I think many women feel that way during times of stress or hardship. I think that's one reason I was hooked instantly by The Lacemakers of Glenmara, by Heather Barbieri, a book I'm reviewing for MotherTalk. This story follows Kate Robinson, a struggling fashion designer, as she travels to Ireland to forget a troubled past and reinvent herself.

Aside from the lovely landscape, author Barbieri stitches together an amazing and interesting tale about searching, sewing, and the strength in womens' friendships. I was instantly drawn to the various characters and lost myself in their world quite effortlessly, as if I'd stumbled upon the quaint Irish town myself.

The Lace Makers of Glenmara is a great summer escape without the cost of airfare. While it is not completely light and fun in its subject matter, it is a fabulous jaunt to Ireland and a glimpse into the lives of the people who live in Glenmara, as well as the main character's life coming back together after it has unraveled.

The story reminds me of why our friendships as women are very important and how true frienships can withstand whatever life throws at them. It is also a story of survival in the face of great loss and finding oneself again-of realizing you are stronger than you think you are.

I received the book, The Lace Makers of Glenmara, as part of a blog tour and saved it to enjoy while on summer vacation. I couldn't wait to read it because it sounded like a perfect summer read and I was not disappointed in the least.

The story is set in Ireland, the place where Kate flees to hoping to escape from her old life, reinventing herself in her ancestral homeland. As she travels across the land she ends up in the seaside village of Glenmara where she meets the women of a local lace-making society.

The lace makers are a diverse group from Bernie the lonely widow, Aileen with her low self-esteem and identity crisis, Moira an abused housewife, Oona a breast cancer survivor, and Colleen a fisherman's wife and leader of the group. The lace makers are finding that their craft is becoming obsolete as people are not purchasing the items they are designing anymore. Kate soon joins the group and finding inspiration through the women convinces them to use their lace making skills to create exquisit lingerie. They then use their talent to create lingerie with beautiful flowers, fish, fairies, and even skulls and bones.

Of course while they are busy creating their beautiful handiwork, friendships are evolving. The lacemakers are faced with many challenges including a priest who thinks their work is evil, broken relationships between spouses and children, sickness, and even death. However, with the strength they receive from each other, they each face their long-denied desires and fears and overcome them together. Of course the bad is also countered with the good as new love unfolds, relationships are mended, and new friendships grow.

Once I started the book I couldn't put it down. I was intrigued by each of the women and their story. They each added something unique to the group and the way Ms. Barbieri weaved the characters lives together was beautifully done. I often felt that I was sitting in the countryside peeking into the windows of their lives. The story flowed with ease and was filled with emotion as I related to what the women must be feeling individually and towards each other.

May every woman be blessed to be in a circle of friends like The Lace Makers of Glenmara.

Where do I start with this review? Overall I found the book to be enjoyable. The tale woven about the Lace makers of Glenmara was quaint, easy to relate to and sincere but...it was a bit of struggle,initially for me, to get "into" the book. I found that I had to re -read the first chapter because it really wasn't clear to me what was going on. It took a few chapters to get in line with the characters and the situation. Once I did I found myself on a sweet yet simple journey with the main character, Kate.

The books is rich in Irish legend and history. You will find yourself within a mix of women that truly could easily be your own personal group of friends. Each with their own quirks and personalities yet definitely filled with love and loyalty for each other. There was so much more that I was yearning to learn about thesecharacters . While I feel that Heather did a great job...I still feel there was more that could have been added to the depth of the story line and characters. With each character I yeared for a little more detail, just a little bit more story line. As I was reading...I wasn't fulfilled with the information on the characters.

Would this become my "favorite" book? I'd have to say "no". But, Did I enjoy my time in Glenmara? Did I enjoy getting to know the lace makers? I'd definitely say "yes"!

If you are looking for a light hearted, easy to read book on women and their ever evolving relationships and friendships...The Lace makers of Glenmara is the perfect book for you.

The Lace Makers of Glenmara: A Novel

I recently had an opportunity to read this book via MotherTalk. It piqued my interest on more than a literary level- it made me interested in my personal history as well.

The storIy was set in Glenmara, Ireland a small town in Ireland that fit with how I had imagined small communities in that country. The women who lived in the community and welcomed Kate a woman who had left the US after having her heart broken and went to Ireland to honor an agreement with her late mother and learn where she was going by learning where she was from; were not all immediately welcoming - they all had their baggage- their own crosses to bear- and that was refreshing- the reminder that no matter what things look like externally everyone has baggage- it was helpful to remember that judging harshly is often unfair to all involved.

There are a lot of 'side stories' that provide little vignettes into each womans life. These helped the story not only remain light hearted but also touch on so many deeper themes- from abuse to widowhood.

One of the 'lessons' is that pretty underwear heal so many wounds- marriages that have survived cancer, lonely widowhood, teenage parent issues, and broken hearts- all while reviving a local sluggish economy- while part of that is admittedly far fetched- it is a lesson that a lot of women knows- feeling pretty-feeling sexy-helps everything and no one has to know it can be a little secret- a fun secret. The camaraderie that grew from creating the pretty underwear helped all of the characters learn that they were not alone- even-especially when they felt it.

So I enjoyed the book. I will look for more from this author!

I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. Too much drama and too little character development. There really was a great seed planted there with the setting and the idea of this traditional art bringing modern people together... but it was disappointing in the end. I skimmed over large sections, not really interested or invested enough to care what was happening...

A 1.5 star would be closer to how I felt about it -

I've been to Ireland a couple of times and after reading The Lace Makers of Glenmara I really want to go again. I so enjoyed my time spent reading this book. Heather Barbieri wrote an engaging story about people dealing with loss and trying to go on with their lives.

Kate, a young American woman of Irish descent, has travelled from Seattle to Ireland. One day she misses her bus and winds up walking. She takes a ride from a kind stranger who drops her at the road leading to Glenmara. She meets some friendly people in the village who invite her to stay and learn how to make lace. From that point on the world becomes a bit larger for the ladies who dare to try something new and Kate finds a place where people won't leave her.

Kate stays with Bernie, a 50-something widow whose husband died a year earlier. Over a cup of tea one evening Kate says to Bernie: "I was just thinking how funny life is. Seems like the more you want something, the more it eludes you. Then, when you least expect it, there it is." This is a theme of the story. I liked seeing both small and big changes happen in the characters' lives - changes that some didn't even know they wanted.

A lovely book has found a home on my "keeper shelf" and I've added another title to my 2009 favorites list. I recommend The Lace Makers of Glenmara to fans of Women's Fiction and anyone who enjoys an enchanting novel.

It's summertime and that (hopefully) means that life slows down a bit and there is more time in the day to relax.

If that's the case, and you're looking for a relaxing good read, it's time you picked up a copy of The Lace Makers of Glenmara, by Heather Barbieri.

The threads of a new life

begin with a single stitch . . .

The novel is set in the small Ireland town called Glenmara. The main character, an artistic fashion designer named Kate Robinson is running from her past in American. She has fled to the land of her ancestors searching for a fresh start in a new place.

As her luck may have it, she stumbles into the tiny village of Glenmara and finds fast friends with a smart group of ladies, the "lace makers". As days turn into weeks, they teach her how to work lace and create beauty out of nothing. In return, Kate gives each of the lace makers something back, something that changes them forever.

What I love most about the book is the character development. How we get to know Kate and each of the ladies in the lace society. Through many different stories from the past they all are beautifully intertwined into one main journey, almost effortlessly.

I really enjoyed this Novel. It's the kind of kind of book that is meant to be read relaxing in the hammock or kicking you feet up on the couch.

This is a quick and fun read if you're into women's relationships, historic needlework, crafting or fashion (totally up my alley!).

Kate Robinson is a fashion designer who's mother has just died of cancer, who's boyfriend just dumped her. So, she leaves the mess of her life behind her and heads on a pre-planned trip to Ireland. But her carefully planned trip schedule takes a turn when she wanders into Glenmara a fading Gaelic village full of characters who are fun to like.

The book weaves Irish lore and superstition in with the modern day tale of these struggling lacemakers. The descriptions of the lace are lovely and it's fun to see how the lace and the workmanship that goes behind it makes a differenc in the women's lives.

I could give away more, but if you like Sandra Dallas, or Jennifer Chiaverini and you love Ireland I'd definately pick this book up.

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri. I thought the book sounded good, but 10 pages in I was not only assured that it was a good read, but it was one of those books that was sure to sit endlessly on my counter with a broken spine waiting to be read as I cooked, cleaned, or steal a few quiet minutes of "me" time. The book is a well balanced mix of heartbreak, humour, condor, joy, bitterness, and hope that immerses you in poignant story of life, loss, and rebirth.

Kate Robinson is a 26 year old fashion designer who is struggling to deal with the loss of her mother and the heartbreak of being betrayed by the love of her life. She flees to Ireland on a trip she was meant to take with her mother. By happy chance, and a ride in a colourful wagon with a kind spirit, she finds herself in the small village of Glenmara. It is there that she finds love, inspiration, purpose, friendship....a place to lay roots and bloom.

The lacemaking society - Bernie, Aileen, Moira, Oona, Colleen - their friendship becomes her source of strength and self reckoning and in turn it changes each woman's life. There is no epiphany, rather it is the gradual and constant change that realizing you don't have to be perfect to be loved, you simply have to be.

The women of the lacemaking society each have their own story to tell. Bernie -quietly wrestling with the loss of her husband she has sought a place of refuge and purpose, Aileen - struggling to hold on to her husband and daughter while battling with her own issues of self acceptance, Moira - the soft, gentle, and compassionate woman who loves despite the abuse she denies, Oona - as a survivor of breast cancer she struggles with her femininity, her marriage, and her role as a whole wife, and Colleen - waiting for the return of her husband from the sea she is sure has claimed his life. Throw in a blood thirsty priest, a handsome man who suffers his own pain, and a village who rally around the women when they need it most and you have what is sure to be one of the best reads on your shelf.

What struck me about this book was not only the captivating story line....but the way in which Barbieri weaves the tale. A master at her art, it is the beautiful way in which she communicates that make the story so compelling...I have to share one of my favourite paragraphs from the book, one of the last.

"You'll take up the same old needle and thread and see that they're magic, or could be - if only you let them, if you try --that the women, who gossip like sparrows and bite like midges and laugh so hard they cry, will teach you something new and you will teach them too, and it won't be all bitterness, not all, no, and the man walking up the road to see you is someone you could spend time with, make a life with, if you take a chance."

If you are looking for a great beach book or just a keeper to add to your collection this book will not disappoint you.

I enjoyed "The Lace Makers of Glenmara"; read the whole book. But I was left wanting more substance at the end. I think this book could have been fleshed out and been truly spectacular. As it is now, it was a quick, forgettable beach read. And that is too bad.

I liked the characters although I thought some of them were just a little too stereotypical. I would have liked to have seen more character development on ALL the characters. There was ALMOST a thread of mysticism throughout the book that never was developed fully. Too bad because I think it headed in some neat directions sometimes. I really liked the touching on the romantic lives of some of the characters including the lead but would have liked to seen more development. I would have liked to have read more about the process of lacemaking, the history of the area including the potato famine, the fishing, etc. Everything in my opinion was just glossed over - no real depth.

The book I always hold up as a standard for this type of book (Irish historical romance) is To Marry an Irish Rogue because of its in-depth research, humor and characterizations and this came nowhere close. This is not to say it was terrible -I will read the next if Barbieri writes one to see how her talent has developed because I definitely believe she has the ability.