Customer Reviews

A Thread of Truth

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Ivy Peterman left an abusive marriage to insure her children six years old Bethany and eighteen months old Bobby are safe from their father Hodge. She relocated with her kids in historic New Bern, Connecticut hiding their destination from her raging husband back in Pennsylvania. At a shelter there, women's shelter philanthropist Abigail Burgess Wynne arranges with Cobbled Court Quilts owner Evelyn Dixon to hire her to work part-time at the shop.

However, her idyllic world crashes when a TV show Quilt Pink Day is filmed at the popular store. Her former spouse Hodge sees Ivy on TV and is coming to beat the snot out of his wife and make her and the kids go home with him. His anger is fueled by eighteen months of her not being his punching dummy. He may be a tough bully, but he is unprepared for the knitting sisterhood protecting his former frightened family and kicking him to the curb.

The second New Bern England quilters' tale series (see A Single Thread) is a wonderful story that looks at the impact of abuse on the victims as Marie Bostwick makes a case that it takes a community of caring people to stop the violence. Readers will enjoy learning how the knitting circle is doing especially Evelyn who battled breast cancer with the support of her friends. However, this is Ivy's saga as she chose flight twice before (from her stepfather and her spouse), but with the support of the Cobbled Court crew she chooses fight this time to the cheering of readers.

Harriet Klausner

Reading this book is like coming home to a very familiar place with cheerful faces smiling at you as you walk into the door. Ever since her first book in the series, "A Single Thread," I have come to love her cozy books about women, friendship and quilting. I am not a quilter but I hope to eventually make a quilt of my own someday. Reading again about Evelyn, the owner of the Cobbled Courts Quilt Shop and breast cancer survivor; Abigail, New Bern's richest woman and her lawyer boyfriend, Franklin; Margot, the peppy former marketing advertiser who now works for Evelyn; Liza, Abigail's niece and artist-in-training and Garrett's (Evelyn's son) girlfriend; all are beloved characters back into the fold again. This time, Bostwick adds another character, one who struggles with domestic violence, being displaced and having to fight for her children's safety and custody; Ivy. Ivy is a young woman living on the lam when a wrong turn landed her in New Bern. Slowly beginning to heal from the injuries inflicted upon her by her husband, Hodge, both physical and mental, Ivy begins to hope that perhaps there is a life for her after all. Then it all comes crashing down when inadvertently, she was featured in a short video advertisement for Evelyn's special project she is spearheading with Mary Dell, on the issues of breast cancer. Hodge found her and Ivy began to wonder if her life would ever be hers to claim again.

This book takes a different turn from the attention being so focused on breast cancer. This time, Bostwick studies the issue of domestic violence and how it wrecks havoc not only into the victim's life, but also in the lives of her children. The dangers are real, the issue is frustrating especially when there is no proof that he was abusing her and she was afraid that he would charge her with kidnapping. However, this book shows a strength of character that one would hope to see, when Ivy finally realizes that she does not have to take that kind of abuse anymore and she finds the strength within to withstand any more abuse from her husband. That was when he really lost the battle to control her. That is the most basic of all domestic violence issue ... the desire to control another human being to its fullest. Bostwick did a great job of providing the insight in a domestic violence case.

As an avid reader and fan of Bostwick's writing, it is a pleasure to see how much her writing has matured and developed over the years. While different from her earlier books (which are so well-written, and so interesting ... I hope to see more of them in the future too!), the Cobbled Courts Quilting Shop series are just wonderful, full of familiar faces and conversation that one almost feels as if she's right there with them, listening to the gossip, holding each other's hand during tribulations and drinking (and eating a lot of food) tea. It is a rare gift when an author brings the warmth of the characters into a reader's life like this. Most series tend to wane after awhile, but not this one. Ok, it's only the second book, but just seeing how much more developed the characters are (even in a more minor role in this book), it gives this reader hope that the other books will show the same maturation as well.

If you like to read contemporary fiction about women's friendships, this book is definitely for you. It does not matter if you're a quilter or not (the quilting theme is there, but not as forefront as in the first book), because I am not a quilter and I still love this book. It is a warm-hearted book about friendship, life and love. So grab a cup of hot tea and sit in the cozy armchair and be prepared for a lovely adventure into someone else's world. Let Bostwick's story take you somewhere else for awhile.

5/24/09

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed this book for what it is. It's the kind of book that snares you into a group of friends and makes you feel empathy and sympathy for the characters.

If I didn't have a caveat to this praise, though, I would probably not have decided to write a review. The "but" in this review is that the book is very poorly edited. It seems as if someone took a first draft and printed it. There are words left out of sentences, words left in that appear to not belong there, and at least one inconsistency in a character's name. What is a very simple, summertime read is slowed when the reader has to stop and figure out what words are missing or what ones need to be omitted or rearranged to make sense of the sentence.

All in all, the story is a nice, typical group-of-women-friends-taking-on-the-world story. I'm sure that I'll read another of the author's books as a summer diversion. However, someone at the publishing house needs to find another career.

Love this author, and love this series. This book is a beautifully done second book, but would also stand alone. I love it when an author is able to actually bring the reader right into the setting of the book. Also, she writes about women supporting other women, and shows the side I wish we would all consider a little more frequently - warmth, caring, compassion, and support for one another. I can't wait for the next one!

I'm usually a mystery reader but this book has such rich characters that I couldn't put it down. It's a serious book with a serious message but the touches of humor and the strength of the characters really drew me in. I loved the first book in the series, A SINGLE THREAD, too. In fact, I liked it so much that I gave copies to all my friends for Christmas and they loved it just as much as I did. Sometimes when books become series they subsequent titles tend to let you down, but that's not the case here. This book was every bit as good as the first. I can't wait for the next one.

Some reviewers have mentioned typos in the book. I suppose there must be but if there are I didn't notice them. Maybe I was too caught up in the story to care. The bottom line is, this is a great story that will make you laugh, cry, and cheer for the women of New Bern!

I loved the book. I love when women's friendships are seen as a source of strength and humor and laughter. I love that this woman ran from Hodge, protected her daughter, found a new life, a new home, and a new person within herself. I guess I like hope, and I like to read about women having the courage to start all over, especially when they're going into the unknown. And I loved the quilting, too...it wrapped it up really nice.

this was a great book, I could not wait for the next one, and now I am waiting for more, she is a great writer, really holds your attention.

I love the contuing story and how this group all come to gether for each other. They sound like people I want to be around. I like this style of story. The quilt pink days are very worth while and it does great to keep that out befor the people because so many woman have Cancer . also to help wemon who are abused sure need a hand up and the kids alsoneed that love from the whole town. not try to hide them. if every life could end as in storys it would be great. thank you Grandma L

Marie Bostwick's novel A Thread of Truth is the second in her Cobbled Court Quilt series. I haven't read the first, but that wasn't a problem. The author does a fine job of introducing her characters and filling in the background for us first time readers. But not in the "repeat the whole first book" way that would annoy the return reader. I really admired how well this seemingly sweet author managed to nail the abuse and the behavior of the abuser. Bostwick writes graciously, without any gratuitous sex or violence, but when it's called for, this lady can write an intimidating scene of brutality. She does an excellent job in the portrayal of the abused wife as well, making Ivy unapproachable and guarded, sweetly vulnerable. My interest was also caught by the peripheral characters, and I'll be adding Bostwick's first novel, A Single Thread to my wish list.

When Ivy Edelman finally worked up the nerve to leave, she knew it would mean a lifetime of lies on the run, with no chance of ever having friends or people she could trust. But it was something she would do to keep her children safe. She put up with the violence for a long time, but the moment Hodge put a hand on their daughter Bethany, she knew they were no longer safe and he would go after all of them, and not just her. So she packed up as much as they needed and set off in the car. Bouncing from one place to another, sleeping in their car whenever necessary was certainly not ideal for children, but they were safe. When they happened upon New Bern, Ivy encountered something she was unaccustomed to: concern and care for her well-being as well as that of her children. She didn't expect to stay, but two years later she is still there, working in Evelyn's shop, in an apartment utilized by women in situations like hers, and she's almost content. She likes the people she works with but she can't bear to let her walls down as she already feels guilty for the lies she's told to keep her family out of harm's way. Everything unravels when Evelyn's quilting fundraiser for breast cancer is to be featured on her friend's cable quilting show. When Ivy is inadvertently featured in the commercial advertising this, Hodge is alerted to her whereabouts and comes after her. Ivy's flight instincts kick in but are stopped by Margot, Evelyn, and Abigail, who promise to help her as much as they can.

The premise of this book was an intriguing one, and cashed in on the trendiness of knitting and quilting in novels right now but bringing in a sobering topic as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but wasn't pulled in until very near the end. It was nice to be able to put down the book and leisurely stroll through it. The stories of friendship, trust, and love in A Thread of Truth are very endearing, and the power of the three help bring the end to a tidy, happy end. This is the second book in the Cobbled Court series by Marie Bostwick, the characters are very well-developed, and I look forward to reading more. Specifically, I'm excited to see what becomes of Margot's hopes and dreams. I have no doubt that it will be a happy story to tell, and hopefully there is lovely follow up on Ivy as well.