The Lace Reader

Author - Brunonia Barry ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Flap Jacket Press was reviewed on 6-Nov-2008.

Search ISBN:097915930X offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. The Lace Reader Reference Book. Classifications : Series Mystery Mystery & Thrillers Subjects Books Women Sleuths Mystery Mystery & Thrillers Subjects Books General Mystery Mystery & Thrillers Subjects Books General AAS Mystery Mystery & Thrillers Su . Click the following link to view the cover of The Lace Reader.

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1) Paperback Book The Lace Reader by Flap Jacket Press. THE LACE READER

I stuck with this book to the bitter end, hoping it would get better and more exciting. It never did.

I had high expectations for this book -- set in Salem, witches, lace reading, which seemed akin to palm reading -- however, it just didn´t happen. The story line was thick, slow, constantly repeating itself and going in circles.

Towner and her family are lace readers, women who can read people´s futures looking at lace. Towner comes to Salem for the funeral of a relative and then what? Not much -- a young woman goes missing, Towner remembers this and remembers that and rides in the boat, and the island dogs chase people, and religious fanatics rant and rave and Towner remembers this and remembers that and rides in the boat, and the island dogs chase people and on and on and on. And on --

I am in the minority with my low rating of this book, many people enjoyed reading this. I started off liking the writing, the story line and by page 25 I knew this was not a book for me. However, I kept reading, wanting to give the author and book the benefit of the doubt. I do not enjoy giving low ratings or negative reviews. The author has potential and it seems a sequel may be in the works. Count me out.

This book was disappointing to me. I won´t be recommending it to others -- off to the library donation box.

Thank you!
Pam¤

2) Paperback Book The Lace Reader by Flap Jacket Press. I know there are many fans of this book, and while I tried my best to be drawn in by the characters and the unusual story, I just couldn´t care about any of it. The ending, as other reviewers point out, is a huge "huh" moment, and the characters often left me wondering - and not in a good way. There is a great deal of literary fiction I can recommend, like The Thrall´s Tale or The Heretic´s Daughter, both of which have multifaceted characters you care about. But this novel didn´t move me at all, and by page fifty I was wondering when it would end.¤

3) Paperback Book The Lace Reader by Flap Jacket Press. In many ways, this book left me confused. I read along, following the story closely and with great interest. It moved in strange ways, with different voices, but it all seemed to flow just fine. And then the ending brought me to an abrupt "huh?!?!"

I went back and read large portions of the book thinking I must have just missed something, but in the end it just confirmed that although some of the twist was in the text, a lot of it was not. Too much of the fiction was fiction, or otherwise left completely open ended. I could make sense of some of it, but in the end the reader is left to decide how much of the narrative was a figment of Sophya´s mind, and how much was "real". It was pretty unsatisfying, I have to say, and I don´t know that it was necessary to the story. I think some of it could have been explained better in the end.

I enjoyed Sophya´s story, the hope and circle of life quality of it and I enjoyed reading about her relationship with Rafferty (although I have to say that was telegraphed with the very first appearance of Rafferty in the story). The sense of place was well developed and I felt pulled in, just in the end the whole thing got very tangled and left me with more questions than the text could answer. I believe in leaving some things to the imagination, but I think this one went a bit too far.

In the end, I can´t even clearly say whether I really liked it or not - is it a mess, or is it a forgivable twist in an interesting story? Maybe it´s just a bit of both.¤

4) Paperback Book The Lace Reader by Flap Jacket Press. Thoroughly enjoyed this book - the tidbits at the start of each chapter about Lace/Lace Readers was a nice change up to the story. Could picture each of the characters, appreciate when that connection can be made. The ending did make me want to go back and reread the whole book again! Well done, Enjoy!¤

5) Paperback Book The Lace Reader by Flap Jacket Press. I didn´t think I´d like this book, but got hooked from the beginning. I live in New England, and am very familiar with Salem, so I was happy to see it in the spotlight of this book. The sense of place truly played a role in the lives of the characters.

I did *not* see the twist coming in this story, and it will keep the book with me long since I´ve finished it as I will continue to review what happened.

All in all, I think this is a good book with interesting characters, including place as a character.

Good job!!¤

6) Paperback Book The Lace Reader by Flap Jacket Press. Look into the lace... When the eyes begin to fill with tears and the patience is long exhausted, there will appear a glimpse of something not quite seen... In this moment, an image will begin to form... in the space between what is real and what is only imagined. Can you read your future in a piece of lace? All of the Whitney women can. But the last time Towner read, it killed her sister and nearly robbed Towner of her own sanity. Vowing never to read lace again, her resolve is tested when faced with the mysterious, unsolvable disappearance of her beloved Great Aunt Eva, Salem s original Lace Reader. Told from opposing and often unreliable perspectives, the story engages the reader s own beliefs. Should we listen to Towner, who may be losing her mind for the second time? Or should we believe John Rafferty, a no nonsense New York detective, who ran away from the city to a simpler place only to find himself inextricably involved in a psychic tug of war with all three generations of Whitney women? Does either have the whole story? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the swirling pattern of the lace?¤

7) Paperback Book The Lace Reader by Flap Jacket Press. Amazon Best of the Month, August 2008: Brunonia Barry dreamt she saw a prophecy in a piece of lace, a vision so potent she spun it into a novel. The Lace Reader retains the strange magic of a vivid dream, though Barry´s portrayal of modern-day Salem, Massachusetts--with its fascinating cast of eccentrics--is reportedly spot-on. Some of its stranger residents include generations of Whitney women, with a gift for seeing the future in the lace they make. Towner Whitney, back to Salem from self-imposed exile on the West Coast, has plans for recuperation that evaporate with her great-aunt Eva´s mysterious drowning. Fighting fear from a traumatic adolescence she can barely remember, Towner digs in for answers. But questions compound with the disappearance of a young woman under the thrall of a local fire-and-brimstone preacher, whose history of violence against Whitney women makes the situation personal for Towner. Her role in cop John Rafferty´s investigation sparks a tentative romance. And as they scramble to avert disaster, the past that had slipped through the gaps in Towner´s memory explodes into the present with a violence that capsizes her concept of truth. Readers will look back at the story in a new light, picking out the clues in this complex, lovely piece of work. --Mari Malcolm¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 4-Dec-2008, 097915930X9780979159305, 650-520-810-900-0X0-731-8

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