The Lace Makers of Glenmara

I was asked to review the new novel, The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri by Mothertalk.

I got the book in the mail one afternoon last week. I opened it up and read the first 10 pages - I was totally hooked. I couldn't wait to see where Kate was going, who she was meeting, and what might happen next.

This is what the editorial review says about The Lace Makers of Glenmara:
"You can always start again," Kate Robinson's mother once told her, "all it takes is a new thread." Overwhelmed by heartbreak and loss, the struggling twenty-six-year-old fashion designer follows her mother's advice and flees to her ancestral homeland of Ireland, hoping to break free of old patterns and reinvent herself.

She arrives on the west coast, in the seaside hamlet of Glenmara. In this charming, fading Gaelic village, Kate quickly develops a bond with members of the local lace-making society: Bernie, alone and yearning for a new purpose since the death of her beloved husband, John; Aileen, plagued by doubt, helplessly watching her teenage daughter grow distant; Moira, caught in a cycle of abuse and denial, stubbornly refusing help from those closest to her; Oona, in remission from breast cancer, secretly harboring misgivings about her marriage; Colleen, the leader of the group, worried about her fisherman husband, missing at sea. And outside this newfound circle is local artist Sullivan Deane, an enigmatic man trying to overcome a tragedy of his own.

Under Glenmara's spell, Kate finds the inspiration that has eluded her, and soon she and the lace makers are creating a line of exquisite lingerie. In their skilled hands, flowers, Celtic dragons, nymphs, fish, saints, kings, and queens come to life, rendered with painterly skill. The circle also offers them something more—the strength to face their long-denied desires and fears. But not everyone welcomes Kate, and a series of unexpected events threatens to unravel everything the women have worked so hard for. . . .

I read this book late into the night even though I just KNEW I'd be exhausted the next day, but I couldn't put it down! This book is a terrific beach read, waiting room read, or even a lazy Saturday afternoon read. If lace or sewing isn't your thing, it doesn't matter. The book is WAY more than that. It's about relationships, friendships, and more.

Need a good read? Try The Lace Makers of Glenmara - you won't be sorry. It's being released June 23rd. If you really want it sooner, you can pre-order it at your favorite on-line book store.