Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Threadbare Heart by Jennie Nash (Book Review)

Title: The Threadbare Heart
Author: Jennie Nash
Publisher: Berkley Trade Paperback

My synopsis: Lily had met her husband Tom in Colorado.  Together they raised 2 sons, Ryan and Luke in Maine, and seemed to weather all the changes that the seasons of life brought them.  Upon visiting their family in California - Luke, Ryan and his wife Olivia and daughter Brooke, and Lily's mother Eleanor, Lily starts to see chinks in her marriage.  She begins to think she doesn't know her husband at all.  When an avocado ranch goes on the market, and Eleanor offers to buy it for Lily and Tom, Lily is resentful that her mom would think they could just up and move from Maine to California.  Especially since they were both so close to earning their full pensions at the university where they worked - their house was paid for - how could they just up and move all the way across the country?  In the end, Lily decides that she wants to do this for her husband, for them, because she thinks she is losing him and this will hold them together.

My thoughts:  I could go on and on with the synopsis, but I don't want to give too much away.  The story vacillates with each chapter upon different people in the family - Tom, Lily, Eleanor, Luke, Ryan, Olivia.  With each chapter you learn a little more about their individual history, and a little more about how and why they relate to each other as they do. I really enjoyed the way it was written and could relate to Lily - not necessarily because of length or stability of her marriage, but because of her insecurities.  I enjoyed Eleanor also - she seemed to be a strong woman, a little uncharacteristic for women of her generation - used to taking care of herself and not letting anyone "inside".  She had numerous husbands over the years and, since her last one, has "sworn off men". Olivia I didn't like so much - she seemed to do things to exclude her husband from her and Brooke on purpose, and wasn't very thankful the blessings she had in her life. The ending left me wanting more - I wanted to know what happens between Eleanor and Lily - if they are able to get closer. About Ryan and Olivia and if their marriage is going to withstand it's trials.  We know that Lily is a survivor, but I want to know if she gets to be happy again!

~I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my unbiased review.~

The Threadbare Heart
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley Trade, 5/4/10
ISBN: 978-0-425-23410-5
336 pages

1 comment:

bermudaonion said...

Maybe she'll write a sequel for you! I really enjoyed this book and agree that it's best going in not knowing much.

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