The Bargain Nexus - The Lace Reader: A Novel

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Manufacturer: William Morrow

Average Customer Rating:

Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780061624766
ISBN: 0061624764
Label: William Morrow
Manufacturer: William Morrow
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: 2008-08-01
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: 2008-07-29
Studio: William Morrow

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Lace Reader - Quirky with Twists and Turns
Comment: I found this book to be exactly what I wanted to read. Its plot is unique and the subject of the Salem witches, lace makers, etc., set in Massachusetts was perfect from start to finish. There are many twists and turns and the reader will find it hard to put the book down. Read carefully between the lines, there is a lot going on. I have recommended this book to my book club.

Diane James

Customer Rating:

Summary: Disappointing
Comment: Things I liked: Barry has a powerful ability to evoke "place." Her descriptions of the locations were masterful. I especially enjoyed the subtle way that she drew us into the more fantastic or fantasy aspects of the story. I found the premises and settings and characters all quite believable. Towner and her Aunt Evie were especially well done.

I also enjoyed the way the story flowed along. Its pace was quite well done; I felt neither rushed nor mired down as the story progressed and the elements began to weave themselves together.

What didn't I like? (and how to review them without spoilers?) By the time the stories began to draw to a conclusion, I was confused, but Barry had drawn her characters so well that I cared what happened to them. Then, unfortunately, the plot twists overwhelmed both the pace of the novel - more or less just ended with a "revelation." I closed the book thinking - truth! - "OK, what was the point of that?"

The book is worth reading if you enjoy immersion in place and character. If plot is important, the book will even satisfy to a degree... so long as you don't demand that it end - um - logically.

I suspect this review may not be very helpful, but it may give you a sense of how befuddled you might be when the book ends.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Good, but not great
Comment: I agree with some of the reviewers on here who enjoyed THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER more than THE LACE READER. In many ways I found this book overhyped, and I'd be very surprised if any of her future books ever do half as well. While the subject matter was interesting, the writing was just average, and the plot was a bit muddled.

Customer Rating:

Summary: The Lace Reader
Comment: It was easy reading and held my attention; however, when I finished it, I realized I still didn't understand the plot.

Customer Rating:

Summary: An awesome Halloween read
Comment: I don't know how to review this without laying out a long list of spoilers, which would ruin it for you. I'd never heard of this author and wasn't expecting anything moving. This book was an awesome surprise. It's the tale of a flawed heroine and the town of Salem. The premise could have taken place yesterday or three hundred years ago. It does have a touch of Hawthorne to it, and that's all I'll say on that. It's engaging - I read the whole thing in a two day marathon session that was as rewarding as it was exhausting. The book is written in several styles - first person, first person omniscient, and third person which keeps the pace flowing for all 400 pages. Most of all, I enjoyed being back in Salem. Ms. Barry captures the spirit of a quirky society that thrives off tourism and history. There are so many cultures that converge in Salem. Somehow she has touched on all of them without resorting to stereotype or judgment. Her characters are refreshingly multi-dimensional.

If you plan on visiting Salem, or want to know more about it through a wonderful piece of moving fiction - do get this book. This is also a wonderful testament to the strengths and flaws of non-conformity. I look forward to more from Brunonia Barry. She's guaranteed to end up a favorite.

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Editorial Reviews:

Every gift has a price . . .

Every piece of lace has a secret . . .

My name is Towner Whitney. No, that's not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time. . . .

Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator of The Lace Reader, hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations, but the disappearance of two women brings Towner home to Salem and the truth about the death of her twin sister to light.

The Lace Reader is a mesmerizing tale that spirals into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths in which the reader quickly finds it's nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction, but as Towner Whitney points out early on in the novel, "There are no accidents."