A Single Thread

A character-driven story about life in England in the aftermath of World War1. Chevalier weaves a story around ‘surplus’ women, the paths of their lives interrupted by the war when they find all their plans derailed. With too many women and not enough men, they are forced to reinvent their purpose by creating new ways to provide for themselves emotionally and financially.
Violet Speedwell has lost the vital men in her life, her brother, and fiance to the war, her father right after. Stuck with a mean-spirited and bitter mother, she leaves home to take a job as a typist. Lonely, and bereft, she discovers an interest in the needlepoint cushion in the Winchester Cathedral and joins a sisterhood of embroiders who help her navigate her new world.
Linked by the threads of the embroidery, their lives entwine, creating new patterns that rock the existing social conforms. The bonds Violet makes give her a network of support and friendships. She learns many men’s lives have been ruined by war as well. Instead of embroidery, these men have found comradeship through the ringing of the bells in the cathedrals. The church unwittingly provides succor for those who are desperate but unable to find it, showing the power of congregation and the need for people to have human contact. Perhaps the single thread of the story is the church and community that links people and their lives giving both purpose and a place to belong. While not my favorite of Chavalier’s books, it was still authentic and meaningful.

I truly like novels by Tracy Chevalier. I just finished reading “A Single Thread” and it was a wonderful read. It has been a very long time since I sat down and read a novel in less than a day. I never fully understood how difficult it was for women after the end of WWI. The novel takes place 14 years after the end of WWI, the heroine having lost both her fiance and older brother in the war. It takes place in Britain, where a generation of young men died, both during the war and the Spanish flu epidemic after the war. These spinster women, now in their mid to late 30s, are referred to as “surplus” women. Very few husbands their age available to marry, the economy still not going strong and many of the women not married are either working menial jobs as typists or remaining at home to care for elderly parents (in this book, the heroine’s elderly mother lost her oldest son to the war and later her husband to illness). So much happens in this novel that all I can say is all of the characters, with their flaws and fears, are people to like and admire. I found the last page to be so uplifting that I cried – I think because the country was getting closer to WWII and the horrors awaiting, but mostly because in the moment the book ended, the heroine triumphed with dignity and great courage. My only hope is that the author will consider writing a second book with these same characters that carry them through WWII.

(Rounded up from 3.5 stars)

The very slow pacing at the beginning of the book, plus the mindboggling details about embroidery and bell-ringing, almost compelled my to give this a three-star rating. But Chevalier painted the protagonist, her love interest, and some of the secondary characters so well that I went for 4 stars. I particularly like the fact that Chevalier didn’t write a “happily-ever-after” ending, and the close of the book satisfied me. A Single Thread is a very human book, with a tenderness that kept me reading.

Recommended.

Set in the 1930s, A Single Thread follows the story of Violet Speedwell, one of the many surplus women unable to marry due to a shortage of men after the First World War. Violet is headstrong and independent, determined to forge her own path and leave her own mark on the world however, at 38, she is considered too old by much of society. She takes a job working as a typist in Winchester and becomes involved in a group of women, the Winchester Broderers, who provided the cathedral with embroidered seat cushions and kneelers.

One of the things I enjoy about Chevaliers novels is the blending of fact and fiction so beautifully and unobtrusively; here, there is a wealth of information slipped in about embroidery and bell-ringing, as well as larger issues such as feminism and LGBT couples. I did not find any of this too onerous to read and it all really developed the story, fleshing out characters and plot.

Sadly, one of the things I really do not enjoy is a period novel about a strong female lead who inevitably becomes pregnant as a consequence of an affair or trauma. There is more to a womans life than having children though I do realise that this particular trope was a very real occurrence in this particular time period. I was enjoying the book until the arrival of the love interest, Arthur, and the events that followed. After that it became quite predictable and I read on with a sinking stomach. Ultimately the book has an upbeat ending which affirms the power and depth of female friendships, especially with the unconventional nature of the Speedwell household at this point.

Having enjoyed many of Chevaliers novels in the past, I had high hopes for A Single Thread, but sadly it did fall short for me. The characterisation and plot are well executed and there is an evocative and sinister mood lurking below the surface of this book, indicative of the unease that lingered between the two World Wars, and this is handled beautifully. For me, not as good as At the Edge of the Orchard or The Last Runaway, Chevaliers previous two novels, or even Falling Angels, but if you like historical fiction then this comes recommended.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, HarperCollins UK, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to this book, as I had really enjoyed The Girl with the Pearl Earring. What a disappointment! If I had not known, I would not have believed that both books were written by the same author. A Single Thread has no literary merit. I would rate it as ” good”, if it was a school essay. There is far too much detail regarding both embroidery and bell ringing. Yes, we need to have some relevant information, but this goes on ad nauseam! I was taken aback to read that one of the characters had “smashed it”, when she presented a particularly fine piece of embroidery. This term has only recently come into parlance and was not in use in the early 1930s. If you appreciate good literature, give this book a miss.

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