This is the first Tracy Chevalier book I have been unable to finish. I read to about 100pages, but it just did not capture my imagination the way her other books have. Very disappointing.

I've just finished reading A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. I loved it from the first page and was entranced as the plot and characters wrapped themselves around me. As much as anything I think it was the quality of the writing that made the book for me. There isn't much plot but as a character study it is excellent.

A single Thread is set in 1932 between the ward and focuses on the character Violet.

Violet lives in Winchester and one day comes across an embroidery dedication service at the cathedral. She is instantly drawn to the knee let’s that they have made and wants to make one herself. She finds herself joining the embroidery group and her world is changed.

She makes new friends, discovers a love for embroidery and finds romance along the way.

This is a good book and well written but I found the story hard to get into and had to go back to it a few times.

I wanted to read this book because it was recommended by someone whose judgement I usually trust. I was very disappointed. I read elsewhere that Tracy Chevalier spends six months researching a novel before she starts writing. To my mind, research for a novel (as opposed to non-fiction), should be done and then put away; the information is there to draw on and to prevent errors. In this novel, the research *is* the story. We get a complete guided tour of Winchester cathedral, instructions on how to make a tapestry kneeler for a church and lessons in bell ringing. When Dorothy L Sayers wrote The Nine Tailors (listed here as a source), she did a huge amount of research into bell ringing, really mastered it, yet this erudition never intrudes; it’s just necessary background. A Single Thread is, frankly, dull and at one point I nearly gave up on it.

The biggest problem with the book is the main character, Violet. She’s thirty-eight, her brother and her fiancé have been killed in the First World War and she lives at home with her ghastly mother. At last, she breaks away, taking her typing skills from Southampton to Winchester, where she has a go at making a new life for herself, a life for one of the ‘surplus women’ of the time. I found her not only uninteresting but unbelievable; I just couldn’t see things working out as they did at that period of time. This is a great shame but no matter what I think, the book will probably be a bestseller anyway, on the strength of the author’s name.

A Single Thread was published in September and I read it thanks to NetGalley.

This is a wonderfully evocative read of a different era that seems so long ago but is within a lifetime. The descriptions of Winchester Cathedral and people involved build up an intense picture of hopes, disappointments, forbidden love. It seems that every word is carefully chosen, like the stitches in a tapestry, to build a vibrant, multi-layered picture. Society was restrictive, morals rigid but people still blossomed and found their way. There are dark passages in this but there is light at the end. Loved it.

What a lovely book - an easy read but so much depth within.. The story begins in the early 1930’s and goes through to the rise of Fascism. Although I knew of the history of the swastica I had not seen this displayed as described in the Winchester Cathedral.
The story covers depression, homophobia, lesbians including the fact that women were second rate citizens. I grew up in this area and although I moved away for a few years I moved back to the same area and have visited Winchester Cathedral many times.this book has enthused me to go again and look with new eyes. I also have other places of interest to visit that Tracey describes so well.not only was this the lovely story of Violet Speedwell as she grows and finds herself in this sad period but it is both a beautiful historical and geographical set of information wound into the story.
Reading this has encouraged me to find out more about Louisa Pesel.
Once again Tracey Chevalier has written a first class book that is compulsive reading.

Embroidery stitches and ringing bells
What a combination, leaves the reader wanting to know more about both hobbies.
A gentle read centred on Winchester with its cathedral central to the story. Takes place between the wars, women are oppressed and the majority have to struggle to support themselves, if they choose or need to work. Violet realises that if she wants a life of her own, she must move from her widowed Mother's claustrophobic house. She moves to Winchester discovers the pleasure of embroidery and against the odds males a new life.
Book has inspired me to look into embroidery stitches and try my hand at some.
Another inspirational book from Tracy Chevalier.

Violet lost her brother and fiancé in WW1 and has just moved out of the home she shared with her overbearing mother. This book goes in-depth into a hitherto unknown subject, as many of Chevalier‘s books do; this time its the embroidery of church kneelers, as well as a spot of bell-ringing too...!

There is, as always, an absorbing storyline alongside the fascinating facts, which made for an unputdownable book. I felt that the subject matter wasn't perhaps as quirky as other Chevalier novels that I have read, but somehow the simplicity of this subject made me enjoy the story more.

Chevalier’s best since Falling Angels; possibly her best ever, though I’d have to reread Angels to decide for sure – it’s got the Victorian graveyard setting so sure to lure me in. The subject matter of the 1930s-set A Single Thread sounds like it could easily be parochial and twee: embroidering kneeling cushions and ringing church bells in an English cathedral town? That Chevalier makes such old-fashioned hobbies fascinating is a testament to her rising talent for incorporating copious research to bring a historical period to life – something she hasn’t always managed unobtrusively in earlier novels.

She’s created an appealing heroine in Violet Speedwell, who at age 38 is living away from home for the first time. As one of the “surplus woman” created by WWI, in which she lost both her brother and her fiancé, she has to fight for a life of her own in Winchester, including a career as a typist, a decent living situation in a boarding house, and the community of friends she meets through the cathedral’s broderers group. Many have ruled her out – even her own brother – as if asking what the point is of one more spinster. Yet when opportunities to expand her life come her way, whether that’s through creating beautiful handcraft to decorate a centuries-old church, going on a walking holiday by herself or falling in love with a 60-year-old married bellringer, Violet seizes them. I especially liked the scenes in which she stands up to her employer. You cheer for her courage all the way through.

The plot is not without melodrama (in particular, I found it farfetched, though of course it’s a familiar trope from fiction and films, that Violet would become pregnant from just one sexual encounter, and immediately afterward would be hopeful: “alert to the possibility of change and growth” and feeling “a faint twinge”), but I was mostly able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the coincidences and fast-paced events of the last third. Some things are ever true, after all: single women feeling the pressure of marriage and motherhood, women alone being in fear of unwanted male attention, the threat of rising fascism, and people having to stand up for the right to love even if it’s not who they’re ‘supposed’ to love.

My husband is from the Southampton area, so I know Winchester and its surroundings well, which only enhanced my appreciation of this vividly realized setting. Chevalier is an American expat like me, though she’s lived in England long enough to make this very English novel convincing and full of charm.

Some favorite lines:

“Cups of tea punctuated moments, dividing before from after”

“Men walked through the world as if it belonged to them.”

“Don’t wallow, she scolded herself. Jane Austen [buried in Winchester Cathedral] would never have wallowed.”

This is historical fiction, a mix of fact and fiction, set mainly in Winchester in the 1930s. It is a a simple straightforward story, beautifully written, with the emphasis on everyday life. The main character is Violet Speedwell, a single woman of 38, regarded by society as a ‘surplus woman’ unlikely to marry because her fiancé, Laurence was killed in the First World War. The 1921 census revealed that there were 1.75 million more women than men in the UK. Surplus women were patronised and were expected to stay at home looking after their elderly relatives, but at the age of 38 in 1932 Violet decides to leave her overbearing mother and move on her own to Winchester. There is a lot of information about embroidering cushions and kneelers for the the Choir stalls and Presbytery seats in the Cathedral and about bell-ringing, both of which formed integral parts of the book.

Violet knew nobody in Winchester, but whilst looking round the Cathedral she came across a group of women, calling themselves the Winchester Cathedral Broderers, dedicated to embroidering hassocks and cushions for the seats and benches. She joins the group, led by Miss Louisa Pesel (a real person) and the stern Mrs Biggins and as well as learning to embroider, she makes new friends. One of these friends is Gilda, who introduces her to two of the bell-ringers, Arthur, a older married man and a younger, unmarried man, called Keith.

She is determined to be independent, not relying on her mother or her brother to support her. So she finds a job as a typist and takes a room in house shared with two other women and her landlady, Mrs Harvey, who discourages male visitors other than family. The difficulties of being independent are brought home to Violet as she struggles on her wages to pay for her lodgings, laundry and coal, let alone feed herself. And then her mother is admitted to hospital and she has to decide whether to return home to look after her.

The characters are drawn with fine detail and the descriptions of the settings, particularly in the Cathedral are so clear that I could easily visualise both the building and its interior. I particularly liked the details about the embroidery and the stitches used. As the Nazi Party and Hitler rise to power in Germany, the use of fylfots in the embroidery designs are mistaken for swastikas which are ancient symbols of light and life and good fortune.

The book gives an detailed look at life between the two World Wars. It has a slow gentle pace following Violet’s new life, but there is a sense of change on the horizon as her relationship with Arthur develops. It gives a lively picture of the difficulties of life for unmarried women, including Gilda and Dorothy’s unconventional relationship that they have to keep secret to avoid the prejudice this would attract. And there is an indication of the sense of unease in society as the threat of another war loomed.

It is obvious throughout the book that Tracy Chevalier has meticulously carried out her research and in the acknowledgements she lists a number of the many resources she has used, including details of Louisa Pesel’s embroidery work as well as the history of Winchester Cathedral, bell-ringing, 1930s women and life in Britain in the 1930s .

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for my copy of this book for review.

I wasn't one hundred percent sure whether this would be my cup of tea from the blurb but how wrong I was! Tracey Chevalier has sewn a wondrous book that had me hooked from the very start. Violet's changing relationships with her family and new circle of friends are beautifully brought to life, as are her financial worries and the issues faced by the many 'spare' women in the decades following WW1. And having never given embroidered kneelers and cathedral cushions a single thought, I now find myself desperate to visit Winchester Cathedral and catch a glimpse of the Broderers' work!

. An historical fiction set between the work wars. Violet moves to Winchester to try and gain some independence from her somewhat overbearing mother. Employed as a typist she finds friends through a group Of "Broderers" working on pew and kneeler cushions for Winchester Cathedral and led by Louis Pesel.

It is an interesting look at life in this period and the constraints that women are under. There is a romantic element and also the introduction of some LGBT issues. It has a lovely pace and feel within the narrative and the characters are very well portrayed.

Chevalier also highlights activities which don't normally feature in historical fiction - the borderers and bell ringing. This made it more interesting and the storyline was thoroughly endearing

I've never read a Tracy Chevalier book before although I have heard of The Girl with the Pearl Earring. I didn't know quite what to expect with this book. The story doesn't sound particularly intriguing - some lady embroiderers in the 1930s and some bell ringing - but this is a great story. It's warm and full of strong female characters. It tells the story of Violet Speedwell who moves to Winchester to get away from her widowed mother and her involvement with the (real life) project to embroider kneeling and bench cushions for Winchester Cathedral. She befriends women in the embroiderers group and also the bell ringers of the cathedral. There is lots of lovely detail on the embroiderers, bell ringing, and what it was like for women at that time, especially all the spinsters, in the aftermath of WW1. I really loved this book and would recommend it highly.

A Single Thread begins in 1932 and its main character, Violet Speedwell, is one of the “surplus women” created by the deaths of so many young men in the First World War. Violet, now 38, lost both her brother and her fiancée in the war and faces a struggle to find a way to live her life without the prospect of marriage or a fulfilling relationship - either settling for a life of dullness and exasperation caring for her cantankerous elderly mother, or making a living for herself in a world where only the more menial and lesser paid jobs are open to females.

Violet chose the latter and lives a meagre life employed as a typist for a Winchester insurance company, living in depressing digs and eking out her money by missing meals. As a release, she often visits Winchester Cathedral and whilst there she discovers and joins the team of women, real-life historical volunteers, who worked on wonderfully embroidered kneeling cushions for the worshippers comfort. Through her growing involvement with the group and the friends she makes, she meets Arthur, an older man and a bell-ringer at the cathedral who cares for a poorly wife and who shares a somewhat chaste, but growing attraction with Violet.

Violet is constrained by her spinsterhood and the morays of the day, but she wants life on her terms and not the terms society says she should endure. Eventually she is able to choose happiness and a certain independence, albeit it at odds with other’s acceptance of her decisions in a somewhat stifling and disapproving time.

This was such a gentle, reflective and delicate book. Its unhurried pace belies the power of the story and the characters were real and believable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and, against my expectations, the obviously well researched descriptions of the intricacies of both needlepoint and bell ringing. I haven’t visited Winchester, but from Tracy Chevalier’s skilled descriptions of the city and surrounding countryside I could picture it well. Altogether a really affecting read and one I would thoroughly recommend.

What a lovely read, it drew me right in and I felt like I was walking along side then. Totally not what I was expecting, I knew it would be good but not as gripping as it was. The detail with all the descriptions was what grabbed me and made the pages feel alive.
I chose this book from NetGalley as the description grabbed my interest but sadly it stayed on my kindle for a while due to me not choosing it and this I think is because the cover isn’t as appealing as the synopsis. Shame as once I did read it, I loved it.

Set in 1932, Victoria is mourning the loss of both her fiancé and her brother. With the losses following WW1, she is deemed unlikely to marry so resolves to set up a life on her own away from her mother. A subtle, sensitive tale with undercurrents of facism, depression and misogyny. A surprisingly enjoying read.

Violet Speedwell is a middle-aged woman who finally leaves her family home to work a few miles away in Winchester. She moves to get away from her overbearing mother and to try to be more independent: working as a secretary and living in a boarding house with other single women. Despite her spinsterhood, her drab clothing and her lack of money Violet is a rather modern woman - she mourns her brother and fiancé, both killed in the Great War but has been known to meet strange men, who she refers to as 'sherry men', in hotel bars for brief liaisons and she successfully negotiates for better pay and conditions for herself and a colleague. Although initially surprised by a new friend's romantic involvement with another woman she is accepting of their choices and helps them in their time of need. Her own yearning for love leads to a very difficult decision and yet another rather modern choice. Violet's growing involvement with a group who are creating needlepoint kneelers and cushions for the Cathedral in Winchester is a theme throughout the whole book and it echoes the way that all the lives we see are part of a whole community, that each individual thread is entwined in a larger picture.

This is a lovely book which explores big themes of war, loss and the lives of women in a measured yet determined way. There are big changes in a society which has been torn apart by war, and then the Spanish flu, and is now trying to rebuild itself: a process Chevalier describes as a country 'put back together like the Great West Window - defiant and superficially repaired' but still, essentially damaged. Women, in particular, need to find a new place as the millions of missing mean leave more single women with the choice of working in those jobs available to them, marrying the men who remain (often either much older, much younger or, somehow, damaged by the war) or caring for their aging, and often grieving, parents. And, like so many good pieces of historical fiction, it shines light on how we deal with similar issues today.

'A Single Thread' is set between the wars & revolves around Violet, one of the thousands of 'Surplus Women' who lost their chance of a husband & family due to WWI Violet moved to Winchester to escape from her constantly complaining mother & in an attempt to make a life for herself. Even though at times she wonders how she is going to eat & pay the rent she is finding her way. By chance she discovers a service for the broderers- the ladies who are painstakingly making cushions & kneelers for the Cathedral. Once she joins this group she begins to make friends & a purpose.

Tracy Chevalier has the talent of taking the reader to different places & times & weaving a story that makes you feel you are part of it. This is not a fast moving story, but it is one that draws you in & makes you sad to leave the characters behind.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

A story set in 1930s England, where our main character, Violet Speedwell, is living a life affected by World War One and the deaths of her fiance and older brother. She has finally made the move, at the age of 38, away from her overbearing mother to live in digs and work as a typist in Winchester. A brave move for a single female in those days. She's having to scrimp and save but is enjoying her freedom. She stumbles upon the broderers' dedication service at Winchester Cathedral and decides to become one of those ladies who embroider cushions and kneelers. Like any all female group from time immemorial, we see dominant figures, ones who like to belittle other women, but also good friends who are supportive. Violet becomes friendly with Gilda HIll, a friendship which is put to the test. And she meets bellringers, Arthur and Keith who become important to her. A story with several themes: historical gender roles; how single females were treated; gender inequality; same sex relationships; affairs. A good read. #netgalley #asinglethread

One of those books you put off reading just in case you can't get into it and think how stupid that was.
Fascinating and fulfilling.