The Lace Reader: A Novel
by Brunonia Barry
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Book Reviews of The Lace Reader: A Novel
Book Review: Charming, but not quite spellbinding
Summary: 3 Stars
I wanted to fall in love, but I settled for a pleasant hour or two. I enjoyed the setting of Salem. Barry is at her best in sharing her glimpses of life on and around the water. I also appreciated the conceit of lace reading and the guide entries. Last, I would put the notion of an island overrun by Golden Retrievers in my "plus" column - how can you help but smile at that?
Less satisfying were a few mentions that felt like product placement (Hi, NPR listeners! Be sure to buy my book and tell your friends, Red Hat ladies...). A couple of characters had so little to do that you wonder why they stopped by at all. In any holy war between witches and evangelicals, I'm firmly in the witch camp, but the characterization of Cal and his zealots was more caricature than characterization. The "twist" at the end leaves you picking at threads in the narrative, which does not entirely hold.
When I peered through a lace handkerchief into my bookcase, I saw the truth: Brunonia Barry is no Alice Hoffman ... but even in her first novel, she's a much better writer than Jodi Picoult.
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
The author waits until the last few pages to resolve all the mysteries of the book, although there are a few things that remain unanswered. Since there are themes of witchcraft and the supernatural, I was hoping for more mysterious occurrences or reading the future with lace, but there is actually very little about lace reading, which disappointed me. The writing style reminded me of those sort of detective/cop thrillers with the quick delivery and abbreviated dialogue which did not seem to fit the theme of the novel. There are also a lot of unnecessary incidents which lend no weight to the story. It also has the problem of mostly being told in the first person by the main character, which doesn't work with the ending, I don't want to give a spoiler, so I can't really say why, but if someone is telling something that happened in the past , they would be thinking the same way the whole time, I can't be any more specific without ruining it. Why would no one say anything to her about certain misperceptions throughout the entire novel? I did think that the area around Salem sounds intriguing, though.Book Review: pretty good
Summary: 4 Stars
I was skeptical about this book. Title sounds like droopy chick lit, which I am most def not into. But once I started reading, I had to finish it. It really is a pretty good book - much better than I expected. The potentially corny 'lace reading' really is sort of incidental to the plot. Towner has run away from life in Salem, Mass and comes back when her aunt dies under suspicious circumstances. After suffering a trauma duringher childhood which left her with gaps in her memory, Towner has not returned home, nor wanted to. But she has to come home to deal with the death of her aunt, reuniting her with her odd mom and her questionable past.
At every instance where things could have gotten corny (the Calvinists and exorcisms, witches, lace reading, a romance with a cop, reminiscing about childhood, etc), it didn't. Everything worked together for me. Chick-lit readers would eat this up. But, if you're like me and hate those kinds of books, there is enough mystery, disturbing past, and other stuff in here to keep your interest. I for sure recommend this. The ending is sure to get you.
Book Review: Good to the Last Page.
Summary: 5 Stars
RATING: 5 out of 5
This is a book that will keep you up late. I loved the building of the story, the way the lace literally was woven into the story. The history of the witches of Salem, MA is not an overpowering theme, yet the author continues to feed you little bits of not-common knowledge regarding their presence in Salem. The rich and detailed description of Salem offers the reader a real visual of place that one could actually visit. By the end of the book, it was a destination for me.
The story is full of powerful women, each with their own gift and an ability to overcome what life has dealt them, maybe not the first time but over time. I was carried right into the story and did not want it to end. Towner (Sophya) was someone I continued to root for to the very end. I felt that Ms. Barry planted enough background for the reader but never gave away the ending. At least, she kept me guessing until the very end. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery to read like all good literature.
Book Review: Too much hype
Summary: 3 Stars
This book was so promoted that I was expecting a real WOW. It is not a WOW. I enjoyed the book but I was ultimately disappointed.
There are too many loose ends; for example who is Beezer's father? Since the main character says that she never tells the truth, what is true and what is false is not clearly defined. While this could be thought provoking, it is merely confusing. There are needless paragraphs; why give long details of the migraine headache?
I enjoyed the descriptions, especially those of the tunnel and the islands. The whole idea of lace reading is something I'd like to read more about. My favorite character is Eva, even though she is not alive.
I was reminded of "The Witching Hour" because in that book the house on First and Chestnut (in New Orleans, LA) is so important to the story that it becomes a character. Here in "The Lace Reader" Eva's house approaches the status of a character and I found that very interesting from a novel construction point of view.
The book is worth reading as long as hopes are not exceedingly high.