Bookseller Reviews
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A timeless story of friendship....
I must admit that I’m a great fan of Tracy Chevalier’s books. Every single one of them brings a different joy to my life.
In this novel she brings us the ... READ MORE
A single thread.....
Violet is what people call a ‘Surplus girl’ due to her being 38, unmarried and childless. She takes it upon herself to do more with her life than be shield... READ MORE
From small things, greatness
The history of great tapestries, such as Bayeux, is well known but here Chevalier throws her writer’s light on church broderers whose stitches tell their o... READ MORE
A novel full of gentle power
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 overbeari... READ MORE
I LOVED this
A gentle atmospheric story set in Winchester with the cathedral being the centre piece. Stays with you quite a while. Chevalier never fails to impress.
I cried...a lot
This was my first Tracey Chevalier and it did not disappoint. Beautiful atmospheric writing, a unique blend of both fact and fiction and loveable character... READ MORE
Synopsis
It is 1932, and the losses of the First World War are still keenly felt. Violet Speedwell, mourning for both her fiance and her brother and regarded by society as a `surplus woman' unlikely to marry, resolves to escape her suffocating mother and strike out alone.
A new life awaits her in Winchester. Yes, it is one of draughty boarding-houses and sidelong glances at her naked ring finger from younger colleagues; but it is also a life gleaming with independence and opportunity. Violet falls in with the broderers, a disparate group of women charged with embroidering kneelers for the Cathedral, and is soon entwined in their lives and their secrets. As the almost unthinkable threat of a second Great War appears on the horizon Violet collects a few secrets of her own that could just change everything...
Warm, vivid and beautifully orchestrated, A Single Thread reveals one of our finest modern writers at the peak of her powers.
Publisher information
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- ISBN: 9780008153816
- Number of pages: 352
- Dimensions: 227 x 159 x 33 mm
- Weight: 530g
Customer Reviews
View allFocus on the small details!
This book plays a poignant reminder to the horrors of the First World War. It is portrayed so well. It’s side effects are made more apparent in the everyda... READ MORE
Stunning and thought provoking
I always get really excited when Tracy Chevalier publishes a new book, she is such a masterful storyteller. A Single Thread is her new novel, set in the 19... READ MORE
Falls short ...
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... READ MORE
Highly recommended, a real insight into a fascinating topic.
Oh I loved this book!
Violet Speedwell, in her late 30s, unmarried and likely to remain so in the aftermath of WW1, escapes the confines of the stuffy Sou... READ MORE
A compelling story of the interwar years
Do I want to read a new Tracy Chevalier book? It's a no-brainer, I would always say a big resounding yes! She's an incredibly versatile author when you thi... READ MORE
a good read
One of Tracy Chevalier's previous books -The Last Runaway- was the beginning of my now, fairly established, hobby of patchwork and sewing. So, I was please... READ MORE
Stunning & Remarkable!
If your favoured reading material is a novel with a good sprinkling of history, gentleness and humour, then feel free to read this latest offering by Tracy... READ MORE
A five star read
Violet Speedwell is starting a new life in Winchester - one of the surplus women, who have found themselves without marriage prospects following World War ... READ MORE
Moments of brilliance, but slow to build
Overall, an empowering journey into the strength of women and society after WW1 through the story of Violet.
I found the plot a little slow to build, but ... READ MORE
Novel set in 1930s WINCHESTER
Violet Speedwell is a woman in her later 30s who is trying to make her way in the world, at a time when women had very little freedom and when men were sca... READ MORE
A Remarkable Story.
Such a wonderful read, it’s sad to have finished it. I have read all of Tracy Chevalier’s books, all great reads and this book: “A Single Thread” is up on ... READ MORE
A wonderful picture of social history
I completely engaged with Violet Speedwell in this book - she was so well portrayed as was her situation in the years after the First World War. A fascinat... READ MORE
Lovely Book
Violet Speedwell has lost her brother and her fiancé in WW1 and like many other women finds herself without a role in life. She escapes her domineering mot... READ MORE
A lovely book
'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... READ MORE
Charming and recommended
I was lucky enough to be on holiday so I could read this lovely book in a day. It wasn’t what I expected from Tracy Chevalier, but it was interesting, char... READ MORE
Embroidery and bell ringing.
This is my seventh book by Tracy Chevalier and I have enjoyed them all. My favourite is still Fallen Angels, about the Suffragette movement, but I enjoyed ... READ MORE
Gentle but feisty!
Gentle but feisty this is the perfect read for right now, it's not too challenging but very enjoyable to read and you learn something about what it was to ... READ MORE
Marvellous Read!
Well someone told me a while back that this was just about different kinds of stitches... so it slid down my to be read pile...
Let's be clear I should no... READ MORE
A book that’s impossible to put down
What a lovely warm story, once I stared reading it I didn’t want to put it down, I actually felt as though I was there living it with all the ladies. It ha... READ MORE
A Single Thread Review
A wonderful story of love, perseverance and strength. Set in and around Winchester, the story follows the life of Violet, a engaging character I felt so m... READ MORE
Another interesting Tracey Chavlier book.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book as I do all her books. They all are so well researched.
Just dull
I have to admit i am not particularly interested in making church kneelers or in bell ringing and probably because of this I found this book incredibly dul... READ MORE
Nice read
This book was a very easy read, there’s nothing to dramatic about the story line, it’s a pleasant, nice read.
Post World War I following the story of Vio... READ MORE
A beautiful novel
A Single Thread is the second novel by Tracy Chevalier that I have read. Violet Speedwell lost her brother and fiancé in WW1 and at the age of 38 is consi... READ MORE
Enthralling
Violet is a women of the 1930s when, as a comic song put it there were, “Two women to every man” after the many male deaths of World War I.
The usual path... READ MORE
A superb book of women in 1932, set in Winchester
This is a superb book which deserves to be widely read. Set in 1932, this is historical fiction with a keen eye to issues still causing difficulties today.... READ MORE
A stitch of joy
This book feels as if the Girl with a Pearl Earring has been transported to 20th century England and has grown up even more. The narrative of this book flo... READ MORE