Heather Barbieri
Author of The Lace Makers of Glenmara
Works by Heather Barbieri
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Barbieri, Heather
- Legal name
- Barbieri, Heather Doran
- Birthdate
- 1963
- Gender
- female
- Awards and honors
- Seattle Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship; Artist Trust/WA State Arts Commission Fellowship; SCBWI work in progress grant; Ian St. James International Short Fiction Prize, etc.
- Agent
- Emma Sweeney
- Short biography
- Heather Barbieri inherited a love of storytelling from the Irish side of her family. After surviving the Great Famine, her paternal ancestors settled in Butte, Montana, where they worked in the mines. Her impecabbly-dress maternal grandmother was a descendent of a lady in waiting to Queen Victoria and instilled an avid interest in fashion and reading in her granddaughters. Before turning to writing fiction full time, Heather was a journalist, magazine editor, and film critic. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three children.
Members
Reviews
By Heather Barbieri Lace Makers of Glenmara, The (1st Frist Edition) [Hardcover] by Heather Barbieri
This charming and engaging tale is, at its heart, about the patterns in our lives – intertwining, growing from the airiest of bases, beautiful and fragile and strong all at once.
Aspiring fashion designer Kate Robinson, after a disastrous premier showing caps a string of heartbreaking losses, flees Seattle for a long-planned trip to Ireland. While it’s neither the mother-daughter pilgrimage to the ancestral homeland originally anticipated nor the fantasy honeymoon that became the amended show more plan, it was, finally, a time and space for Kate to be alone, to heal, and to re-evaluate her career plans.
When a free-range itinerary and a late-spring storm combine to fetch her up in the seaside village of Glenmara, she quickly becomes entangled with the lace making women of the title, and there’s even a hint of romance in the air.
Barbieri does a wonderful job of painting virtually all the characters and wisely keeps the romance a secondary plot thread. Even the major villain of the piece, who at times verges on caricature emerges in the end as more than just a tool created to bring some tension to the story of the lace makers and Kate’s involvement with their lives.
It’s a quick read with engaging characters, a bit of heartbreak, a bit of rural Irish folklore, and an ending full of hope. show less
Aspiring fashion designer Kate Robinson, after a disastrous premier showing caps a string of heartbreaking losses, flees Seattle for a long-planned trip to Ireland. While it’s neither the mother-daughter pilgrimage to the ancestral homeland originally anticipated nor the fantasy honeymoon that became the amended show more plan, it was, finally, a time and space for Kate to be alone, to heal, and to re-evaluate her career plans.
When a free-range itinerary and a late-spring storm combine to fetch her up in the seaside village of Glenmara, she quickly becomes entangled with the lace making women of the title, and there’s even a hint of romance in the air.
Barbieri does a wonderful job of painting virtually all the characters and wisely keeps the romance a secondary plot thread. Even the major villain of the piece, who at times verges on caricature emerges in the end as more than just a tool created to bring some tension to the story of the lace makers and Kate’s involvement with their lives.
It’s a quick read with engaging characters, a bit of heartbreak, a bit of rural Irish folklore, and an ending full of hope. show less
Opening Sentence: ‘…Kate had been travelling the road for hours, the rain her sole companion …’
Once I started the book I couldn’t put it down, I was gradually sucked into the world of Glenmara and when the book ended it was almost as if I had come out of a daze – as if I hadn’t realised that it had all been a dream.
The story opens in Ireland, where Kate has come to lick her wounds after the death of her mother and being dumped by her boyfriend. She chose Ireland as this is show more where she was planning on coming with her mother to explore the land of their ancestors.
Taking her time, Kate wanders around the country with no fixed destination in mind. She ends up in the remote seaside village of Glenmara on market day where she meets the women of a local lace-making society. Bernie is one of those women, and a widow. She recognizes a lost soul and offers Kate a bed for the night, which turns out to be longer, and Kate joins the lace-making circle to learn the craft.
The women of the circle are a diverse group. Bernie is lonely, missing her husband with a passion; Aileen has low self-esteem and a rebellious daughter; Moira is being abused by her husband but won’t complain about him, Oona is a breast cancer survivor who no longer feels lovely, and Colleen is a fisherman’s wife who cannot relax until her husband is safely home.Kate convinces the women to use their lace-making skills to embellish plain underwear to create exquisite lingerie. The lingerie ends up with beautiful lace flowers, fish, fairies, and even skulls and bones, worked into the pattern. As each lady completes her piece the reader is drawn into their life, magic is weaved, souls soothed, and the difficulties that each of them face are overcome. Although some of the difficulties are harder to solve than others, new love unfolds, relationships are mended, and friendships deepen.
You will need a hanky – but you will laugh as well. Support cast is very good with the misguided Catholic priest Father Dominic Byrne who thinks the lace-maker’s work is evil, the enigmatic traveler William, and the angst-ridden artist, Deane Sullivan all playing their parts in the plot well. The main and support characters are all people you want to meet, and some you wouldn’t. Overall, the book is easy to read, gentle in its delivery and covers some tough topics. show less
Once I started the book I couldn’t put it down, I was gradually sucked into the world of Glenmara and when the book ended it was almost as if I had come out of a daze – as if I hadn’t realised that it had all been a dream.
The story opens in Ireland, where Kate has come to lick her wounds after the death of her mother and being dumped by her boyfriend. She chose Ireland as this is show more where she was planning on coming with her mother to explore the land of their ancestors.
Taking her time, Kate wanders around the country with no fixed destination in mind. She ends up in the remote seaside village of Glenmara on market day where she meets the women of a local lace-making society. Bernie is one of those women, and a widow. She recognizes a lost soul and offers Kate a bed for the night, which turns out to be longer, and Kate joins the lace-making circle to learn the craft.
The women of the circle are a diverse group. Bernie is lonely, missing her husband with a passion; Aileen has low self-esteem and a rebellious daughter; Moira is being abused by her husband but won’t complain about him, Oona is a breast cancer survivor who no longer feels lovely, and Colleen is a fisherman’s wife who cannot relax until her husband is safely home.Kate convinces the women to use their lace-making skills to embellish plain underwear to create exquisite lingerie. The lingerie ends up with beautiful lace flowers, fish, fairies, and even skulls and bones, worked into the pattern. As each lady completes her piece the reader is drawn into their life, magic is weaved, souls soothed, and the difficulties that each of them face are overcome. Although some of the difficulties are harder to solve than others, new love unfolds, relationships are mended, and friendships deepen.
You will need a hanky – but you will laugh as well. Support cast is very good with the misguided Catholic priest Father Dominic Byrne who thinks the lace-maker’s work is evil, the enigmatic traveler William, and the angst-ridden artist, Deane Sullivan all playing their parts in the plot well. The main and support characters are all people you want to meet, and some you wouldn’t. Overall, the book is easy to read, gentle in its delivery and covers some tough topics. show less
I've been to Ireland a couple of times and after reading The Lace Makers of Glenmara I really want to go again. I so enjoyed my time spent reading this book. Heather Barbieri wrote an engaging story about people dealing with loss and trying to go on with their lives.
Kate, a young American woman of Irish descent, has travelled from Seattle to Ireland. One day she misses her bus and winds up walking. She takes a ride from a kind stranger who drops her at the road leading to Glenmara. She meets show more some friendly people in the village who invite her to stay and learn how to make lace. From that point on the world becomes a bit larger for the ladies who dare to try something new and Kate finds a place where people won't leave her.
Kate stays with Bernie, a 50-something widow whose husband died a year earlier. Over a cup of tea one evening Kate says to Bernie "I was just thinking how funny life is. Seems like the more you want something, the more it eludes you. Then, when you least expect it, there it is." This is a theme of the story. I liked seeing both small and big changes happen in the characters' lives - changes that some didn't even know they wanted.
A lovely book has found a home on my "keeper shelf" and I've added another title to my 2009 favorites list. I recommend The Lace Makers of Glenmara to fans of Women's Fiction and anyone who enjoys an enchanting novel. show less
Kate, a young American woman of Irish descent, has travelled from Seattle to Ireland. One day she misses her bus and winds up walking. She takes a ride from a kind stranger who drops her at the road leading to Glenmara. She meets show more some friendly people in the village who invite her to stay and learn how to make lace. From that point on the world becomes a bit larger for the ladies who dare to try something new and Kate finds a place where people won't leave her.
Kate stays with Bernie, a 50-something widow whose husband died a year earlier. Over a cup of tea one evening Kate says to Bernie "I was just thinking how funny life is. Seems like the more you want something, the more it eludes you. Then, when you least expect it, there it is." This is a theme of the story. I liked seeing both small and big changes happen in the characters' lives - changes that some didn't even know they wanted.
A lovely book has found a home on my "keeper shelf" and I've added another title to my 2009 favorites list. I recommend The Lace Makers of Glenmara to fans of Women's Fiction and anyone who enjoys an enchanting novel. show less
The Lace Makers of Glenmara, situated in a remote village in Ireland, reminds me of Jan Karon’s The Mitford series of novels as it offers a similar small-town feel where everyone knows each other and occasionally each other’s business as well. Although the author, Heather Barbieri, eloquently describes the rustic Irish countryside, I could never seem to truly feel engaged with this story. Perhaps, if the author had written this novel using Kate’s voice in the first person, I might have show more felt less detached than when reading this version in the third person.
When Kate Robinson’s mother passes away, and Kate’s relationship with boyfriend Ethan ends in disappointment, Kate flees to ancestral Ireland to find a balance in her life and to come to terms with her mother’s death. There, in a coastal village, Kate meets Bernie and the lacemakers of Glenmara. In learning the craft of working with lace, Kate finds the inspiration to design beautiful lingerie, and a new pact and business is formed that leads to new possibilities for all the women in this guild of lacemakers.
Ironically in this world’s smallest community, Kate finds handsome Sullivan Deane who similarly is recovering from a lost love. Although I’m often easily absorbed in the emotional and romantic elements of a story, I thought that the author could have developed this romance a little further. Sullivan Deane’s character was never truly revealed and his feelings were never really made transparent. I would have wanted to understand his torment better, and to feel his rehabilitation through his developing relationship with Kate.
Aside from all that, I did find The Lace Makers of Glenmara to be a pleasant story and probably a worthy read. It’s not compelling or enchanting, but enjoyable nonetheless. show less
When Kate Robinson’s mother passes away, and Kate’s relationship with boyfriend Ethan ends in disappointment, Kate flees to ancestral Ireland to find a balance in her life and to come to terms with her mother’s death. There, in a coastal village, Kate meets Bernie and the lacemakers of Glenmara. In learning the craft of working with lace, Kate finds the inspiration to design beautiful lingerie, and a new pact and business is formed that leads to new possibilities for all the women in this guild of lacemakers.
Ironically in this world’s smallest community, Kate finds handsome Sullivan Deane who similarly is recovering from a lost love. Although I’m often easily absorbed in the emotional and romantic elements of a story, I thought that the author could have developed this romance a little further. Sullivan Deane’s character was never truly revealed and his feelings were never really made transparent. I would have wanted to understand his torment better, and to feel his rehabilitation through his developing relationship with Kate.
Aside from all that, I did find The Lace Makers of Glenmara to be a pleasant story and probably a worthy read. It’s not compelling or enchanting, but enjoyable nonetheless. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 3
- Members
- 803
- Popularity
- #31,758
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 51
- ISBNs
- 24
- Languages
- 2
- Favorited
- 3
