The Wishing Thread

Have you ever read a book you just wanted to crawl into the pages and the story, and live there? That is how I felt about The Wishing Thread. If I could magically transport my life into this book, I would.

It's a family tradition for my brother and I to love the story of the Headless Horseman and Sleepy Hollow. We know the Disney cartoon by heart, the songs, the dialogue, even the lines from the cartoon shorts that come before it on the DVD. I loved the Johnny Depp movie version, and I am excited for the upcoming television show, although it involves time travel and that usually turns me off. I sadly have never read the Washington Irving story, but I plan on correcting that in October.

I looked at the blurb for the book, and was a little show more apprehensive. I have had bad experiences with books that take place or are based on an original story, like this one. Or Scarlett, that sad sequel to Gone with the Wind. So I started reading a little reservedly. It didn't take long for the story and the characters to steal me away into their lives.

Aubrey and her two sisters grew up with their aunt in a house that had been in the family for generations. Their house is known as The Stichery around town, and always had been. The Van Rippen family's heritage is long and winding and magical. They can knit spells, fulfilling the wishes of those who come to them, desperate, hopeful, resigned. The wisher must give up something of great importance to them in order for the deal to be made, and for the spell to work. But this is not a guarantee that the magic will work, just a sign of good faith between the two.

The idea of being able to embed emotions such as dreams and wishes, and curses like anger and despair into creative works is also called sympathetic magic. I have read this as a device in another book, where it was said that women who made quilts while waiting for their loved ones to come back from war sewed those emotions right into the quilts. I find this idea fascinating - I am pretty fanciful, and halfway believe that the transference really could happen.

The sisters grow up, and one by one leave The Stitchery - except Aubrey. She is different. She is the chosen one to stay on and grant the wishes, the sign of the choosing being her bright electric blue eyes. This part confused me, I wasn't sure if it was her whole entire eye that was blue, including the whites, or just the iris. Their beloved aunt dies, and her sisters come home for a visit. At this point, their lives start unraveling, and outside forces are working against them and The Stitchery. It is up to them to come together to change their own fates.

When I finished reading the story, I read the author interview and book club questions in the back. One of the book club questions was what would you would wish for, and what would you give up in the hopes of your wish coming true? You don't have to say, because I am sure your wishes are personal, but I think it is a thought provoking question.

This book is wonderful - magical, hopeful, yet with the real struggles that people actually go through in life, with a touch of Headless Horseman. The book was set during the fall, and it made me wish for autumn, with its crisp breezes, crunchy leaves, and sweaters and jeans, and is my favorite time of the year. And I don't knit, but I think I am going to give it a try this winter! show less

Have you ever read a book you just wanted to crawl into the pages and the story, and live there? That is how I felt about The Wishing Thread. If I could magically transport my life into this book, I would.

It's a family tradition for my brother and I to love the story of the Headless Horseman and Sleepy Hollow. We know the Disney cartoon by heart, the songs, the dialogue, even the lines from the cartoon shorts that come before it on the DVD. I loved the Johnny Depp movie version, and I am excited for the upcoming television show, although it involves time travel and that usually turns me off. I sadly have never read the Washington Irving story, but I plan on correcting that in October.

I looked at the blurb for the book, and was a little show more apprehensive. I have had bad experiences with books that take place or are based on an original story, like this one. Or Scarlett, that sad sequel to Gone with the Wind. So I started reading a little reservedly. It didn't take long for the story and the characters to steal me away into their lives.

Aubrey and her two sisters grew up with their aunt in a house that had been in the family for generations. Their house is known as The Stichery around town, and always had been. The Van Rippen family's heritage is long and winding and magical. They can knit spells, fulfilling the wishes of those who come to them, desperate, hopeful, resigned. The wisher must give up something of great importance to them in order for the deal to be made, and for the spell to work. But this is not a guarantee that the magic will work, just a sign of good faith between the two.

The idea of being able to embed emotions such as dreams and wishes, and curses like anger and despair into creative works is also called sympathetic magic. I have read this as a device in another book, where it was said that women who made quilts while waiting for their loved ones to come back from war sewed those emotions right into the quilts. I find this idea fascinating - I am pretty fanciful, and halfway believe that the transference really could happen.

The sisters grow up, and one by one leave The Stitchery - except Aubrey. She is different. She is the chosen one to stay on and grant the wishes, the sign of the choosing being her bright electric blue eyes. This part confused me, I wasn't sure if it was her whole entire eye that was blue, including the whites, or just the iris. Their beloved aunt dies, and her sisters come home for a visit. At this point, their lives start unraveling, and outside forces are working against them and The Stitchery. It is up to them to come together to change their own fates.

When I finished reading the story, I read the author interview and book club questions in the back. One of the book club questions was what would you would wish for, and what would you give up in the hopes of your wish coming true? You don't have to say, because I am sure your wishes are personal, but I think it is a thought provoking question.

This book is wonderful - magical, hopeful, yet with the real struggles that people actually go through in life, with a touch of Headless Horseman. The book was set during the fall, and it made me wish for autumn, with its crisp breezes, crunchy leaves, and sweaters and jeans, and is my favorite time of the year. And I don't knit, but I think I am going to give it a try this winter! show less

First, I want to say that the cover for this book is just beautiful. I say this only because when I got my copy in the mail, I was so disappointed that the cover on the book I received was a generic galley cover. (I know, how petty of me ~ *sigh*)
That aside, I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. I know absolutely ZILCH about knitting. When I was little, my sister and I were sent to an old woman in a ramshackled old house who would sit on her front porch on a battered old rocking chair to teach us how to crochet. My sister was a natural. Me, not so much. My "potholder" looked more like the state of Texas than the small square it was supposed to be. I can tell you that even though I didn't learn to crochet, I did learn show more a few things from that wizened old woman that perhaps, are worth so much more than being able to make a passable scarf. Just the time spent with my closest sister is priceless to me now. This book resonates with me in so many different ways, I felt a bit bereft when I was finished reading.
The emotional ties between the sisters was something that touched a part of my soul. I know that sounds corny but being the oldest of a biological trio of sisters myself, I saw a great deal of our own bonds that hold us together as well as the same un-nameable "something" that scatters us apart. This author has such lush prose and her characters are brought to life so vividly for me. I think this book did indeed have some magic woven into it.

FTC Advisory: I won a copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program. No compensation for my review was given. show less

Many Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and Library Thing Early Reviewers for an advanced reading copy and the opportunity to write an honest review.

Touted as a similar author to Sarah Addison Allen, I was excited to dig into Lisa Van Allen’s new book. In her freshman debut, Van Allen depicts a quaint, superstitious but friendly Tarrytown, threatened by urban progress –progress that inadvertently affects the equally sleepy life of our protagonist: one contented, or dare I say resigned, Aubrey Van Ripper.

Aubrey is the guardian of a magical stitchery, aptly named “The Stitchery”. It's in her blood to help the locals through her magic abilities and knitting. Aubrey is one to take the guardianship quite seriously being gifted show more the job after her dear Aunt passes...and to someday pass the guardianship to the next generation. Aubrey accepts her role just as it was for the generations of guardians before her.

The Stitchery is a place of magic, friendships, and of course, knitting. This is a sweet story, following Aubrey as she comes into herself, patches up tenuous relationships with her siblings, grows into her role as guardian, while discovering the deep importance of family bonds, bravery, love, and the beauty of sacrifice.

I felt the story was well-written, albeit a bit slow in the middle to pick up near the end. Aubrey was so down-to-earth believable and yet, I wish the author hadn't made such an effort to emphasize Aubrey's plain and ordinary (almost frumpy) appearance. I could only assume that this was written in juxtaposition to her unusual physical feature that trumped the attention of most. I'm not sure.

This was an enjoyable read especially for the knitter in me. I look forward to seeing more from this author. show less

Format: ARC e-book

How I got the book: I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quote: "Oh, I read all kinds of books," she told him. But I guess I like the soft kind the best. The ones that, when you close them, leave your heart feeling like your stomach of you just ate a big meal."

That is probably a good description of how I felt after reading The Wishing Thread.

What I liked:

The best summary of what I liked about this book is probably the blurb from Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters:

“With deft needlework, a dash of folklore, and some good old-fashioned family angst, Lisa Van Allen knits together the threads of second chances, the show more pleasure of giving, the complications of sisterhood, and love. There’s a bit of magic in The Wishing Thread, in the words and the story as well as in the yarn.”

This book is a wonderful chance to escape into a place so like our own but subtly magical. First, I am totally into a book that uses knitting as an integral part of the plot development. It just makes me yearn to pick up those needles, even though I am not nearly as good as my mother or my great-aunt, who both patiently taught the "leftie" how to knit. The idea that someone could have the capability to knit spells into the garment seemed natural to me, right along with love, compassion and happy thoughts for the recipient.

The sisters themselves seemed very real and fleshed out. I really enjoyed the intertwined, complex pattern of the relationships and growth of each sister, independently and together. The impact of decisions on the family and the community were well done. I felt that all three sisters were real and relate-able.. I expected this to be about Aubrey but found myself caring and cheering for each sister. I especially liked the development of Nessa, Aubrey's niece and Bitty's adolescent daughter.

And, finally, I loved how the story kept weaving and changing.. There was no clear pattern until the story was complete and blocked into a satisfying ending. I loved the interplay of the of Tarrytown and its history and folklore played against very modern and real questions of urban renewal and gentrification This was a good book for escape from our daily lives for a few hours and to want to visit The Stitchery and Tarrytown again.

What I didn't like: I felt the story was a little tough to get into. Rather than falling I felt I was fighting the language. It felt like the writer was stuck in a creative writing class with a thesaurus. However, I stuck with it, and by the third chapter or so, the pretension fell away and the story got legs. So stick with it for about 10 minutes or so and feel the book.

The Chapter Titles are commonly used knitting instructions. I kept looking for a pattern there but I could never find it.

Additional thoughts: I LOVED The Great Book in the Hall and all the wisdom it had to offer.

This book is an escape and I do like to escape into "Happily Ever After."

I would compare this to books by Debbie Macomber or Sarah Addison Allen. In fact, my copy had an conversation of Sarah asking Lisa questions about the book and her writing process.That was an unexpected treat. show less

The Wishing Thread: A Novel is a delightful read! Usually, when I read that is book is being compared to another book, by an author that is tried and true and well liked, I get suspicious. And I was quite suspicious when this author was compared to Sarah Addison Allen who herself writes some delightful books. Still, something made me take a chance on this one, and I'm so glad I did!

This is about a family, Aubrey, Bitty and Meggie Van Ripper. Bitty's children have important roles as well, particularly her daughter. A constant presence in the story is their Aunt Mariah, who departs this earthly plane very early on. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a ghost story, it's a story of magic and generations of a family who share a particular gift. show more Their gift is knitting, and the working of magic, or spells into what they are knitting. They are looked upon in a way that is similar to the old herb women did in villages and towns in the years gone by. Well, these wise women are still around, and are still sought out, but not as openly as they once were.

Each generation one particular girl child grows to be the keeper of the ancestral home, business and is the one most proficient with their gift. There is never a doubt as to which girl it is, as there is always something unusual, or outstanding about her. In many ways, the family is as ordinary as any other, but they're meant to share their gift with those around them. For each request a sacrifice must be offered. A sacrifice of something that is dear to the heart of the asker.

The main theme of this story, other than the magic, is that the Van Rippers are trying to save not only their home, but the small town square where it was built. A wealthy schemer is trying to destroy the town square and build... well never mind. I don't want to ruin it for you. I want you to read it. This is too good to miss. show less

I find that as I read more I'm looking for a little more in my reads. This tale of family, knitting, wishing and hoping provided that "more" that I want from my novels. From the very first page I was drawn into the world of Aubrey, Bitty and Meggie and I didn't want to leave. Their family had been living in a house known as "The Stitchery" for generations where knitted items were sold to people who needed a wish fulfilled. They had to part with something meaningful for the magic to work. I do not have Ms. van Allen's skill with words but trust me, she makes it work.

The plot was very engaging and the characters well developed. I found myself most involved with Aubrey's tale though, she is the one who really led the story for me. It's a show more book I won't soon forget. show less