Review: The Wishing Thread, Lisa van Allen

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*

The Van Ripper women have been the talk of Tarrytown, New York, for centuries. Some say they’re angels; some say they’re crooks. In their tumbledown “Stitchery,” not far from the stomping grounds of the legendary Headless Horseman, the Van Ripper sisters—Aubrey, Bitty, and Meggie—are said to knit people’s most ardent wishes into beautiful scarves and mittens, granting them health, success, or even a blossoming romance. But for the magic to work, sacrifices must be made—and no one knows that better than the Van Rippers.
When the Stitchery matriarch, Mariah, dies, she leaves the yarn shop to her three nieces. Aubrey, shy and reliable, has dedicated her life to weaving spells for the community, though her sisters have long stayed away. Bitty, pragmatic and persistent, has always been skeptical of magic and wants her children to have a normal, nonmagical life. Meggie, restless and free-spirited, follows her own set of rules. Now, after Mariah’s death forces a reunion, the sisters must reassess the state of their lives even as they decide the fate of the Stitchery. But their relationships with one another—and their beliefs in magic—are put to the test. Will the threads hold?

Lisa van Allen's writing has been published in many literary journals and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She currently lives in northern New Jersey with her husband and their pet hedgehog.

I have been thinking about my review for this book. I enjoyed to read but nothing really happened to me reading it. I had expected more mystery surrounding the knitting but as the rules limited the way the knitting was supposed to be used that did not happen enough. The parts where it happened did not always feel like something big was going on. The drama between the sisters was not overwhelming either, it was there, got some attention so I could understand what and why and that was it. Still I would not want to call this book average because there is a great atmosphere and there where idea's about the looks of Tarrytown and the Stitchery in my head I simply did not connect to the characters and I feel sad about it.

The Wishing Thread
Author: Lisa van Allen
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 400
Format: eGalley
ISBN-10: 0345538552
ISBN-13: 9780345538550
Publisher: Trade Paperback

• Tweet
• Share
• Share