What a lovely summer evening at Susan’s; who doesn’t love grilled meat and veggies! YUM!!! An added bonus to the evening was having Charli’s mom attend our meeting. Thank you Susan for being a wonderful hostess.
The Lace Reader was an intriguing read. It proved to be confusing and luckily we were able to clarify some of the misunderstandings. This book really was about perception. Note how Marrie and Ellen had a side hallway conversation in which Marrie stated ‘in my book she died”. What was real and what was fantasy? What was a memory and what was fictional?
Because of the fact that this book created so much confusion it proved to be a good discussion. The author added to our confusion by making many of the character’s names similar….Eva, Emma, Ann, Angela, Lyndley/Lyndsey, Towner/Sophia. Leading us to question: Who was the mother? Who was the aunt? Who was the great aunt? Who lived with who?
This was book was dominated by female characters, but there was Rafferty, Cal, Jack and Beezer, who added to the story line.
In doing some online research I was able to find the author has posted answers to help us navigate through the confusion. Basically we came to the conclusion that Barry may be a bit nutty like Towner.
To the best of the author’s knowledge she made up lace reading or rather dreamed about it. However, Ipswich Lace is real. A quick tutorial: “The real history of Ipswich lace is a compelling tale in its own right. Incorporated in 1634, Ipswich, Mass., was a prosperous port until the mid-18th century, when the Ipswich River silted up, closing the harbor to larger ships. At that time only the wealthiest colonists could buy imported French, Belgian or English lace. In about 1750 a group of Ipswich women started making and selling bobbin lace, used for collars, cuffs or trim on handkerchiefs and household linens. The distinctive patterns were mostly floral, geometrical or abstract. Unlike needle lace, bobbin lace is made using spools to hold the many threads that go into it. In the 18th century the thread and pins were imported, but the bobbins were made locally, often initialed by the lace maker and passed down from mother to daughter. Ipswich lace became so popular that enterprising makers traveled to Salem, Newburyport and Boston to sell it (or trade commodities for it). It became even more important during the American Revolution and its aftermath.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/arts/design/01anti.html?_r=2&oref=slogin)
Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer and we’ll see you all at Karin’s to discuss What Alice Forgot.
Happy Reading,
Jenn
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