"The Tapestry Of Love" by Rosy Thornton

At forty-nine Catherine Parkstone is having a fresh start in her life. She has been divorced for eight years and her two children are now grown and on their own. So Catherine does what many people long to do. She sells her home in England, moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cevennes mountains of France and sets up a business as a seamstress. It sounds perfect.


But adjusting to life in her rural idyll isn't as easy as she had thought it would be. Days can be lonely, neighbours tend to keep to themselves and boy can it rain. On top of that, French bureaucracy is making it incredibly difficult to get her business started. Add to the mix an intriguing and mysterious male neighbour, and Catherine begins to question her decision and wonder if maybe she wasn't cut out for this life in France.


The Tapestry of Love is a beautiful story. It's the story of a woman who does what many of us dream of doing - falling in love with a new place and a new way of life and leaving everything behind to be a part of it. There is such a warmth to Ms. Thornton's writing. The landscape seems to jump right off the page at you and at times you expect to find yourself there in France with the characters.


What I loved most about this book was that it didn't have to rely on the outrageous or extraordinary to engage the reader. This is a book that takes the simple pleasures and realities of everyday life and spins them into a wonderful story. It relies on the intricacies and honesty of relationships between family, friends and neighbours to move the story and bring out emotion in the reader. Reading this book is like breathing in the fresh mountain air of France.


I only wish I hadn't started this book at the beginning of the week when other things needed my attention. This is the type of book you want to curl up with on a weekend when you can devote your time and attention to getting lost in a story and a dream.


I would like to thank Rosy Thornton for providing me with a copy of the book. The opinions expressed above are purely my own.

Comments

  1. MelissaOctober 30, 2010 at 10:18 AM

    Great review, I've never heard of this book, but it sounds great. Adding it to my must have list.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Julie POctober 30, 2010 at 11:28 PM

    I really like your review Shan! Thanks for sharing....

    ReplyDelete
  3. ClaireOctober 31, 2010 at 9:19 AM

    Oooh, this book sounds like fun!

    Cxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sheila (Bookjourney)November 1, 2010 at 9:03 AM

    This sounds really good and I like how you said it didn't require some over the top "something" to make the book.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Laurel-Rain SnowNovember 1, 2010 at 10:02 AM

    I love books that take the simple pleasures and realities of daily life and spin them into a story...and you're write, those are the books I want to savor.

    I'm thinking that this is one for a rainy day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousNovember 5, 2010 at 2:42 PM

    I'm glad I read this review on 3:00 on a Friday afternoon, because like you, Rosy Thornton also sent me a copy to review and now I want to go home and curl up with this book - it sounds great!

    ReplyDelete

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