One Illumined Thread – Sally Colin-James

I listened to an interview on the Book Show (or the Book Shelf) with Sally Colin-James, Geraldine Brooks and Pip Williams, which made me super keen to read all three of their new novels (I have The Bookbinder of Jericho in my TBR.

Here’s the blurb …

In Judea, under the brutal rule of King Herod, a woman yearns for a child but is outcast when she does not fall pregnant. Against all convention, she masters the art of glassblowing, a creative act she believes will keep her dream of motherhood alive. In Renaissance Florence, a young wife is left penniless by her hopelessly unfaithful husband, and struggles to find a way to support herself and her young son. And in contemporary Australia, a talented textile conservator, devastated by loss, is desperate to regain control of her life. Each woman wants something that seems unattainable, and it will take all their courage, creativity and determination to achieve it.

A stunning, sweeping historical novel spanning two thousand years, One Illumined Thread celebrates the power and creative spirit of the female heart, as each woman finds freedom through an extraordinary connection.

I really enjoyed this novel; particularly the references to glass blowing, making paint and embroidering (or conserving embroidery). It is beautifully written, clearly a lot of care and attention went into the research and the writing.

I would have liked more of the contemporary story (perhaps that would have made the novel too long?).

It’s about women finding ways to do things in a patriarchal (and brutal) society, and it’s about mothers and daughters, female friendships, mothers and sons, female independence, and pursuing a craft or skill.

A review.