A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier
This new novel from one of my favourite historical writers shows the depth of research which she undertook to bring Britain in the 1930’s alive for her reader. Violet Speedwell is one of the “surplus women” of the period whose fiancé had been lost in the war. She has reached the age of 38 and finds life with her cantankerous mother stifling and so determines to make a life for herself in Winchester. Her financial circumstances are clearly conveyed through the descriptions of her weeks of living on paste sandwiches.
Her decision to move to Winchester brings her into contact with the cathedral Broderers and the description of the painstaking work to create the cushions and kneelers for the cathedral are beautiful. She also develops an interest in campanology (and a particular bell ringer) and this too is described in fascinating detail.
This novel, based on real characters is engaging and paints a wonderful portrait of a lost time and also the way in which people reacted to those involved in less conventional relationships.
This was a highly readable and very pleasurable novel. My thanks go to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I found the first quarter of the book very slow going, The book was very thoroughly researched and I was particularly interested in the sections about the Cathedral. The detail on the needlework and bell ringing was more than could sustain my interest.

The characters were well drawn and once Violet's life took off I was totally gripped.

In a world that increasingly appears to be going mad this book is a soothing, calming balm! The story is a gentle book about a bye gone age when societies rules and foibles are strictly obeyed. Tracy Chevalier is an author who can create a picture, a character and an atmosphere effortlessly. The main character is Violet Speedwell and the era is the early 1930’s, the setting is principally the Winchester area and much of the focus is on the cathedral. Violet is a lovely character although the book has a number of great characters some very likeable (Tom, Arthur, Miss Pesel, etc) and some less likeable such as Violets moaning minnie of a mother. Violet has known great sadness as her fiancé and brother were killed in the Great War but she is trying to get her life back on track and the Winchester Broderers and bell ringing are very key in that recovery. I found the embroidery aspect fascinating (though I have zero ability with a needle being totally cack handed!) and a lot of this aspect of the book is grounded in reality and much of the work referred to still exists in the beautiful cathedral.
I love the gentle humour in the book and there are some lovely and absurd stories that are so ridiculously English.!There are moments of menace too and Violet shows just how self possessed she can be at times like that. Society of the time is well depicted too especially people’s attitudes to same sex relationships and unmarried mothers although some characters refuse to bow to the conventions of the day. There is unrequited love but healing too as Violet is able to move on from her losses and in her own inimitable way finds solace. The ending of the book is lovely and optimistic albeit with the spectre of Hitler hanging over the world.
Tracy Chevalier is a wonderful author and it was a privilege to receive an early copy of this book.

A delightful book. I think the most fascinating parts for me were the forays into the world of the Broderers. Being a stitcher myself, I could appreciate the finer poibts and imagine the designs organised by the charming Louisa Pesel.
Violet Speedwell is, like so many women after the war, grieving for a brother and sweetheart. She finds her awful mother just too much to live with and relocates to Winchester, such a lovely city. Although at times I found her a little too passive, it was good to see that she did not adhere totally to the 'respectable'maiden lady of the 30s, having friends who were lesbians, meeting 'sherrymen' at times and generally not always following the rules of society.
In the background of her life story another War is gathering momentum.
I enjoyed this quietly written book. Thanks to NetGalley and The Borough Press for a review copy.

Tracey Chevalier has written a gentle period novel about people during the wars who have all suffered loses - some of them find solace in bell-ringing and embroidery for Winchester cathedral. One of the characters was a real person who lead the design team for the kneelers. The drama revolves around Violet, a passionate spinster and Arthur, who is married to a sick wife. Violet is a feisty and interesting character. I enjoyed the novel and found it to be well-written and plotted. The period was subtly depicted with descriptions of the meals, hardships, clothing, entertainment and attitudes of the time. The only bit that jarred was the sub plot of Jack Wells who came out of nowhere and stalked Violet. There was no explanation for this and I felt t was just put in to add tension to a fairly quiet domestic story.

Violet Speedwell is a "surplus" woman in the 1930s - her fiance was killed in the war, as was one of her brothers, and she is still single, having to work as a typist to support herself. Desperate for independence from her difficult mother, she moves to Winchester and one day accidentally attends a service for the Broderers - the women who embroider the kneelers and cushions for the Cathedral. And so a new phase of her life begins, with new friends and different sort of future ahead.

The main issue I had with this was, as some others have said, that the love interest was 20+ years older than Violet. She's the same kind of age as his son would have been, and I don't buy the instant attraction. Other than that, it's a well written story and the "surplus" women are often overlooked in books, as they were in real life, so it's nice to read something from a different point of view. The prevailing views of the time about how single women were valued (or not) are brought out pretty clearly as well, which was frustrating to read even though it was realistic!

It's quite a gentle plot, as you'd expect of something where part of the plot centres around embroidery, and a little forgettable, but it's well written overall.

3.5 stars


This felt like a gentler read than some of Chevaliers other books... but it was warm and full of good characters. I'm afraid I took rather a liking to the mother.
Some great history to go along with the embroidery of the kneelwrs and cushions of Winchester cathedral. Also,quite how hard it was for a single woman trying to make a life for herself after the war.
Definitely one I'll be buying for someone this Christmas.

Such a lovely novel; gentle yet about a time - the 1930s - that was difficult, especially for the generation of women 'widowed' by the Great War. Violet Speedwell has ambitions, aspirations that are curtailed by the loss of a fiance; and decides to make her own life by not following society's expectations for a 'spinster'. She 'gatecrashes' the Winchester embroidery group, and this changes everything!

'A Single Thread' is beautifully written, compassionate about people whose lives do not follow society's norms - yet they are not wrong. It could be described as a 'woman's book', but not pejoratively; and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates good writing.

Through the eyes of Violet Speedwell this story considers the plight of the many women who, because of the deaths of husbands or fiancés in the Great War, found no obvious role in society. It’s set in the early 1930s. Men were so greatly outnumbered by women that the role of spinster mainly meant life in your parents’ home – a permanent childhood in a way – or working for a living on inadequate wages and living in a room in a lodging house. With her flaws and contradictions, I was rooting for Violet. Everything, including a monstrous mother still devastated by the loss of her elder son in the war, was stacked against her. She was her own woman, and I loved the way she dealt with the blows and didn’t lose herself in the process. She also befriended two similar aged ladies who became a lesbian couple. She was warned off being seen with them in case it affected her, too, as though it were a contagion. The world wasn’t ready to acknowledge that as a valid relationship at the time. It’s a great book which covers some important issues for that generation.

What I love about Tracy Chevalier’s novels is the way she transforms the commonplace into the fascinating and A Single Thread is no exception. Set in the early 1930’s and following the deaths of both her brother and fiancé in 1917, Violet craves a life for herself away from her overbearing responsibilities as companion to her widowed mother.. She relocates from Southampton to Winchester where she joins a group of broderers to alleviate her loneliness through which Violet is introduced to the intricate beauty and art of bell-ringing. Thus begins her journey into a richly woven tapestry of new experiences and love, enabling her brave and socially controversial personal choices. Fascinating insights into Louisa Pesel, her broderers and her canvas embroideries still in use at Winchester Cathedral today.. A brilliant novel!

I haven’t read any books by Tracy Chevalier before but this was a great introduction.
Violet Speedwell is a ‘surplus woman’ whose fiancé died in World War One and is now considered a spinster but she wants something more. I loved the history of this book as learnt about women after World War One. Violet move away from her domineering mother and tries to find herself a new life. This includes joining a group embroidering kneeler and alms bags for the church.
I was fascinated to learn some of the characters were real people and the history was also true.
It was an easy read and I would pick up another book by Tracy in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed other books by Tracy Chevalier but found this one a little underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, it's well-written and has plenty to teach for those who enjoy learning about new things, but there seemed to be a sense of purposelessness about it. As a snapshot of Winchester Cathedral and life in the surrounding country at a certain period of post-war rebuilding and a time of social change, I found it interesting and informative. But I didn't get a sense that the characters were very well-rounded; they seemed to be there to illustrate how people used to feel about women working, or lesbians, or spinsters. I wasn't sure why the love interest had to be over twenty years older than the protagonist- wasn't the fact of his marriage enough to raise the stakes? Also despite the insistence on British provincial prudery and sexual oppression, there was quite a bit of unfettered sauciness going on in fields and alleys!
If you like Chevalier, you will like this - she's a gifted writer with an observant eye for detail, but this one felt a little bit like an extended wikipedia entry on embroidery at times.

I’ve read many of Tracey Chevalier’s books, and so approach a new one with expectation for good writing backed up by strong historical research. This one didn’t disappoint.

I warmed to Violet, the late-thirties protagonist between the wars whose family and future was decimated by World War I, with her older brother and fiancé both killed in action and a surviving mother marked by bitterness. Violet escapes her mother’s oppressive house in Southampton to go work in Winchester, a typist, where she starts to build her life. Her faith rocked by all of the loss, she starts to find solace in Winchester Cathedral. And community in the broderers, those who craft the kneelers and other needlepoint articles.

The novel focuses on the broderers and bellringers, two parts of the Cathedral community which are often overlooked. I enjoyed how she brought these art-creators to life, but sometimes I skimmed through the longer descriptions.

As I neared the end of the book, I wondered how Chevalier would tie up the relationships. I guessed the main action of the ending, which sadly seemed predictable from a modern novelist. Still, a book I would recommend.

This beautiful story is a homage to Winchester Cathedral and Louisa Pesel. I had not heard of Louisa before reading this book but as soon as I had finished 'A Single Thread' I started to investigate her life and work online. She was an embroiderer and teacher of considerable renown who among many other projects was responsible for the embroidered cushions, kneelers and alms bags in Winchester Cathedral. Louisa is not the main character in this historical novel, set in 1932 Winchester, by Tracy Chevalier. However she is a very central pin and comes across as a very sympathetic character who has been well researched by Chevalier. I loved finding an online photo of Pesel riding a camel, an event referred to a couple of times in the novel.

The central character is the fictitious Violet Speedwell, living initially with her mother following the death of her older brother and her fiancée during World War 1 and the subsequent death of her father. Violet's mother is overbearing and negative, restricting Violet's ability to have any kind of life. So Violet makes the decision to move to Winchester where she lives in a boarding house for ladies, works as a typist, finds embroidery and bell ringing, very good friends and a full life. Violet, her family and the characters she meets are all carefully created and I got a real feel for many of them, as Chevalier uses dialogue very cleverly to develop her characters.

The 1930's setting is well researched and described, giving insight particularly into attitudes to single women and the lasting impact of war on a generation. The threat of HItler and fascism is in the background of the book but does not dominate the narrative.

By the end of this lovely book I not only wanted to find out more about Louisa Pesel but also am looking forward to revisiting WInchester Cathedral with newly informed eyes and perhaps to trying out some embroidery, though I think I'll leave the bell ringing for now.

A Single Thread is what I would call a quiet book. There are no twists and turns, no showy structural points, no shocking revelations. It's a lovely book about life between the wars and how the first world war affected so many people. I loved it.

Violet Speedwell lost her brother and her fiancé during the war. Now 38, her father has died and she is determined not to continue living at home with her mother who constantly niggles at her. She moves to Winchester and seeing the embroidered kneelers in the cathedral there she decides to learn to stitch. Life as a single woman is hard. She barely has enough to live on but the freedom she has is worth the sacrifice and eventually she finds love though not where you might expect.

There is a lot about embroidery in this book and bellringing. I love it when I can learn about something new when reading fiction. But it is the characters who shine. They are all fully developed and well drawn to the extent that I wanted to strangle Violet's mother at times! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I loved this book. Tracy Chevalier conjures up the 1930's beautifully, and we are reminded that this was not an easy time to be an unmarried woman, without money. She conveys very well what it is to be hungry, and cold, and a second-class citizen in a man's world. But the central character Violet isn't a character to be pitied. She makes a life for herself, on pretty much her own terms, and throughout the book the reader is full of sympathy, and empathy for her. The book has made me want to visit Winchester, and its cathedral, and also read those of the author's books that I haven't already read. I will definitely be recommending this book.

‘A Single Thread’ is a wonderfully written story, set in the early 1930s, which explores the lives of civilians damaged by the fallout of the First World War. At its centre is Violet Speedwell whose fiancé and brother both died during the War. Escaping her embittered mother, she moves to Winchester to live in a dreary boarding house. Busy with her typing job by day, on a whim Violet learns needlepoint so that she may contribute to Louisa Pesel and her broderers’ project in the cathedral.
Hardly a tempting synopsis, one might think. However, Tracey Chevalier’s storytelling is so subtle, so sensitive and so deft that the reader is quickly immersed in the world of respectable, dowdy 1930s provincial England where, below the surface, Fascism rumbles, depression is common, homophobia is rife and women are always seen as second-rate. Rather like Barbara Pym or Anita Brookner, Chevalier is able to take the mundane and elevate it to a thoughtful exploration of complex humanity. Her characters can be selfish, hypocritical, fearful and exploitative and yet we are made to understand why rather than encouraged to judge. At the same time, the author reminds us that people can be surprisingly resilient. Her men and women are able to change for the better, show bravery and patience, learn new skills and behave generously in the most trying of circumstances.
Winchester Cathedral is a character in itself and there will be many who will be tempted to visit this historic building after reading ‘A Single Thread’. When they have been so richly and intricately described on paper, who will be able to resist the opportunity to see Louisa Pesel’s beautifully designed needlepoint designs for real? Who won’t want to be called by the bells?
A beautifully told tale. At its conclusion, the author avoids sentimentality, yet allows some blessings to fall upon her characters. Meanwhile, on the continent Hitler rises, stormtroopers march and swastikas fly.
My thanks to NetGalley and The Borough Press, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

was actually quite surprised how much I enjoyed reading this. I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I have. i do enjoy reading books from this era and really enjoyed the journey

well done to the author