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Summary
Summary
In the tradition of The Thirteenth Tale, Brunonia Barry's bewitching gothic novel, The Lace Reader, is a phenomenon. Called "[a] richly imagined saga of passion, suspense, and magic" by Time Magazine, it is a haunting and remarkable tale told by an unforgettable, if strangely unreliable narrator--a woman from an enigmaticSalem family who can foretell the future in patterns of lace. The Lace Reader was a runaway New York Times bestseller--hitting the top lists in major cities across the country, fromBostontoChicagotoLos Angeles--and has immediately established debut author Brunonia Barry as a major force in contemporary American fiction.
Author Notes
Author Brunonia Barry was born in Massachusetts. She studied literature and creative writing at Green Mountain College in Vermont and at the University of New Hampshire before working in Chicago on promotional campaigns for theater and co-founding Smart Games. She wrote for the tween series Beacon Street Girls and penned the international and New York Times bestelling novel The Lace Reader.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
When her great-aunt dies, Towner Whitney returns to Salem, Massachusetts, to deal with ghosts, real and imagined, historical and current. With the first sentence, Towner announces herself as an unreliable narrator, and just how unreliable she is remains a mystery through most of the novel. Towner is mourning the death of her beloved twin sister, recovering from surgery, and recovering from shock treatments administered to help her cope with her depression. She belongs to a family of lace readers and is a reluctant seer who also has the ability to read other people's thoughts. Towner longs to leave Salem, but circumstances seem determined to keep her there until both she and the reader can unravel the mystery of her past. Fans of Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island (2003), Chris Bohjalian's The Double Bind (2007), and other modern pop-psych mysteries will not be disappointed.--Block, Marta Segal Copyright 2008 Booklist
Library Journal Review
What if you could read your future in a piece of lace? The women of the Whitney family can do just that. Years earlier, on departing from her former home of Salem, MA, Sophya "Towner" Whitney vowed never to read lace again. However, her restraint and resolve are tested as she is called home following her beloved great-aunt Eva's mysterious disappearance. As Towner tries to discern details about Aunt Eva, she must also come to terms with her own earlier near-loss of sanity as well as attempt to establish new relationships and rebuild others. Multiple narratives often told in flashback by various long-standing town residents, while offering somewhat skewed points of view, help to advance this part-historical, part-mystery/suspense novel, building rhythmically to its shattering conclusion. Barry has previously written books for the YA fiction series "Beacon Street Girls." In this, her first original adult novel, she combines her focus on the history of this particular community, including its witchcraft trials, religious cults, and quotidian seaport life, with her study of a fractured family seeking truth to bring us a most unusual and bewitching novel. Highly recommended. [Morrow is pushing this 2000 self-published sleeper hit as its big summer book with a 200,000-copy first printing, reading group guides, and online marketing.--Ed.]--Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
