“A Single Thread” is easy to read. The book gently develops the story of Violet Speedwell as she moves away from Southhampton and her ’impossible’ Mother who comes from an era ‘where daughters were dutiful and deferential to their mothers’ (page 17) to begin an independent life in Winchester.
The year is 1932 and Violet is 38 years old. She is a ‘surplus woman’, one of the many thousands of females whose boyfriends, fiancés or husbands went off to War and did not return. In Winchester, Violet faces loneliness, financial stringency and constant scrutiny of her ring finger!
Shortly after her arrival, she visits Winchester Cathedral and happens upon a Service for the Presentation of Embroideries. Violet joins the Winchester Cathedral Broderers, a group of women who maintain the traditions established in mediaeval times to embroider cushions and kneelers for the Cathedral. The Group is led by Miss Louisa Pesel, who somewhat reluctantly accepts Violet as a new member. Through the Broderers, Violet begins to make friends, develop new interests and establish her independence. However, it is not all plain sailing and as the story develops, Violet has to cope with maintaining her dignity as a single woman, malicious gossip, a stalker and falling (secretly) in love with a married man.
I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of everyday life in the 1930s, both from the perspectives of the activities taking place and the attitudes expressed. The book does not shy away from dealing with some of the major issues of the day, including homophobia, male chauvinism and the looming threat of another War following the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor of Germany.
Violet is a strong woman but in some ways I found the ending disappointing and almost too stereotypical (I don’t want to give away any spoilers!!)
In this book, Tracey Chevalier cleverly blends historical fact with fiction. Between 1931 and 1936, Louisa Pesel worked with hundreds of volunteers to embroider kneelers and cushions for Winchester Cathedral (my thanks to Twingo for the link to the Tracey Chevalier website and to my Gransnet ‘Book Buddy’ for alerting me to Graham Norton’s interview with Tracey on Radio 2 last Saturday, 26 October - it may still be available on BBC iPlayer).
I would like to ask Tracey whether she has any plans for a sequel to “A Single Thread”? I feel she has left enough scope for a follow-up novel to explore Violet’s future.