The Lacemakers of Glenmara

by: Heather Barbieri

Published by: Harper

Reviewed by Shawn Remfrey
After suffering several losses, Kate Robinson decides to take a trip to Ireland, the country of her ancestors. She and her mother had agreed to make the trip together, but after her mother dies of cancer, Kate decides that she must go alone. At first the journey alone only reminds her of her newly lost boyfriend, dearly missed mother, and the death of her career as a clothing designer. After a strange man in a cart picks her up and drops her off at the village of Glenmara, everything for Kate is about to change.

The village of Glenmara is slowly dying out. People are losing jobs and moving away. Young people are growing up and leaving. Those whose families have been there since the depression are still trying to find ways to cling to their homes.

The lace makers of Glenmara are a tightly knit group of women, each going through their own trials in life, just trying to get through each day. With the arrival of Kate, comes the arrival of much-needed change for all of them.

Kate and the inhabitants of Glenmara have found a special place in my heart. I truly hated to leave them at the end of the book, but thankfully I found that like the lace so finely woven, a piece of them has been woven into me. Instead of feeling as if they’re gone, I feel as if a piece of them is with me always. Yes, this may sound a little sappy since I’m only talking about characters in a book, but they’re so much more than that. They become family and friends as you’re reading. They become the people that you depend on, the people you cry with and laugh with. Simply put, they become a part of you.

As well as my love for the characters and town that Barbieri created, I also love her writing style. It’s descriptive, yet full of heart.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

Author’s Web site: http://www.HeatherBarbieri.com