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The Seamstresses
Death is just a career change. When Yin opens her eyes at the beginning of the story, she realizes two things. She is in an old abandoned seamstress shop – and she is dead. This afterlife is filled with laughing snowflakes and endless city streets. The only person here to guide her through this world is her older sister, who also happens to be dead.Yin soon discovers that they must use their abilities to sew together the relationships of the living. Although Yin finds this prospect thrilling at first, not everything in these snow-lined streets is as it seems. She will soon discover that good and evil are woven more tightly together than she could have ever imagined.
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
18 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2011
1 person is currently reading
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 5, 2011
The Seamstress is a short story about two sisters who find their calling in the afterlife by helping others mend broken fences in relationships.
From the very moment I began to read this story I was captivated.
LaPrim can create a world you can actually see, love and even giggle at with her descriptive, almost poetic and even sometimes funny descriptions.
I love that she doesn't go into overdrive with it like some authors tend to do with paragraphs of describing what they want you to envision in their mind.
She does this very easily and naturally and I actually found myself smiling and yes, sighing wistfully at her depictions.
In the story the sisters come upon a road block so to speak as they encounter a form of evil trying to destroy their work but the sisters continue on in spite of it.
This short story is one that will actually leave you satisfied with the ending.
In my experience, most seem to come up short or leave you with more questions than answers.
While I wished it could have been a little longer just because the story was just that good, it felt natural the way that it ended.
LaPrim could either choose to expand upon the story or leave it as is and it would still be a great read.
I recommend this to anyone who like books with hope without too much cheesiness, sadness without too much despair and enough paranormal in it to wet your appetite.
I look forward to more books from this author!
From the very moment I began to read this story I was captivated.
LaPrim can create a world you can actually see, love and even giggle at with her descriptive, almost poetic and even sometimes funny descriptions.
I love that she doesn't go into overdrive with it like some authors tend to do with paragraphs of describing what they want you to envision in their mind.
She does this very easily and naturally and I actually found myself smiling and yes, sighing wistfully at her depictions.
In the story the sisters come upon a road block so to speak as they encounter a form of evil trying to destroy their work but the sisters continue on in spite of it.
This short story is one that will actually leave you satisfied with the ending.
In my experience, most seem to come up short or leave you with more questions than answers.
While I wished it could have been a little longer just because the story was just that good, it felt natural the way that it ended.
LaPrim could either choose to expand upon the story or leave it as is and it would still be a great read.
I recommend this to anyone who like books with hope without too much cheesiness, sadness without too much despair and enough paranormal in it to wet your appetite.
I look forward to more books from this author!
July 3, 2011
What a lovely , heartwarming, short story. My only disappointment that it wasn't longer! I don't want to go into the story as it will give away to much and I am sure spoil the story. Its another take on what happens to us in the after life in a way. It made you want to know what happened to the families that Yin and her sister came into contact with. I read it all in one go as did my 15 year old daughter who also loved the tale. It put me in mind of what an old folk lore tale is like. Truly loved it.
February 6, 2012
Two sisters who in death find their purpose - stitching together the fractured lives of strangers. A compelling novella that captures the mysterious journey of finding purpose after death doing what seemed purposeless in life. It makes the reader realize that the main character, Yin, only truly lived in the moment once she'd died. I was left wondering whether Elle Lapraim has plans to turn this novella into a novel. With the added tension created by the "Whittlers" I believe she could have a haunting novel filled with tension, love, betrayal and purpose.
March 3, 2012
I saw this short story on a review web site and it looked interesting. i don't usually read short stories but it was so cheap I thought, why not? I am really glad I did. It was great. I can't believe she packed so much in to one little story. I love her imagery. The way she describes snow is amazing! I love that on the surface it is about the afterlife but really it is about the life of two sister and that relationship. Well worth a read. I hope she write novels soon!
July 17, 2011
“Death came for me in the spring, when everything in the world was new.
This poignant line begins the short novella by Elle Lapraim called “The Seamstresses.” The narrator, a woman named Yin, arrives in the afterlife and is greeted by her sister. Yin’s afterlife looks just like her grandmother’s seamstress shop in San Francisco – however, the world outside is different. Snow always falls. Every house on the street looks exactly the same on the outside. And past the end of the street it … nothing. Yin’s sister takes her in hand and shows her the task for which they are meant – sewing together people whose lives have ripped them apart.
This is a beautifully evocative little story, showing that each person in the afterlife has an assigned task – something that they love. No matter how long or hard they work, they never tire. I personally would prefer an afterlife with more leisure, but to each their own, right? This is a lovely little story and one I can recommend to anyone who enjoys reading something beautiful.
This poignant line begins the short novella by Elle Lapraim called “The Seamstresses.” The narrator, a woman named Yin, arrives in the afterlife and is greeted by her sister. Yin’s afterlife looks just like her grandmother’s seamstress shop in San Francisco – however, the world outside is different. Snow always falls. Every house on the street looks exactly the same on the outside. And past the end of the street it … nothing. Yin’s sister takes her in hand and shows her the task for which they are meant – sewing together people whose lives have ripped them apart.
This is a beautifully evocative little story, showing that each person in the afterlife has an assigned task – something that they love. No matter how long or hard they work, they never tire. I personally would prefer an afterlife with more leisure, but to each their own, right? This is a lovely little story and one I can recommend to anyone who enjoys reading something beautiful.
July 3, 2011
CONTAINS SPOILERS
The Seamstresses by Elle Lapraim was brilliant. I loved it!
It's about two sisters, who in life were ordinary seamstresses and in death are The Seamstresses who sew back together quilts representing broken relationships that they are fixing. They come across two brothers whose job is really the opposite of theirs. The Whittlers break apart relationships.
The Seamstresses by Elle Lapraim was brilliant. I loved it!
It's about two sisters, who in life were ordinary seamstresses and in death are The Seamstresses who sew back together quilts representing broken relationships that they are fixing. They come across two brothers whose job is really the opposite of theirs. The Whittlers break apart relationships.
December 21, 2021
Fun read! I enjoyed being immersed in the world created by the author :)
October 7, 2014
The Seamstresses is a very short tale of two sisters who find themselves in a bizarre afterlife.
Elle's look at what our 'afterlife' might look like, is one that raised a few questions for me. The two sisters in the story had been seamstresses in life, and also, as it appears, in death. What would that mean for each of us?
Is there something that I could do in the afterlife? I write stories and read, perhaps it could be my job to rewrite people's stories?
Anyway, given the story is but a few pages long (18 or so), it leaves little time for character development so you just have to go with it. This isn't a bad thing because it actually gives you the opportunity to think about the story instead of focusing on the characters and why they're doing what they're doing.
I wondered if there was some symbolism in Yin's (our protagonist), name. I wondered if her sister was called Yang?
The story possessed a great duality to it and finished with a very important note to the reader.
Considering this one is only $0.92 on kindle, try it out today if you want a quick, interesting read.
Elle's look at what our 'afterlife' might look like, is one that raised a few questions for me. The two sisters in the story had been seamstresses in life, and also, as it appears, in death. What would that mean for each of us?
Is there something that I could do in the afterlife? I write stories and read, perhaps it could be my job to rewrite people's stories?
Anyway, given the story is but a few pages long (18 or so), it leaves little time for character development so you just have to go with it. This isn't a bad thing because it actually gives you the opportunity to think about the story instead of focusing on the characters and why they're doing what they're doing.
I wondered if there was some symbolism in Yin's (our protagonist), name. I wondered if her sister was called Yang?
The story possessed a great duality to it and finished with a very important note to the reader.
Considering this one is only $0.92 on kindle, try it out today if you want a quick, interesting read.
July 13, 2011
The Seamstresses is a sweet novella about two sisters who stitch relationships back together from the beyond. The story begins with the death of the younger sister, who meets up with her older sister in the afterlife, which turns out to be a strange snowy town with much work to be done. The work isn't the simple alteration of clothing that the sisters had done in their living days, but the actual weaving-together of families and torn relations. It's a creative idea that lends itself well to a fantasy story, especially when the opposing spirits come in who rip relationships apart. Hopefully the author will continue to develop the theme and turn this into a novel someday. A great read for just 99 cents.
March 26, 2012
THE SEAMSTRESSES is a short story that talks about two sisters, who worked as seamstresses during their lifetime and, after their deaths, in their own particular brand of the afterlife. They use golden thread to "mend" people's relationships--sewing together people's "quilts" in thin air.
This was a very interesting short story and (obviously) a pretty quick read. I wish it had been a bit longer than it was. Overall, definitely worth the $0.99 it cost on Amazon.
This was a very interesting short story and (obviously) a pretty quick read. I wish it had been a bit longer than it was. Overall, definitely worth the $0.99 it cost on Amazon.
October 5, 2011
What I loved about this short story is that is was totally original. I did not know where it was going from one scene to another. Read the whole thing in one sitting and I think I will now read her other work.
June 29, 2012
What an awesome story from a local writer! I definitely want to read more of her work.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews