Threads

by Janice Simcoe

Margaret Steele's life was hopeless as a poverty stricken seamstress working in a London textile factory. Her family depended upon her measly income to make ends meet. When tragedy strikes, she rises above it through her skill and resourcefulness to create opportunity. The story begins in 1875 in London. Threads is an escape in time through Margaret's struggles where the reader will experience the19th century through the day to day life of the working poor to the excitement of the fashions of the times. How can a poor seamstress climb out of poverty to become an internationally known clothing entrepreneur? Margaret's uncertain destiny, whose pathway is full of obstacles, develops into an exhilarating adventure spanning from London to Boston. Her rise to success is based on the basic premise of hard work and perseverance. Richly woven into her journey are the people, traditions, and social issues of the time with the excitement of romance that women readers will yearn for and men will be captivated by.

458 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

A native Californian, Janice spent most of her life in Northern California where her writing is inspired by the breezes of the Delta, the serenity of the mountains, and the changing moods of the rivers and streams flowing through the Sacramento Valley.
Having a vivid imagination and a love for writing, she is turning out stories that will carry you away to a different time and place so you may experience new adventures. Her stories are often influenced by her own boating adventures on the Sacramento Delta, a love for animals, and a fascination for history.
She lives with her husband and one spoiled dog in the rural outskirts of Sacramento, California.

Reviews

[Kami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway.

Janice Simcoe tells a romantic tale of Margaret Steele, a working class widowed mother of two,and Jonathan Worthington, her boss and London's most eligible bachelor. Though very "fairy tale" in the telling of this rags to riches story, Simcoe creates likeable characters.

I am a little confused by the "historical fiction" tag this book received as, other than being set in the late 1800s, Threads offered nothing historical - no mention of the politics of the time, social climate, only a brief mention of child labor. I never felt myself transported to another place in time.

I also felt the storyline was forced with respect to the reappearance of Margaret's maimed husband. William's character was helpful in initially developing Margaret and allowing the reader insight as to her character, grace and determination. Yet, once he disappeared, he served no useful purpose and the brief chapters on his return could have been omitted in their entirety. Their inclusion only created more questions - what happened to William after he was mugged? Was he killed? Where did he go when he left?

One other note, I'm a stickler for typographical errors and this book had its fair share!

[Faye Ridpath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads.

I really did enjoy this book, but it did start getting very cliche for me, and for that reason I can only give it three stars.

Many things that happened in this book, I have seen in countless other books, TV shows, and movies.

However, it was still a very good book, I just wish it had been a bit more original.