A Tapestry of Hope

Lights of Lowell #1

by Tracie Peterson, Judith Miller

Lights of Lowell book 1. Tapestry of Hope weaves together the heartrending and hope-building stories of two young women. Jasmine Wainwright is the sheltered daughter of a Mississippi plantation owner. When her father strikes a deal to sell his cotton to Lowell mills through businessman Bradley Houston, he throws an arranged marriage with Jasmine into the bargain. Kiara O'Neill and her brother escape starvation in Ireland by traveling to America as Bradley Houston's indentured servants. But Bradley has more in mind for Kiara than she wants to imagine. Both women suffer in the home of this unloving husband and merciless master. Will God somehow bring hope to their lives?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2004

About the author

Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.

pen name: Janelle Jamison

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is only the second Tracie Peterson book I've read, but thank goodness it wasn't the first, or I'd never pick another one up again. I had a favorable response to Silent Star, so when this new series was featured at Audible for a special price, I was looking forward to it. Tying together the plantation life of pre-Civil War South and the life of the textile mills in Lowell, Mass, made this book sound interesting. Peterson boldly points out the hypocrisy of the North in their anti-slavery beliefs by shining a similar light on indentured servitude and poor working conditions of the day. As interesting as this all was, I felt the emphasis on it overshadowed the inspiration and hope promised by the title and usually delivered by Bethany House Publishers. All the social commentary would have been fascinating to me, but I couldn't bear Jasmine's plight being married to Bradley. His evil was so dank and oppressive that I couldn't even glimpse hope. People's attempts to encourage Jasmine to seek the Lord and get down on her knees and thank Him rang hollow at best. The ongoing rape of the servant girl was too much. Perhaps future books in the series will take a different turn, but I'm not likely to find out.

[Maryanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

While reading this book I kept thinking it has got to get better.
That is the only reason why I finished this book.

[Lucifer "Argyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow.

Okay. So, in the spirit of trying to be nicely critical, I have some things to say. The book wasn't paced well. The book, leading up to the birth of the baby, was really slow and kind of boring, and the last three chapters were a whole lot of mess and madness that was just... weird?

While this is Christian fiction, there were some things in the book that made me uncomfortable (which is more on me than the book, but I'mma point them out anyway). Nobody needs to forgive their abuser for any reason, for starters. Some people do forgive them and that helps them heal, and that's great. However, in my opinion you don't NEED to forgive someone that abused you to heal. From my experience I haven't forgiven people, I have just made peace with what has happened and have acknowledged that it wasn't my fault and that is how I healed. But I digress.

The rape plotline or whatever was not necessary in the slightest to show what a repulsive man Bradley was. He was already disgusting and horrible, that was just added for more shock and I guess to show that he was a really bad guy, but we all knew this because he was already an abusive hypocrite.

I'm sure there's more that I disliked about it, but I just don't have the energy to keep going. I gave this book enough of my energy by reading it, I don't need to give it more.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The villain of this one seemed a little too outlandishly evil, without there being a particularly good reason. At the end of the book, everyone is encouraged to forgive him for all he has done wrong, pointing out that he wasn't always a bad person. But we have no explanation for why he turned out to be such a complete a-hole, other than "responsibility made him grow up too fast." I don't particularly buy that, but whatever. Anyway, I didn't love this book (nothing unintentionally funny here, as in the last Petersen book I read), but it was fine for a quickie read. Unfortunately there are two sequels, which I suspect I will end up reading, only because there seems to be some unfinished business.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was awfully depressing for a cheesy christian romance novel. And it tried to overplay the historical fiction/civil war lead up aspects of it a bit too much. You felt like the author was showing off research. Oh, and then the author tries to wrap up everything really sappily (in a badly telegraphed way) in the last 20 pages. It wasn't bad, but I've read much better.

[Vikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the earlier books of the Lowell Series and thoroughly enjoyed them. This book came along several years later but it was great to see the story continue. I look forward to the next book in this series.

[Julie Crites · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't. I got through the first rape of Kiara and had to stop. I don't really like any of the people in this book, so I'm not going to make myself finish.

[Justine Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost didn't read this because of the reviews... happy I read it anyways. Life is not a bowl full of cherries and that is evident in this book. God's goodness is with us always and though we must endure He has promised to never leave us. Good read!

[Jennifer Pryke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stiff and stilted. Characters were one dimensional. Forced myself to read hoping it would get better. It didn't. Gave up on it halfway through chapter 19.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Question: What do a pampered Southern belle and an indentured Irish maidservant have in common?

Answer: Bradley Houston of Lowell, Massachusetts, an ambitious, greedy, brutal man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, whether it's money, power, or an unwilling woman.

There were a plethora of editing oversights in the Kindle text: Page 7, knew she could remain a few more moments idea of who will greet me when I descend the stairs. / (This is obviously a mash-up of two sentences. In my mind, I reconstructed them thusly:) knew she could remain a few more MOMENTS. (Break / new paragraph / begin quote) "I HAVE NO idea of who will greet me when I descend the stairs. ; 10, get yourself downstairs. / get yourself DOWNSTAIRS." (needs end quote) ;

Page 40, at the Merri-mack House / at the MERRIMACK House ; 46, didn't want to beleaguer the point / didn't want to BELABOR the point ; 52, Made-laine, that's my daughter-in-law / MADELAINE, that's my daughter-in-law ; 71, by John Green-leaf Whittier / by John GREENLEAF Whittier ; 74, MissWainwright / MISS Wainwright (add space) ; 100, her look of repulsion deepened / her look of REVULSION deepened ;

Page 101, her girlish naivetee had altered / her girlish NAIVETE had altered ; 106, When her shawl had finally draped / When her shawl had finally BEEN draped ; 108, beckon visitors enter and stay / beckon visitors TO enter and stay ; 121, to Horace Gree-ley / to Horace GREELEY ; 122, attempted to play cupid / attempted to play Cupid (needs capitalization) ; 127, from this contemptuous engagement / from this CONTEMPTIBLE engagement ;

Page 131, a horse from the Bor-dens / a horse from the BORDENS ; 164, to try and help / to try TO help ; 178, Mathias New-house suggested / Mathias NEWHOUSE suggested ; 273, and give Mr. Houston a report. / and give Mr. Houston a REPORT? (concludes a question) ; 309, to be sure and stay hidden / to be sure TO stay hidden ; 314, and GrandmotherWain-wright were busy / and GRANDMOTHER WAINWRIGHT were busy (add space, omit hyphen) .

[Fredell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An historical fiction set in the pre-Civil South and Massachusetts. This book was very good and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the workings of pre-1860's history.
The book begins in Mississippi on the Willows cotton plantation and segues to Lowell, Massachusetts, and the society of the cotton milling owners. It is a credible portrait of a naive southern girl,Jasmine, who is forced to marry a much older Yankee shipper and cotton broker, Bradley. He is cruel and brutal on the inside, but presents a much different 'social' appearance. And,as the story unfolds, he is stealing from his father-in-law and the other cotton growers in the combine.
The abolitionist underground plays a part in the story as well. Jasmine, her grandmother and her brother-in-law attend meetings and espouse the cause--which infuriates the husband who takes out his ire on the young wife and the indentured servant girl in his home.
The story concludes with the arrival of Jasmine's father who comes to realize that the marriage he arranged and agreed to has been a farce and his son-in-law is a thief. Bradley is shot in attempt to flee his home. He dies without correcting his misdeeds or his will. His brother, Nolan, inherits the estate, but in turn responds by merely running the shipping enterprise. The rest of Bradley's estate is returned to Jasmine and her son, Preston, for his future.
It seems, that in the end, Jasmine and Nolan will continue to grow their relationship and increase their activity in the anti-slavery movement.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blending of lives from three directions: a plantation in the south, the cotton mills of Massachusetts and refugees from Ireland. The story is an artful blending of all the lives into a story of hardship, pain and survival...even triumph. The southern Jasmine Wainwright, daughter of the plantation owner has her marriage arranged to Bradley Houston, the dishonest, angry and lustful Mill Entrepenuer. The potato famine in Ireland has forced the immigration of Kaira and Paddy O'Neill and their entry into indentured servanthood in the Houston household.
The story keeps moving at a good pace. There are social issues of slavery that travel through the pages. Some parts of the book are very hard to stomach because of the intensity of emotion attached to the happenings in Kaira's as well as Jasmine's life. The ending of this book is one of the best I have read in quite a while. You are left with hope and a view of God's long-term salvation and care.
I look forward to book 2 in the series.

[Jewel Carrie Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have thoughts. I think this storyline has a lot of potential, and I hope that some aspects are carried further or resolved in its sequels. I realize that some readers think the authors flaunted their research—but that is what makes historical fiction more believable, and dare I say it, might it have made readers uncomfortable? The horrors of American slavery were very real and pretending that enslaved peoples were well cared for does not help people learn historical truths. No, this book is not a historical monograph, but many people learn their history from pictures and movies. I’m glad that this book told the truth. With that being said, I do think this book needs a trigger warning for sexual assault. And no, I’m not marking this review for spoilers because I think people deserve to know that it happens in the book more than once. The book was released in the early 2000s and should be released as a new edition with a warning.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful Christian novel set both on a Mississippi plantation and in Lowell, Massachusetts. Jasmine is the daughter of a cotton plantation owner whose father sees a business opportunity to increase his cotton sales profits by arranging her marriage to a certain businessman, Bradley. In Ireland, Kiara and her young brother are orphaned by the famine and are sold as indentured servants. They are sent to America and end up in Bradley/Jasmine's household. Both women become victims of a cruel and demanding Bradley. The story follows how these women try to cope with him and what he does to them. As they run from God, God quietly shows them how to persevere and even triumph.

It is not altogether a happy book but one that shows the struggles these women endure. It also highlights the evils of slavery.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the only daughter of a wealthy cotton grower, Jasmine Wainwright has lived a sheltered existence, naive to the realities of Southern Plantation life beyond her family's home and garden. But when two brothers from New England visit The Willows, Jasmine's world and her understanding of the genteel life she's always embraced is thrown into disarray. A visit to her grandmother's house in the bustling textile tow of Lowell, Massachusetts, further opens her eyes.
Bradley Houston sees a connection with Jasmine's family as the perfect means to solidify his new position with the Boston Associates, the powerful men who run the mills. Ambitious and driven, he will stop at nothing to ensure that he achieves his goal.
Faced with the prospect of marriage to a man she doesn't love, Jasmine must weigh her obligations to her family against the desires of her heart.

[Kat Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It included so much history : Slavery,the abolishment movement, arranged marriages,the conditions of mill workers, the potato famine,and immigration process to name a few. The characters you could relate to and the struggles they were going through they grew up in a different time period.I'm glad Mr. Bradley got what he deserved after all he has done (I'm not going to mention what he did seeing as I don't want to spoil it for you. All I can say is that he has done some pretty bad things). I never liked Mr. Bradley,but I did like Nolan,his brother. I thought Nolan and Jasmine would end up together,but their is still two more books for them to do so. I'm looking forward to continue the series to see what happens and what trials they have to overcome.

[Yvonne Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of details about life during this time period in the south, in Massachusetts and in Ireland. It shows us the evils of slavery, indentured servants, mill workers and the Irish plight. It goes into great detail exploring all angles of the human suffering during this time period. It also shows how unscrupulous men took sexual advantage of unprotected women. This is not an enjoyable book to read for pleasure, especially for someone who had to deal with some of the realities of the evils in this book. If you are looking for a pleasant, enjoyable book to read, I would not recommend this for you.

[Cindi]

4.5 stars

The story kept my attention throughout, and I like how the characters were well fleshed out.
The time period was a little shocking with the way things were when it came to marriage for the wealthy. Arranged marriages, for the most part, are no longer, which makes me happy.

I felt as though I were a part of the story since I got to know the characters so well. Some I really liked, but I couldn't stand Bradley Houston.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to read because we would think Jasmine would have other options. Realistically she would have very few and maybe her perception of inner peace and joy could have been better represented instead of a slow pace up an impossible mountain of no worldly content. But we felt for her strife so continued to read. It ended well and I'll say no more or the book would be spoiled.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book in the main but there were occasions where it felt like the story jumped about a bit and this affected the flow of the reading. This was exacerbated by the poor formatting of the e-book with no evident divisions between location/time changes and paragraphs split unnecessarily and confusingly across multiple lines.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The continuing story of Jasmine and her family was engaging and interesting. There are some strings, like Elinor finding love, the shoe peddler coming to justice, and Naomi and Obadiah being found, that I hope are tied up in the next book. As always, though, I enjoy the time I spend reading Tracie Peterson's books.

[Megan Torrance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unpredictable story. Not just your typical feel-good fiction. The main character goes through a lot of hard things, and yet is able to use them to strengthen her relationship with God instead of becoming bitter. The ending seemed to be to "easy" and unrealistic in spite of the more realistic story.

[Mary Schenk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This so far is not my favorite Tracie Peterson book, however it was still worth reading! This story was not a fairy tale Happy ending book it had real depth. I'm just not a fan of the chracters and it took awhile to get into!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The love of God

This book reminds us that when we go through the most difficult times we still need to trust in God. This story highlights the true nature of man both the good and the evil.

[Allison Horrocks · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a character literally named Mammy who talks in a crude dialect. This book romanticizes slavery to a degree that is disturbing.

Do not read this book. There are so many other better books of fiction about Lowell and/or the American south.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book demonstrates the importance, yet difficulty, of forgiving someone who has wronged you. One person’s self-centeredness and cruelty affected so many people. Jasmine grew so much in maturity and faith; I am excited to discover what the future holds for her in the rest of the series.

[Gidget · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tapestry of hope

In the beginning of this book I was not sure I would like it. I never stop reading once I start a book. I am so glad that I stuck with it this book it was very good. I would recommend reading this book.

[Jessica Hembree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Peterson, but this isn’t one of my favorites of hers. It can be difficult to read in some parts due to the abuse that occurs at the hands of one of the main characters, topics like slavery, and more… I like that things work out in the end at least.

[AudreyE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Period of time

I always enjoy periods of time in the 1800 's . I also like Christian Values, love, family, good over coming evil. All of this is present in this novel. I am looking forward to the next one.
These two authors are among my favorites.

[Fanaticmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slooooooow moving. Sad and depressing at points too. Not my
Favorite book.