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A Slender Thread
A Slender Thread
A dramatic family saga about five estranged sisters reunited after the death of a mother they barely knew. Each is linked by their love for the grandmother who raised them, but will that bond be strong enough?
A dramatic family saga about five estranged sisters reunited after the death of a mother they barely knew. Each is linked by their love for the grandmother who raised them, but will that bond be strong enough?
380 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
620 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Tracie Peterson
254 books3,094 followersTracie 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
pen name: Janelle Jamison
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
August 21, 2019
Outstanding
One of the best books I have read in a long time. It was truly a page turner that I did not want to put down. It's message of faith and forgiveness was wonderful.
One of the best books I have read in a long time. It was truly a page turner that I did not want to put down. It's message of faith and forgiveness was wonderful.
October 18, 2019
A slow read
I usually like this author but this book was boring. I had to force myself to keep reading it and it did get better but it was like reading a text book. You have 5 sisters and you get drug through their disastrous lives plus 2 suicides. All to teach you a lesson on forgiveness. Oh, there is a little romance which was totally unbelievable. The neighbor is engaged to someone but spends 15 min. with one of the girls and suddenly in the last chapter not only tells her he likes her for the first time but that he's in love with her. Unreal!
I usually like this author but this book was boring. I had to force myself to keep reading it and it did get better but it was like reading a text book. You have 5 sisters and you get drug through their disastrous lives plus 2 suicides. All to teach you a lesson on forgiveness. Oh, there is a little romance which was totally unbelievable. The neighbor is engaged to someone but spends 15 min. with one of the girls and suddenly in the last chapter not only tells her he likes her for the first time but that he's in love with her. Unreal!
February 14, 2018
What a good book! I really liked this story of a family growing closer to each other and to God when dealing with turmoil and heartache in their own lives. I grew up with 2 sisters so a lot of their issues hit close to home! I've also been far from home for a really long time. Makes me want to visit...
July 23, 2024
Enjoyed it
I liked how this book shows the problems that family can have but they are still family and you can always turn to the Lord for help in time of need!
I liked how this book shows the problems that family can have but they are still family and you can always turn to the Lord for help in time of need!
June 3, 2020
This book was enjoyable to read. All families are different and the relationship between the members of any family are filled with love, strained, even hate at times. Often these relationships define an individual person who reacts in a variety of ways. This is true with the family in this case. Five girls are left with the grandmother, Mattie, each shortly after they were born. Throughout their life, they hard unconditional love from Mattie, with a strong dose of faith and belief in God thrown in. Now adults, each has gone a different route, some happily, some frustrated, some hurt and one broken. There is even a man thrown for good measure. He is the neighbor who is there for the Mattie in all ways, he is the former fiance of the oldest and who is now falling in love with the middle girl. The death of the mother, a successful actress who takes her own life, draws all five girls back to the farm and Mattie for the funeral. None of who want to be there, but the attend for Mattie, who is devastated. Because they have all come with their own concerns about their lives, they end up fighting and arguing and leave angry. A near fatal accident of the oldest, brings them all together again with some positive and some negative feelings. As they go back to their own lives, things continue to from bad to worse. Then the husband of #4, shoots himself and again they gather for the funeral and when they leave, some have tried to make amends and some have not. Because of the turmoil in each of their lives, they all end up back at the farm and Mattie, and with some intervening situations, they all come back together, one at a time, until finally the middle girl, the one broken, returns with the neighboring man and they all realize how much they love and need each other and Mattie is one happy grandmother,
June 29, 2019
A very well written story
This story begins with a funeral. Stop. For me that usually means I put it down however, this time I understood the feeling these women had.
The family in this story gives a great example of the disparities all families feel at some point. Unfortunately these women have had it all their lives. Their only Saving Grace is the faith in a loving and forgiving Father, instilled in them by their grandmother.
Life is not easy nor is it meant to be, but it can be loving, tender, fierce, depressing, uplifting, painful, beautiful and so many more adjectives. Until you understand that a person is never deserving of forgiveness ,but can obtain it simply by asking for it and truly forgiving others when they have sinned against you can never have Joy. The Love that surpasses all understanding!!
This story begins with a funeral. Stop. For me that usually means I put it down however, this time I understood the feeling these women had.
The family in this story gives a great example of the disparities all families feel at some point. Unfortunately these women have had it all their lives. Their only Saving Grace is the faith in a loving and forgiving Father, instilled in them by their grandmother.
Life is not easy nor is it meant to be, but it can be loving, tender, fierce, depressing, uplifting, painful, beautiful and so many more adjectives. Until you understand that a person is never deserving of forgiveness ,but can obtain it simply by asking for it and truly forgiving others when they have sinned against you can never have Joy. The Love that surpasses all understanding!!
October 18, 2018
Slender Thread Broke?
Well I thought it was going to. This family was headed for a bad crash, and not the one like Ashley had. You go through their lives and wonder if any of them will come out at the end with a clear brain! I gave this book a 5 star rating because Miss Peterson kept me wondering where this was going, like the books she writes. At the end she always comes clean and makes you need a tissue for your eyes. Thank you Tracie Peterson for another fantastic read, loved it!
Well I thought it was going to. This family was headed for a bad crash, and not the one like Ashley had. You go through their lives and wonder if any of them will come out at the end with a clear brain! I gave this book a 5 star rating because Miss Peterson kept me wondering where this was going, like the books she writes. At the end she always comes clean and makes you need a tissue for your eyes. Thank you Tracie Peterson for another fantastic read, loved it!
January 12, 2020
Thought provoking tear jerker
The book deals with many hard subjects like suicide, adultery, miscarriage, promiscuity consequences, and family division , hurts and brokenness is a way that relies on working at healing and forgiveness with your own effort and resolutions but always with the power and ability of God in the middle! God is there but we have to be open and willing. The grandmother is the salt of the earth that holds the whole book together and works out her calling in a wonderful way
The book deals with many hard subjects like suicide, adultery, miscarriage, promiscuity consequences, and family division , hurts and brokenness is a way that relies on working at healing and forgiveness with your own effort and resolutions but always with the power and ability of God in the middle! God is there but we have to be open and willing. The grandmother is the salt of the earth that holds the whole book together and works out her calling in a wonderful way
August 1, 2017
This is one of my favorite books I ever read.
May 4, 2021
Completely unrealistic. The story revolves around five girls whose mother abandoned them, each in their turn, and were left to the care of their grandmother. They are brought together again with the unexpected death of their mother, whom they cannot even bring themselves to name but instead call her by her first name. All at once a bunch of problems hit the family, and the girls have to sort out their troubled upbringing and become a family again. However, the girls are all brats, let's just get that out there. They are all in incredibly prosperous situations, but each thinks they have life 'so hard' and 'they'll never be happy'. It's hard to relate to characters who have it all but find every reason to quibble at every bump in the road. They all argue with each other constantly over completely meaningless things and it was very frustrating to have to read basically the same argument over and over again. The book gets really, really dark about halfway through, which is supposed to be the catalyst for the girls to reconcile, but you almost don't want them to based on how bratty they are. Besides other vices, the one girl is basically ruining her family with her gambling addiction, another is only putting on appearances but is lonely and depressed and anxious, etc. etc. Of course, in books like these, with all the trauma the characters suffer, they all get their 'happy ending', which may be the most unrealistic part of the book. One to avoid.
June 6, 2025
A very touching story about a mother who left her five daughters with her mother in Kansas, so she could become a actress. She never came back for them. Her mother raised them to be good responsible women. But they always felt unloved by their mother. Each daughter left the farm were they were raised. Staying close to each other and their Grandmother. The book spent time with with each dauuughter and her life. At the end the mother took her own life, feeling that she made mistakes
and that God couldn't forgive her. She wrote each daughter and her own mother a goodbye letter explaining her love for each. Grandma was a quilter, and had designed a blanket, using favorite clothes from each granddaughter many years before the story began. She won many ribbons for this quilt. And was offered $20,000.00 for it. The girls were having problems among them selfs, Grandma
cut the blanket into six seperate peices, and sent each one to the proper girl. thus the title, a slender thread, that binds them together. Hard to put down.
and that God couldn't forgive her. She wrote each daughter and her own mother a goodbye letter explaining her love for each. Grandma was a quilter, and had designed a blanket, using favorite clothes from each granddaughter many years before the story began. She won many ribbons for this quilt. And was offered $20,000.00 for it. The girls were having problems among them selfs, Grandma
cut the blanket into six seperate peices, and sent each one to the proper girl. thus the title, a slender thread, that binds them together. Hard to put down.
December 8, 2020
Excellent
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a complicated story of 5 sisters struggling with life and the bad deals and the blessings their lives have received. Each one is coping with their Mother abandoning them , never knowing their father, and yet being raised by a loving Grandmother that dedicated her life to them. Their Mothers death puts them into a time of search. A time to face who they truly are underneath the bitter facade. Life isn’t perfect and we can’t make it perfect, but with their Grandmothers strong faith in God that was instilled in them As children, re-emerging they find their way to a place of peace, even as the each struggling with issues in their own lives. Lovely story, well told. It made me reflect on a many issues of my own Excellent read.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a complicated story of 5 sisters struggling with life and the bad deals and the blessings their lives have received. Each one is coping with their Mother abandoning them , never knowing their father, and yet being raised by a loving Grandmother that dedicated her life to them. Their Mothers death puts them into a time of search. A time to face who they truly are underneath the bitter facade. Life isn’t perfect and we can’t make it perfect, but with their Grandmothers strong faith in God that was instilled in them As children, re-emerging they find their way to a place of peace, even as the each struggling with issues in their own lives. Lovely story, well told. It made me reflect on a many issues of my own Excellent read.
October 4, 2022
Love, betrayal, sadness, forgiveness, acceptance and faith in God to guide you through the ups and downs of life. This book brings you to think, what would you be able to do in these situations. Could you forgive someone who abandons you to be brought up by your Grammie, could you accept someone who is not your true blood. Could you continue to love when someone has betrayed you and was the cause to a huge loss in your life? A Slender Thread led you through the life journeys of this family. With their faith in God and the true love of family they walked the path that led them to each other. Made me stop and search myself and wonder if I could do what they did.
February 8, 2021
Not having sisters, it took me a little while to get into the story. I love the Grandmother in the story, she knows when to take charge and when to step back. All 5 of the sisters have something weighing on their mind when their mother dies. All 5 of them have to work through their own issues and then become a family again. It's a story of sorrow, forgiveness, forgiving oneself and love (family and God).
February 10, 2021
A wonderful story
Tracie has written yet another wonderful story. Having three sisters I could relate to the different personalities that make up families and how our past impacts each of us differently . Forgiveness is a big theme of this story and so applicable to the many different relationships we all have within our families.i would highly recommend this book but be sure to keep tissues handy especially towards the end.
Tracie has written yet another wonderful story. Having three sisters I could relate to the different personalities that make up families and how our past impacts each of us differently . Forgiveness is a big theme of this story and so applicable to the many different relationships we all have within our families.i would highly recommend this book but be sure to keep tissues handy especially towards the end.
April 3, 2021
Forgiveness and Faith
This is an amazing family story displaying beautiful, raw, emotional, real-life examples of the trials and triumphs involved with forgiveness and faith.
I found myself crying on multiple occasions and rejoicing along with Mattie and her girls as they tore themselves away from God and then He beautifully stitched them back together!
Thank you Tracie for a wonderful reading experience.
This is an amazing family story displaying beautiful, raw, emotional, real-life examples of the trials and triumphs involved with forgiveness and faith.
I found myself crying on multiple occasions and rejoicing along with Mattie and her girls as they tore themselves away from God and then He beautifully stitched them back together!
Thank you Tracie for a wonderful reading experience.
November 30, 2021
Faith, Family and Forgiveness
A great listen by author Tracie Peterson, especially so for women, mothers and grandmothers. If you are looking for an action-packed story, look elsewhere. If you’re a Christian, seeking peace in the midst of the storm, this one is for you. As the mother of five kids and ten grandkids, this tale of grandmother Mattie Mitchell, who had raised all five of her daughter’s girls after her daughter abandoned them was a hard-hitting one for me.
A great listen by author Tracie Peterson, especially so for women, mothers and grandmothers. If you are looking for an action-packed story, look elsewhere. If you’re a Christian, seeking peace in the midst of the storm, this one is for you. As the mother of five kids and ten grandkids, this tale of grandmother Mattie Mitchell, who had raised all five of her daughter’s girls after her daughter abandoned them was a hard-hitting one for me.
January 15, 2024
This was a heartfelt story of five sisters and the struggles each one finds in her life. In coming back together in times of grief. Like the March sisters in Alcott’s Little Women, they learn the importance of uniting as a family, much like a Peacework quilt made by their grandmother.
This story teaches the values of faith, forgiveness, and love, through a slender but mighty thread. God and the love He has for each of us.
This story teaches the values of faith, forgiveness, and love, through a slender but mighty thread. God and the love He has for each of us.
October 1, 2020
Wonderful family love story!!! Story of Gods healing love in a fa who had hurts from childhood but Gods love heals all t the way she fits Gods word into her stories
Love the way she uses Gods word in her stories to bring healing to hurting families! A good story of life’s tragedies but Gods power to bring forgiveness and healing!!
Love the way she uses Gods word in her stories to bring healing to hurting families! A good story of life’s tragedies but Gods power to bring forgiveness and healing!!
January 4, 2021
I had a difficult time deciding between 2 or 3 stars. The book isn't bad but seemed too contrived and preachy. Five siblings each having a life-changing event within about 1.5 years after their reunion at their biological mother's funeral. There are some strong visual messages that could have stood on their own with the accompanying "conversational" messages.
April 14, 2021
The story starts with the funeral of a woman who abandoned her five daughters. Her Christian mother took them in and gave them the start they needed in life. They return for her gentle advice when troubles overtake them all. A lovely Christian story that shows how vulnerable we all are even if we know the Lord.
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August 13, 2021Another one of Tracie's winners. This one was especially interesting for me because I have four sisters too. Unlike the Mitchell sisters our twins came last. There's nothing as precious as sister love and caring. Thanks Tracie for a very good read.
See above review. I know that's not where you wanted it.. This is a good book to read, especially if you have a sister.
See above review. I know that's not where you wanted it.. This is a good book to read, especially if you have a sister.
December 28, 2021
Many threads woven into one slender thread
What a beautiful story! Life is like a quilt, stitched together over our lives. Not all quilts are perfect or even pretty but they are made by our own choices, good and bad. Tracie Peterson is a wonderful writer who reaches out to her readers with heart and soul. Fantastic book, would highly recommend that you read it.
What a beautiful story! Life is like a quilt, stitched together over our lives. Not all quilts are perfect or even pretty but they are made by our own choices, good and bad. Tracie Peterson is a wonderful writer who reaches out to her readers with heart and soul. Fantastic book, would highly recommend that you read it.
December 19, 2018
Was really interested in reading this because the setting was Council Grove, my home town. Few surprises in the story that I didn't expect. Little sad that there wasn't really any references to places in Council Grove.
October 25, 2020
Bravo Tracie!!
Meaty page turner! Layered characters, makes you think! I could see myself in a few of the characters. This book made me look at my walk with my Creator. Thanks Tracie!
Meaty page turner! Layered characters, makes you think! I could see myself in a few of the characters. This book made me look at my walk with my Creator. Thanks Tracie!
December 4, 2020
What a read! This novel is about five sisters raised by their grammy. It is a roller coaster of life events intertwined with inspirational encouragement. The author includes several tough topics but handles them with faith-based answers. Well done!
February 19, 2021
A sort of faith and family
The story held drama, humor, and gentle lessons in faith. The characters and situations are realistic and interesting.I appreciated the author's style and descriptions of her characters's lives and personalities as well as their growth from challenges.
The story held drama, humor, and gentle lessons in faith. The characters and situations are realistic and interesting.I appreciated the author's style and descriptions of her characters's lives and personalities as well as their growth from challenges.
April 11, 2021
Full of insights
This wonderful story is full of twists & turns in the lives of 5 women & their grandmother. Through tragedies & love from this Godly grandmother who raised them they find healing & reconciliation with one another, God & their now deceased mother.
This wonderful story is full of twists & turns in the lives of 5 women & their grandmother. Through tragedies & love from this Godly grandmother who raised them they find healing & reconciliation with one another, God & their now deceased mother.
April 23, 2021
I love this book! It’s a beautiful story of loss, faith, forgiveness and the importance of family. I love the symbolism of the torn quilt and how the family was torn apart and only they could stitch their family ties back together!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2021
A Welcome Change
So wonderful to find a good novel without having to read about um...compromising situations and/or bad language. Well written and with a lovely, hope-filled message!
So wonderful to find a good novel without having to read about um...compromising situations and/or bad language. Well written and with a lovely, hope-filled message!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews