Mending Lace

by Sheila Forsey

A story of love, loss and forgiveness. Mending Lace is a wonderfully woven story of people coming to terms with who they are, what they have been through and all they have learned along the way.

Sive and Dan Gallagher are devoted to each other. Living the dream in a charming old house that Sive has spent the last few years restoring. Set on the grounds of the house is Sive’s haven. An artist’s studio built for her by her beloved Dan.

But their marriage is tested to its very core when Dan ends up fighting for his life after a car crash. As he awakes, he descends into a pit of despair that leaves him struggling to recover both physically and mentally. Meanwhile, Sive unravels a trail of deceit, lies and financial chaos that ensures that the life she had with Dan evaporates into a nightmare.

Sive’s life is further complicated by Dan’s mother, a formidable woman who rules her clan with an iron fist and has little time for her daughter in law Sive, who she thinks is in a cult because of her bohemian lifestyle, a cult she vehemently blames for her son’s downward spiral.

But as Sive puts the pieces together, she learns that The Gallagher Clan hold a dark secret, a secret that must be revealed and may be the link to all that has happened.

400 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2019

About the author

Sheila Forsey is an Irish Times bestselling author living in County Wexford. Her debut novel, Mending Lace, reached number 4 in the Irish Times bestsellers for mass paperback fiction in October 2017.

Reviews

[Abby Wynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

lovely story

I enjoyed this short book. The character of the annoying mother in law was beautifully executed. Almost all the different types of loss were accounted for. Life is not for the feint hearted.

[Rachel Inbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mending Lace is a mostly well-written, though inconsistent story. Although Sive is the main character, it seems that her friend Beth is almost a second main character. Unfortunately, neither of them are particularly interesting.

What I liked: A lot of the writing was excellent, easy to read, interesting, very 'show rather than tell', Some characters were fairly well-defined (eg, Mrs. Gallagher, Beth's brother). I looked forward to the secrets revealing something surprising.

What I didn't like: I found the secrets disappointing, almost an afterthought. Part of the story that seemed important was not tied up (the SIL). In the version that I read, there were names of famous works and their artists, but I couldn't figure out how they related to the chapters.

There was a part starting with "Oh, I remember so well ..." where Sive suddenly appeared in a place where she wasn't (at 61% on my Kindle) and a few parts that were very preachy (eg, "But you cannot hide the past. It has a way of creeping up on you ... ") and some dialog that was not at all believable (like Andrew Watson suddenly loving her painting so much that he wanted to buy it). And a part, "Great, when can I have the keys and start getting it ready?" was answered with "Yes, you can have the keys ..."

The book is not full of errors, but there are too many, and they are distracting (eg, "... voices who nagged him worse that his ... ")

For the story, I rate this a 3, for the writing a 4.

I received a free copy of this book from BookSirens and am freely posting my honest review.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Sheila Forsey. I like her spare style, though the heavy content at the beginning and some coarse language sprinkled throughout made me think twice about finishing it. I'm glad I did. Most of the unhappy situations Forsey deals with are not familiar to me - suicidal thoughts, emotional abuse, unmarried pregnancy, bankruptcy, death - but watching her characters explore their raw emotions and find their footing was stretching and beautiful. Each chapter began with the title of a painting by a famous artist (a nice nod to the main character, Sive, who was talented enough to sell her artwork). I googled each piece, and it was interesting to consider how they foreshadowed the content that followed. The backdrop of the Irish countryside was lovely and fit this story. It wasn't all sunshine and flowers, but storms and damp and wind that made every surviving blossom more amazing. I also like that Forsey left some loose threads rather than a predictable happy ending, though I would enjoy writing another few pages after tea in the garden. What a wealth of possibilities she has left for us to imagine!
The only things I would tweak in this book revolve around the main characters' mothers. I was less than comfortable with the ghostly influence of Sive's long-dead mother on her and Dan. And Dan's very-much-alive-mother was such a caricature of rudeness that she was unbelievable. Great comic relief, but unbelievable.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from BookSirens and was not obligated to post a review.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Sheila Forsey. I like her spare style, though the heavy content at the beginning and some coarse language sprinkled throughout made me think twice about finishing it. I'm glad I did. Most of the unhappy situations Forsey deals with are not familiar to me - suicidal thoughts, emotional abuse, unmarried pregnancy, bankruptcy, death - but watching her characters explore their raw emotions and find their footing was stretching and beautiful. Each chapter began with the title of a painting by a famous artist (a nice nod to the main character, Sive, who was talented enough to sell her artwork). I googled each piece, and it was interesting to consider how they foreshadowed the content that followed. The backdrop of the Irish countryside was lovely and fit this story. It wasn't all sunshine and flowers, but storms and damp and wind that made every surviving blossom more amazing. I also like that Forsey left some loose threads rather than a predictable happy ending, though I would enjoy writing another few pages after tea in the garden. What a wealth of possibilities she has left for us to imagine!
The only things I would tweak in this book revolve around the main characters' mothers. I was less than comfortable with the ghostly influence of Sive's long-dead mother on her and Dan. And Dan's very-much-alive-mother was such a caricature of rudeness that she was unbelievable. Great comic relief, but unbelievable.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from BookSirens and was not obligated to post a review.

[Terri Gilbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this ebook free in exchange for a review.

Set in Ireland, the main character Sive and her husband Dan appear to be doing well, but Dan's accident reveals a deep depression and a hidden past. As Sive sorts out her life, she moves to a magical cottage owned by an elderly man. Dan's healing and the healing of their marriage are compromised by financial collapse and his interfering mother. The ending is hopeful, but a bit ambiguous.

The novel tells a pretty good story, but falls short of cinematic scenery description. Characters seem rather two dimensional and the story line is not entirely believable. How many people do you know who've inherited a house and fortune after knowing someone a few months?

As other reviewers have noted, there are some inconsistencies with names. Additionally, each chapter is named after a painting. I'm not sure what connection readers are supposed to make with them.

Overall, I feel the book was okay for an emerging author, but believe she would do well to incorporate more believable dialogue and help readers see the characters as they are speaking.

[Tena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate COVID-19. I hate not being able to travel. I hate looking at my passport application and knowing it won’t do any good to process it. I hate that I can’t go to Ireland. After reading Mending Lace by Sheila Forsey, I REALLY want to go to Ireland! Forsey has a gift for describing a setting so realistically that the reader feels like they are actually there. And her ability to write a dialogue is genius. Nothing stilted or fake. The title was a little confusing when I first started the book. But, as the story unfolded, I began to understand. One of the characters, seemingly unimportant to the plot, made a comment about repairing the unraveling threads of a piece of lace. This story is about trying to reconnect loose threads. From mental illness to a loss of a child, Mending Lace is so rich in connecting the loose threads. The story is very dark and filled with sadness but it is also such a great story that I didn’t want it to end. I would actually love a sequel. Each character is stand alone and could actually be a good story on their own. I had no issue giving Mending Lace a five star review. I received an advanced copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sive Gallagher has it all - a husband, a great marriage, her artistic talent and a house she has loved doing up while her husband runs his own successful business. Then her world comes crashing down on her when Dan is injured in a car crash. She finds out that his business is about to go under, the house has been remortgaged and about to be repossessed. And Dan refuses to see her in hospital.

This is a really interesting story, very relevant for today, with great care being given to Dans stay in hospital, and the mental challenges he faces. It is sympathetically written, making you feel for all the characters (except may be Dans mother) and their own back stories. It also has a very satisfying ending. I really enjoyed this book, and would happily recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

[Alva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mending Lace is a story about mending broken lives. Sive and Dan seem to have everything they want or need, but something is awry, something that will be exposed and will shatter their normal existence. Sive has to find strength and independence where before she relied on Dan for everything. Dan is broken. From the start, we are unsure if he can be mended. This is a story of resilience, acknowledgement, facing up to reality, mental illness and the stigma surrounding same. A human story about generational divides, support from unlikely sources, and our ability to adapt to failure, to try to move on from it. Sheila Forsey writes with an enormous understanding of the Irish psyche.

[Katie Kulisz- McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely story about love, finding your own path and forgiving yourself. Sometimes you just have to lose everything to find where you truly need to be in your life. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this story. There is no doubt I will be recommending this to friends. I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens , and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sharon Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the read. This started dark and heavy enough that I wasn't sure, yet here and there were positive moments that sparkled in comparison to the hard times. I will not say how it progressed except that I am very glad I kept reading.

[Donna Dv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This was a pretty good and enjoyable book to read. It was well written and moved along well. It did seem stiff at times though.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Mending Lace by Sheila Forsey. The main characters, Sive and Dan go though a lot in this book. They were a couple very much in love, then tragedy and loss comes into there life. This book does talk about depression which so many authors more talk around the effects to the person and the family. I loved Sive! She is such a rock in this book. When disaster comes into her life she pulls it together and creates a sweet life with many kind people surrounding her.

This book is a good family drama with love, tragedy, and a solid ending. I don’t want to give anything away. This book is a good read. We