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The Oysterville Sewing Circle
At the break of dawn, Caroline Shelby rolls into Oysterville, Washington, a tiny hamlet at the edge of the raging Pacific.
She’s come home.
Home to a place she thought she’d left forever, home of her heart and memories, but not her future. Ten years ago, Caroline launched a career in the glamorous fashion world of Manhattan. But her success in New York imploded on a wave of scandal and tragedy, forcing her to flee to the only safe place she knows.
And in the backseat of Caroline’s car are two children who were orphaned in a single chilling moment—five-year-old Addie and six-year-old Flick. She’s now their legal guardian—a role she’s not sure she’s ready for.
But the Oysterville she left behind has changed. Her siblings have their own complicated lives and her aging parents are hoping to pass on their thriving seafood restaurant to the next generation. And there’s Will Jensen, a decorated Navy SEAL who’s also returned home after being wounded overseas. Will and Caroline were forever friends as children, with the promise of something more . . . until he fell in love with Sierra, Caroline’s best friend and the most beautiful girl in town. With her modeling jobs drying up, Sierra, too, is on the cusp of reinventing herself.
Caroline returns to her favorite place: the sewing shop owned by Mrs. Lindy Bloom, the woman who inspired her and taught her to sew. There she discovers that even in an idyllic beach town, there are women living with the deepest of secrets. Thus begins the Oysterville Sewing Circle—where women can join forces to support each other through the troubles they keep hidden.
Yet just as Caroline regains her creativity and fighting spirit, and the children begin to heal from their loss, an unexpected challenge tests her courage and her heart. This time, though, Caroline is not going to run away. She’s going to stand and fight for everything—and everyone—she loves.
She’s come home.
Home to a place she thought she’d left forever, home of her heart and memories, but not her future. Ten years ago, Caroline launched a career in the glamorous fashion world of Manhattan. But her success in New York imploded on a wave of scandal and tragedy, forcing her to flee to the only safe place she knows.
And in the backseat of Caroline’s car are two children who were orphaned in a single chilling moment—five-year-old Addie and six-year-old Flick. She’s now their legal guardian—a role she’s not sure she’s ready for.
But the Oysterville she left behind has changed. Her siblings have their own complicated lives and her aging parents are hoping to pass on their thriving seafood restaurant to the next generation. And there’s Will Jensen, a decorated Navy SEAL who’s also returned home after being wounded overseas. Will and Caroline were forever friends as children, with the promise of something more . . . until he fell in love with Sierra, Caroline’s best friend and the most beautiful girl in town. With her modeling jobs drying up, Sierra, too, is on the cusp of reinventing herself.
Caroline returns to her favorite place: the sewing shop owned by Mrs. Lindy Bloom, the woman who inspired her and taught her to sew. There she discovers that even in an idyllic beach town, there are women living with the deepest of secrets. Thus begins the Oysterville Sewing Circle—where women can join forces to support each other through the troubles they keep hidden.
Yet just as Caroline regains her creativity and fighting spirit, and the children begin to heal from their loss, an unexpected challenge tests her courage and her heart. This time, though, Caroline is not going to run away. She’s going to stand and fight for everything—and everyone—she loves.
400 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2019
4176 people are currently reading
37225 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wiggs
169 books7,422 followersSusan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.
According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.
According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,649 reviews
August 4, 2019
3.5 stars
This was my first Susan Wiggs novel and I liked this one enough to want to check out her other books. I appreciate her attempt at exploring some heavy subjects in this story however there were a few things in the book that I felt weren't developed to their potential. This has been a common thing with books I have read recently. Just because I know early on how it will probably end, I still need to feel like everything unfolds naturally rather than rushed or glossed over. Don't get me wrong though this was still a good read.
The fashion world might be glamorous but it is also cutthroat, a fact Caroline Shelby is well aware of having worked in the industry for 10 years in New York City. She decides to return to her hometown of Oysterville, Washington not only because she is unemployed but also because she has recently become legal guardian of her deceased friend's children and she's going to need the help of her parents and siblings. But returning home will mean she will have to face her past, both the good, and the bad. Given the size of the town it will be difficult to avoid running into Will Jensen, a friend from her childhood who broke her heart when he married her best friend, Sierra. When Caroline decides to form a women's support group, she learns that she's not the only one with a deep secret.
There's a lot of heavy subjects in the story like domestic violence, addiction, and sexual assault so I would take a pass on this one if you are just in the mood for a light and breezy read. Unfortunately because there was a lot of different things going on , I thought the story as a whole suffered because nothing felt fully developed. It's like the story would focus for while on the sewing circle, and then bounce to the whole love triangle thing, then briefly mention the kids. I feel like you get to the endpoint and it's not as entirely satisfying as you hoped because many parts of the story just felt glossed over. Keeping that in mind, I'm not saying this isn't a good book, rather because of these things, it didn't hit the great or awesome mark for me. Still recommend especially if you like books about women supporting other women.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a review!
This was my first Susan Wiggs novel and I liked this one enough to want to check out her other books. I appreciate her attempt at exploring some heavy subjects in this story however there were a few things in the book that I felt weren't developed to their potential. This has been a common thing with books I have read recently. Just because I know early on how it will probably end, I still need to feel like everything unfolds naturally rather than rushed or glossed over. Don't get me wrong though this was still a good read.
The fashion world might be glamorous but it is also cutthroat, a fact Caroline Shelby is well aware of having worked in the industry for 10 years in New York City. She decides to return to her hometown of Oysterville, Washington not only because she is unemployed but also because she has recently become legal guardian of her deceased friend's children and she's going to need the help of her parents and siblings. But returning home will mean she will have to face her past, both the good, and the bad. Given the size of the town it will be difficult to avoid running into Will Jensen, a friend from her childhood who broke her heart when he married her best friend, Sierra. When Caroline decides to form a women's support group, she learns that she's not the only one with a deep secret.
There's a lot of heavy subjects in the story like domestic violence, addiction, and sexual assault so I would take a pass on this one if you are just in the mood for a light and breezy read. Unfortunately because there was a lot of different things going on , I thought the story as a whole suffered because nothing felt fully developed. It's like the story would focus for while on the sewing circle, and then bounce to the whole love triangle thing, then briefly mention the kids. I feel like you get to the endpoint and it's not as entirely satisfying as you hoped because many parts of the story just felt glossed over. Keeping that in mind, I'm not saying this isn't a good book, rather because of these things, it didn't hit the great or awesome mark for me. Still recommend especially if you like books about women supporting other women.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a review!
January 16, 2020
3.75 rounded up to 4 Stars
Women's fiction isn't my usual genre of book to read. My reading wheelhouse is usually biographies, historical fiction or literary fiction. But, there was something heartwarming that lured me in about this book cover, and thus I entered and won the Goodreads Giveaway for this kindle book. I guess I was primed for a dose of light reading, which centers around the beach town of Oysterville, Washington.
As the book begins, Caroline is driving on a foggy night, having come all the way from New York City back home to Oysterville, Washington. She has a little boy and girl in the back seat. It is evident that Caroline is escaping something, finding refuge back home. As dawn is rising she pulls into a local rest stop and runs into Will Jensen jogging with some students. They are shocked to see each other after so many years. He is particularly amazed to see Caroline back in town, and with two kids. It is obvious they had a history together.
Backtrack to New York City when Caroline worked there in the fashion industry. A graduate of FIT, she worked with models at fashion shows and submitted her designs to an Emerging Artists contest. As often happens to novices in the fashion industry, Caroline is livid to discover that the famous designer she works under has stolen her inventive and attractive designs, putting them forward at a fashion show as his own. Not a shrinking violet, Caroline confronts Mick Taylor and he blackballs her in the industry. She finds any kind of sewing/design work she can to survive in the City. Her dear friend is a stunning fashion model from Haiti named Angelique. Angelique has two young kids that were born in Haiti, and although they are with her in NYC, Angelique's visa has expired. In addition, Caroline is quite concerned about some bruises that she observed on Angelique while prepping her for a runway walk.
Caroline Shelby had a passion for sewing and designing clothes from a very young age. While her family ran the town's thriving "Star of the Sea" restaurant and her siblings had served their turns working there up through the ranks as they grew older, Caroline ditched her stint as dishwasher to instead work at the local fabric shop, Lindy's. She was so at home surrounded by bolts of fabric, industrial sewing machines and thread that she would have gladly worked there for free. She met Will Jensen one summer when he was visiting his grandparents (as he did every summer at their charming Victorian but somewhat dilapidated home). They became fast friends as young teens, riding bicycles and surfing each summer. Then came that "aha" moment when Caroline realized she felt something more. But then a new pastor came to town and Caroline became best friends with Sierra, his gorgeous daughter. They were joined at the hip and Caroline loved designing and making special dresses for Sierra for the prom and even her wedding day. At first Caroline, Sierra and Will became a trifecta of friends. Caroline was too bashful to admit her burgeoning feelings for Will to Sierra, opening up a path for Sierra to set her romantic sights on Will.
Now that Caroline has returned to Oysterville, she needs to settle the kids into her welcoming parents' home, get them enrolled in school and figure out the next step. This book is about realization of a first love, a loving family with a business that anchors a town welcoming summer visitors, taking a stand against domestic violence/abusers, and the wonderful creativity of one Caroline Shelby. A portion of the proceeds of this book goes to a domestic violence charity.
This was a lovely read and I thank Goodreads Giveaway for providing me this kindle book published by William Morrow.
Women's fiction isn't my usual genre of book to read. My reading wheelhouse is usually biographies, historical fiction or literary fiction. But, there was something heartwarming that lured me in about this book cover, and thus I entered and won the Goodreads Giveaway for this kindle book. I guess I was primed for a dose of light reading, which centers around the beach town of Oysterville, Washington.
As the book begins, Caroline is driving on a foggy night, having come all the way from New York City back home to Oysterville, Washington. She has a little boy and girl in the back seat. It is evident that Caroline is escaping something, finding refuge back home. As dawn is rising she pulls into a local rest stop and runs into Will Jensen jogging with some students. They are shocked to see each other after so many years. He is particularly amazed to see Caroline back in town, and with two kids. It is obvious they had a history together.
Backtrack to New York City when Caroline worked there in the fashion industry. A graduate of FIT, she worked with models at fashion shows and submitted her designs to an Emerging Artists contest. As often happens to novices in the fashion industry, Caroline is livid to discover that the famous designer she works under has stolen her inventive and attractive designs, putting them forward at a fashion show as his own. Not a shrinking violet, Caroline confronts Mick Taylor and he blackballs her in the industry. She finds any kind of sewing/design work she can to survive in the City. Her dear friend is a stunning fashion model from Haiti named Angelique. Angelique has two young kids that were born in Haiti, and although they are with her in NYC, Angelique's visa has expired. In addition, Caroline is quite concerned about some bruises that she observed on Angelique while prepping her for a runway walk.
Caroline Shelby had a passion for sewing and designing clothes from a very young age. While her family ran the town's thriving "Star of the Sea" restaurant and her siblings had served their turns working there up through the ranks as they grew older, Caroline ditched her stint as dishwasher to instead work at the local fabric shop, Lindy's. She was so at home surrounded by bolts of fabric, industrial sewing machines and thread that she would have gladly worked there for free. She met Will Jensen one summer when he was visiting his grandparents (as he did every summer at their charming Victorian but somewhat dilapidated home). They became fast friends as young teens, riding bicycles and surfing each summer. Then came that "aha" moment when Caroline realized she felt something more. But then a new pastor came to town and Caroline became best friends with Sierra, his gorgeous daughter. They were joined at the hip and Caroline loved designing and making special dresses for Sierra for the prom and even her wedding day. At first Caroline, Sierra and Will became a trifecta of friends. Caroline was too bashful to admit her burgeoning feelings for Will to Sierra, opening up a path for Sierra to set her romantic sights on Will.
Now that Caroline has returned to Oysterville, she needs to settle the kids into her welcoming parents' home, get them enrolled in school and figure out the next step. This book is about realization of a first love, a loving family with a business that anchors a town welcoming summer visitors, taking a stand against domestic violence/abusers, and the wonderful creativity of one Caroline Shelby. A portion of the proceeds of this book goes to a domestic violence charity.
This was a lovely read and I thank Goodreads Giveaway for providing me this kindle book published by William Morrow.
May 29, 2019
The writing on this was pretty atrocious. The same general points were restated over and over and OVER again throughout and it got very tiring very quickly. Also the romance (what there was of it) was kind of sketch with him being married at the beginning to her supposed best friend. Basically, it was all over the place trying to provide conflict and then going on and on about the conflict, but it was mostly self-created conflict. I am not talking about the physical/mental abuse victims and survivors because that was actual conflict and for everyone who WASN'T the main character, handled decently. I am talking mostly about the main character's giving up on the guy she liked as a kid to her friend, handling it badly for the rest of her life, and the entire plot with the evil designer, abusive guy, and her repetitive internal monologues about how she can't handle these kids she's inherited. Just deal with it, lady. I can handle only so much whining before I give up on a character and a book.
Did not read about 1/5 of this because I got too irritated and skipped multiple chapters to just read the end.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Did not read about 1/5 of this because I got too irritated and skipped multiple chapters to just read the end.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2023
THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE is a wonderful, winding tale of going home and discovering yourself. Caroline Shelby returns home to Washington State with two children she’s adopted after her best friend suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances and after being abuses. Having lost her career in the fashion industry and struggling to figure out how to raise two kids, she forms a domestic abuse support group and begins picking up sewing projects, as well as reconnecting with old friends.
The characters completely made this one. I loved Caroline and her sisters, as well as all the characters in small town Oysterville. Will. Sierra. That slow burn, wonderful love story. If you love flashbacks, this is a great novel for you! Lots of rich, rich backstory and slow development of relationships that come together in the end. What a wonderful, richly drawn town with an interesting plot. Heartwarming and a great read.
Trigger Warnings:
The characters completely made this one. I loved Caroline and her sisters, as well as all the characters in small town Oysterville. Will. Sierra. That slow burn, wonderful love story. If you love flashbacks, this is a great novel for you! Lots of rich, rich backstory and slow development of relationships that come together in the end. What a wonderful, richly drawn town with an interesting plot. Heartwarming and a great read.
Trigger Warnings:
August 28, 2019
Favorite Quotes:
Since she had left home right out of high school, she had dutifully visited a few times at Christmas… That seemed to satisfy the family and also preserved her status as the official black sheep. Every family needed a pet, her brother Jackson used to joke.
I’ve had my heart broken so many times, it’s all scar tissue…
“Turns out my ‘perfect’ husband pulled the oldest trick in the book. He took up with an associate at the law firm, plotted a slick exit, and brought my life to a screeching halt. She’s awful, too— one of those phony Christians who claimed she was ‘saving herself for marriage.’” “I guess you should have asked whose marriage,”
His eyes were as blue as her favorite color of gumball… As a general rule, she didn’t like boys. With two younger brothers, she was well aware of their shortcomings. Boys were noisy, and they smelled like hamsters, and they had an incomprehensible habit of wearing the same dirty shirt day in and day out until someone made them change.
My Review:
This was a slowly evolving, relatable, and thoughtfully written story in which every woman from most any culture will find something that resonates for her. While predominantly fitting the genre of women’s fiction, it could also be considered a second chance and small-town romance. The realistic storylines were easy to follow, highly assessable, relevant, and cast with a wide variety of unique and endearing yet flawed characters. The writing was engaging and easy to follow yet slyly emotive and stung my eye sockets several times. Susan Wiggs has earned a permanent spot on my list of favorite authors.
Since she had left home right out of high school, she had dutifully visited a few times at Christmas… That seemed to satisfy the family and also preserved her status as the official black sheep. Every family needed a pet, her brother Jackson used to joke.
I’ve had my heart broken so many times, it’s all scar tissue…
“Turns out my ‘perfect’ husband pulled the oldest trick in the book. He took up with an associate at the law firm, plotted a slick exit, and brought my life to a screeching halt. She’s awful, too— one of those phony Christians who claimed she was ‘saving herself for marriage.’” “I guess you should have asked whose marriage,”
His eyes were as blue as her favorite color of gumball… As a general rule, she didn’t like boys. With two younger brothers, she was well aware of their shortcomings. Boys were noisy, and they smelled like hamsters, and they had an incomprehensible habit of wearing the same dirty shirt day in and day out until someone made them change.
My Review:
This was a slowly evolving, relatable, and thoughtfully written story in which every woman from most any culture will find something that resonates for her. While predominantly fitting the genre of women’s fiction, it could also be considered a second chance and small-town romance. The realistic storylines were easy to follow, highly assessable, relevant, and cast with a wide variety of unique and endearing yet flawed characters. The writing was engaging and easy to follow yet slyly emotive and stung my eye sockets several times. Susan Wiggs has earned a permanent spot on my list of favorite authors.
June 10, 2019
First of all, I won this book from Goodreads. So thank you!
Now on to the review. ****Warning, some minor spoilers ahead****
I thought this book was decent, but not a great read. It was very repetitive and not as deep as I would have liked. I think the subject matter (domestic abuse, drug abuse, sexual assault) is important and am glad Susan Wiggs tackled it, but I wish she'd gone deeper. I also wish that some of the characters in the book that were in the Sewing Circle (abuse victims) had been men (it happens more than people admit.) I would have loved to see a more inclusive and nuanced group of survivors. They honestly all felt a bit one dimensional and cliched. Plus, this book made it seem like pretty much every woman ever has been a victim of some form of abuse or assault or harassment. It wasn't as realistic as it could have been.
As for the main story line with the protagonist and the guy she's loved since childhood, I enjoyed the parts that flashed back to their childhood summers, but felt the present day story was lacking and uninspired. She makes a ton of bad choices, lets people walk all over her, and then we are supposed to root for her. I just found it hard to care about her. And he gets over his "perfect" marriage quite quickly and easily. I found myself not really caring if they got together, because it felt like they purposely kept making choices that kept them apart. All they had to do was actually talk to each other and say how they felt, but that was apparently too hard for them.
Another issue I had was that the kids she basically "adopts" felt like an afterthought. Their story just wasn't fleshed out enough. I wanted to know more about these kids, to understand what they were going through. But it was all a bit too surface, not enough substance.
All in all, I thought it was a decent read, but it didn't stay with me, and I won't remember much of it in a year.
Now on to the review. ****Warning, some minor spoilers ahead****
I thought this book was decent, but not a great read. It was very repetitive and not as deep as I would have liked. I think the subject matter (domestic abuse, drug abuse, sexual assault) is important and am glad Susan Wiggs tackled it, but I wish she'd gone deeper. I also wish that some of the characters in the book that were in the Sewing Circle (abuse victims) had been men (it happens more than people admit.) I would have loved to see a more inclusive and nuanced group of survivors. They honestly all felt a bit one dimensional and cliched. Plus, this book made it seem like pretty much every woman ever has been a victim of some form of abuse or assault or harassment. It wasn't as realistic as it could have been.
As for the main story line with the protagonist and the guy she's loved since childhood, I enjoyed the parts that flashed back to their childhood summers, but felt the present day story was lacking and uninspired. She makes a ton of bad choices, lets people walk all over her, and then we are supposed to root for her. I just found it hard to care about her. And he gets over his "perfect" marriage quite quickly and easily. I found myself not really caring if they got together, because it felt like they purposely kept making choices that kept them apart. All they had to do was actually talk to each other and say how they felt, but that was apparently too hard for them.
Another issue I had was that the kids she basically "adopts" felt like an afterthought. Their story just wasn't fleshed out enough. I wanted to know more about these kids, to understand what they were going through. But it was all a bit too surface, not enough substance.
All in all, I thought it was a decent read, but it didn't stay with me, and I won't remember much of it in a year.
August 14, 2019
Caroline never thought she would be returning to her childhood home of Oysterville and definitely not with two children that weren't her own.
Caroline had wanted to leave as badly as any young person and head to New York City. Caroline did make it big in New York until a famous designer stole her clothing line.
Her loss and the death of her friend had Caroline returning with her friend's two children because Caroline had no idea how to take care of a child let alone two.
Caroline had a loving, supportive family to help her and ideas on how to help women of domestic abuse since that is what took her friend who left her the two children.
We get a glimpse into Caroline’s life as a teenager as well as her life now. Her teenage years were just as full of love as her adult life with her family.
THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE was a sweet, beautiful read with lovable characters and a setting you will want to make your own.
If you enjoy sewing, the fashion world, being on a beach setting, learning about running a restaurant, being with loving characters, and seeing women helping other women, THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE will be a wonderful addition to your reading stack.
A truly cozy, heartwarming read for readers of women’s fiction. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher as an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Caroline had wanted to leave as badly as any young person and head to New York City. Caroline did make it big in New York until a famous designer stole her clothing line.
Her loss and the death of her friend had Caroline returning with her friend's two children because Caroline had no idea how to take care of a child let alone two.
Caroline had a loving, supportive family to help her and ideas on how to help women of domestic abuse since that is what took her friend who left her the two children.
We get a glimpse into Caroline’s life as a teenager as well as her life now. Her teenage years were just as full of love as her adult life with her family.
THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE was a sweet, beautiful read with lovable characters and a setting you will want to make your own.
If you enjoy sewing, the fashion world, being on a beach setting, learning about running a restaurant, being with loving characters, and seeing women helping other women, THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE will be a wonderful addition to your reading stack.
A truly cozy, heartwarming read for readers of women’s fiction. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher as an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
May 16, 2022
3.5 stars
From the publisher
"After facing tragedy and betrayal in New York, an aspiring fashion designer escapes to her idyllic Pacific coast hometown to raise her best friend’s two young children and finds inspiration, redemption, and love in the unexpected journey."
I have noticed Susan Wiggs' books on many a bookstore shelf, but this is my 1st read of the author's work. I enjoyed the novel when it was in the present but felt the flashbacks on Caroline( main protagonist) and her past with Will and Sierra did somewhat slow the plot down. Don't get me wrong, it was important but when returning to the present the last portion of the flew faster than a 5 year old on their way to the playground swings.
Trigger Warning for scenes and descriptions of domestic violence.
Goodreads review 16/05/22
From the publisher
"After facing tragedy and betrayal in New York, an aspiring fashion designer escapes to her idyllic Pacific coast hometown to raise her best friend’s two young children and finds inspiration, redemption, and love in the unexpected journey."
I have noticed Susan Wiggs' books on many a bookstore shelf, but this is my 1st read of the author's work. I enjoyed the novel when it was in the present but felt the flashbacks on Caroline( main protagonist) and her past with Will and Sierra did somewhat slow the plot down. Don't get me wrong, it was important but when returning to the present the last portion of the flew faster than a 5 year old on their way to the playground swings.
Trigger Warning for scenes and descriptions of domestic violence.
Goodreads review 16/05/22
June 23, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed The Oysterville Sewing Circle. Believe me when I say, it is not what it appears at first glance, and that is by design. It handles some pretty heavy topics, primarily domestic abuse, in a way that is easy to take in and not feel overwhelmed by the message. This is a story for women, about women and about love, and not just following our passions, but finding them as well. It illustrates how our lives are our own, even when they are not. This was a great read!
February 17, 2020
This is my first book from this author and I loved this story.
Carolyn is an aspiring fashion designer who suddenly finds her dreams crushed by another designer. She not only has to start over, but she is also the legal guardian of her best friends young children. She is forced to go home to start over and has no idea how she is going to dig herself out of the hole she is in. She begins by reconnecting with her family and some old friends.
The story has many layers especially with the supporting characters. Carolyn begins to tap into her strength and discovers that she is her own super hero, who can tackle anything that is thrown her way. Carolyn's evolution kept you engaged throughout the story, and the supporting characters were well developed and interesting.
Carolyn is an aspiring fashion designer who suddenly finds her dreams crushed by another designer. She not only has to start over, but she is also the legal guardian of her best friends young children. She is forced to go home to start over and has no idea how she is going to dig herself out of the hole she is in. She begins by reconnecting with her family and some old friends.
The story has many layers especially with the supporting characters. Carolyn begins to tap into her strength and discovers that she is her own super hero, who can tackle anything that is thrown her way. Carolyn's evolution kept you engaged throughout the story, and the supporting characters were well developed and interesting.
February 16, 2024
Three and a half stars
After years away Caroline Shelby arrives back in Oysterville with two small passengers.
Addie and Flick are five and six, and Caroline is their legal guardian. Not something she ever anticipated. Neither did she think she would ever return to Oysterville. But she needs help from her loving parents until she can figure out how to cope with these recently acquired children and maybe somehow rebuild her fashion design career that was ripped away from her.
Domestic violence plays a big part in this story. Caroline starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle, a place where women can and do support each other through the secrets and deep issues in their lives. She also meets up with Will Jensen her childhood friend and first crush. But he married someone else.
I really liked Caroline, her creativity and passion for stepping up and doing what is needed , taking on challenges life throws at her and bringing changes where necessary. The two children are endearing and will make readers care. Caroline’s parents who own a restaurant and siblings are great. Wes , who was a navy Seal till his injury stalled that career, is interesting. His wife is another story. Lindy Bloom, who owns the sewing shop and who inspired Caroline with her sewing and fashion career from her early days is a delight.
A novel of family, friendship, romance, community involvement. The subject of domestic violence is well handled and an important topic as one sadly one still evident in society
Overall I enjoyed this, though there were parts where it dragged a bit, mostly I found from the childhood days. It is a bit predictable and the other thing I could have done without was the blasphemy and bad language, not a lot but still largely unnecessary.
After years away Caroline Shelby arrives back in Oysterville with two small passengers.
Addie and Flick are five and six, and Caroline is their legal guardian. Not something she ever anticipated. Neither did she think she would ever return to Oysterville. But she needs help from her loving parents until she can figure out how to cope with these recently acquired children and maybe somehow rebuild her fashion design career that was ripped away from her.
Domestic violence plays a big part in this story. Caroline starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle, a place where women can and do support each other through the secrets and deep issues in their lives. She also meets up with Will Jensen her childhood friend and first crush. But he married someone else.
I really liked Caroline, her creativity and passion for stepping up and doing what is needed , taking on challenges life throws at her and bringing changes where necessary. The two children are endearing and will make readers care. Caroline’s parents who own a restaurant and siblings are great. Wes , who was a navy Seal till his injury stalled that career, is interesting. His wife is another story. Lindy Bloom, who owns the sewing shop and who inspired Caroline with her sewing and fashion career from her early days is a delight.
A novel of family, friendship, romance, community involvement. The subject of domestic violence is well handled and an important topic as one sadly one still evident in society
Overall I enjoyed this, though there were parts where it dragged a bit, mostly I found from the childhood days. It is a bit predictable and the other thing I could have done without was the blasphemy and bad language, not a lot but still largely unnecessary.
April 6, 2020
"The Oysterville Sewing Circle" opens up with Caroline Shelby returning to her small town in Washington, right off the Pacific Ocean. She has two children with her and you know they are not hers, but you know something bad has happened and you piece together why she has them. Caroline was a big fashion designer in New York before it all went to Hell, forcing her to return where she comes from. She has 4 other siblings and her family owns a seafood restaurant back in Oysterville. Caroline sees Will Jensen in the early morning hours of her return, and she is flooded with memories of their friendship and the long forgotten possibility of more. Will visited his grandparents every summer and Caroline and him became inseparable. Sierra moved to town a couple of years after Will started coming, and the two fall in love and the three remain best friends.
In the blink of an eye Caroline finds herself the guardian of these two young children. With her career in shambles, Caroline goes back to her favorite place on the planet...the sewing shop owned by Lindy Bloom. Caroline always worked there instead of at her family's restaurant and this is where she learned to sew and follow her passion and dreams. She soon discovers there are women living in town who are hiding some secrets and that's when she creates the Oysterville Sewing Circle - A support group for women to feel safe to share their stories.
This book is told in past and present. When I first went into reading "The Oysterville Sewing Circle" I expected it to be this light, fluffy read about a group of women who get together. Sort of like a book club, except with sewing. I was so wrong!! It was really good and kept me interested from start to finish. There were so many deeper issues touched on...such as date rape, domestic abuse, and addiction. The characters were wonderful and extremely well developed. I also LOVED the setting of this story...it's a type of place I have always wanted to live.
I have never read a Susan Wiggs book before now, but I will definitely be looking into what else she has to offer in her huge back list. The only downside is that I wished there was more of the actual Oysterville Sewing Circle. Even though it's the title of this story, it wasn't in the book very much.
**eBook was received in a Goodreads Giveaway -- All opinions are my own**
In the blink of an eye Caroline finds herself the guardian of these two young children. With her career in shambles, Caroline goes back to her favorite place on the planet...the sewing shop owned by Lindy Bloom. Caroline always worked there instead of at her family's restaurant and this is where she learned to sew and follow her passion and dreams. She soon discovers there are women living in town who are hiding some secrets and that's when she creates the Oysterville Sewing Circle - A support group for women to feel safe to share their stories.
This book is told in past and present. When I first went into reading "The Oysterville Sewing Circle" I expected it to be this light, fluffy read about a group of women who get together. Sort of like a book club, except with sewing. I was so wrong!! It was really good and kept me interested from start to finish. There were so many deeper issues touched on...such as date rape, domestic abuse, and addiction. The characters were wonderful and extremely well developed. I also LOVED the setting of this story...it's a type of place I have always wanted to live.
I have never read a Susan Wiggs book before now, but I will definitely be looking into what else she has to offer in her huge back list. The only downside is that I wished there was more of the actual Oysterville Sewing Circle. Even though it's the title of this story, it wasn't in the book very much.
**eBook was received in a Goodreads Giveaway -- All opinions are my own**
September 8, 2019
Caroline Shelby was a rising star in the fashion world, on the cusp of living the dream she sat out to achieve a decade ago. However, after a famous designer sabotages her career and her best friend dies, leaving Caroline as guardian to her two children, she’s left scrounging for a way forward— professionally and personally. And while she never thought she’s return to her childhood home of Oysterville, her family and old friends might be the only people who can help her navigate the new life thrust upon her. But settling into the flow of her former life also means digging up small town ghosts, good and bad.
At the start, Caroline is pushing through perhaps the lowest point in her life. Author Susan Wiggs expertly navigates these early chapters, raising Caroline as someone on the verge of getting everything she’s ever wanted. And yet, through no fault of her own, it’s all ripped away. Between the downward spiral of her career at the hands of a rotten designer and the death of her friend, Angelique, she’s forced to change her life. This beginning is beautifully understated, with a careful friction placed against Caroline’s wants— with a massive independent streak, it’s not the kind of life she ever anticipated for herself, but she still commits to the two children she’s now responsible for, Addie and Flick.
Of course, Caroline is the main reason Wiggs’s work clicks together. Though Wiggs plays with alternating timelines, dragging up complicated relationships, forgotten feelings, and a community in flux, the focus is Caroline. Determined and with passion, she drives the action forward and the narrative draws parallels between her previous and current lives— really, she becomes two complex characters rolled into one.
Wiggs doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including race, immigration, and domestic abuse— ultimately, Caroline forms a support group for survivors. However, she treads lightly, pulling away from the heaviest details while maintaining her point. It’s a balancing act, and Wiggs succeeds in showcasing harsh realities without them becoming too overwhelming or sterile.
Ultimately, Wiggs has crafted an intimate book with immense heart. Most importantly, it feels believable.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpres...
At the start, Caroline is pushing through perhaps the lowest point in her life. Author Susan Wiggs expertly navigates these early chapters, raising Caroline as someone on the verge of getting everything she’s ever wanted. And yet, through no fault of her own, it’s all ripped away. Between the downward spiral of her career at the hands of a rotten designer and the death of her friend, Angelique, she’s forced to change her life. This beginning is beautifully understated, with a careful friction placed against Caroline’s wants— with a massive independent streak, it’s not the kind of life she ever anticipated for herself, but she still commits to the two children she’s now responsible for, Addie and Flick.
Of course, Caroline is the main reason Wiggs’s work clicks together. Though Wiggs plays with alternating timelines, dragging up complicated relationships, forgotten feelings, and a community in flux, the focus is Caroline. Determined and with passion, she drives the action forward and the narrative draws parallels between her previous and current lives— really, she becomes two complex characters rolled into one.
Wiggs doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including race, immigration, and domestic abuse— ultimately, Caroline forms a support group for survivors. However, she treads lightly, pulling away from the heaviest details while maintaining her point. It’s a balancing act, and Wiggs succeeds in showcasing harsh realities without them becoming too overwhelming or sterile.
Ultimately, Wiggs has crafted an intimate book with immense heart. Most importantly, it feels believable.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpres...
December 16, 2019
Where shall I begin? I loved this book and rounded up to five stars for that reason and because I feel like a sh*t when I am petty or jaded. The book is a yin yang combination of happy and sad themes: wake up to violence again women, illegal immigrant issues, Me Too, Raising Helen, First Wives Club, and (my personal favorite) Baby Boom. The story opens with a famous male fashion house designer stealing the designs (and quashing the dreams) of talented, hardworking, (naïve), young, aspiring fashion designer, Caroline. Ruined and disillusioned after her reputation and career have hit rock bottom; after a close friend, single parent Haitian supermodel, and her two small children arrive on her doorstep seeking safe haven from an abusive relationship, after finding her friend dead from an overdose on her couch when she returned home to her apartment one afternoon, Caroline petitions the court for temporary custody over the children, packs up the car and moves back to the family homestead in Oysterville….There’s a lot of Ozzie and Harriet 1950’s style family values to be found in her parents’ and siblings’ general attitudes on life as Caroline rebuilds her life, makes a home for the children, creates a fashion label with the help of the cluster of (abused) women she has gathered together to help and support each other. Some might find this a bit saccharine, but quite frankly I love the uncomplicated right and wrong, good triumphing over evil….If you are looking for a stimulating thought provoking read I don’t think you’ll find it here, neither will you find much depth to the characters (my opinion only), but I found this a thoroughly enjoyable, aw shucks, feel good, happily ever after book.
November 22, 2019
I chose this book because it mentions sewing, and it mentions Oysterville. I love Oysterville - have spent many vacations there up the northwest tip of the peninsula that tucks Washington in to the continguous United States. The thumb of the mitten that is Washington.
I love words and wordplay and in my high school days discovered Willard Espy. Oysterville was his home, and many of the little town buildings still stand. When you get tired of Oysterville you can go drive one of the longest driveable beaches. What is fun is that the author is clearly very familiar with this real, live place and I felt it in her writing, as it captured the atmosphere of that area. I've always loved the fog there in the early morning, it feels safe and comforting, as if it was telling you that it won't burn off until everything is in order for the day to begin.
The main character, Caroline returns home to Washington from New York City, and has taken on a new role - parent. She has to juggle parenting without the 9-month prep time, figuring out how to earn a living that is far different than the one she'd had just a few months previous, and then *boom* a romance. Just when you think you've got the plot lined out, things get a little dark, and domestic abuse forces a brave group to pull together and make changes.
A great read - I think the next time I head north to Washington, I might just take this book along with me, listening during that beautiful long drive up to Oysterville. Anyone want to join me?
I love words and wordplay and in my high school days discovered Willard Espy. Oysterville was his home, and many of the little town buildings still stand. When you get tired of Oysterville you can go drive one of the longest driveable beaches. What is fun is that the author is clearly very familiar with this real, live place and I felt it in her writing, as it captured the atmosphere of that area. I've always loved the fog there in the early morning, it feels safe and comforting, as if it was telling you that it won't burn off until everything is in order for the day to begin.
The main character, Caroline returns home to Washington from New York City, and has taken on a new role - parent. She has to juggle parenting without the 9-month prep time, figuring out how to earn a living that is far different than the one she'd had just a few months previous, and then *boom* a romance. Just when you think you've got the plot lined out, things get a little dark, and domestic abuse forces a brave group to pull together and make changes.
A great read - I think the next time I head north to Washington, I might just take this book along with me, listening during that beautiful long drive up to Oysterville. Anyone want to join me?
September 18, 2019
***NOVEL THOUGHTS***
I had high hopes for this book because of the way it was described as a story about a support group for women who had experienced any sort of physical or emotional abuse at the hands of spouse, lover, acquaintance and though there was some of that, the overriding story was about Caroline who leaves her little town of Oysterville with the dream of pursuing a career in fashion design in NYC. She begins to make her way working with an established label until two things happen: the designer steals her work and calls it his and her best friend and model Angelique dies and Caroline returns to Oysterville with her friend's two young children who she will raise on her own. Caroline wants to give these two little people a loving home and a fresh start away from the tragedy they left behind in NYC. And, she needs to reinvent herself as well. But first in the memory of her dear friend, she organizes the support group which she names the Oysterville Sewing Circle and over time, many women join and feel heard and empowered.
But this book had another string which was a love story that dates back to Caroline's childhood when she meets a summer visitor Will. They have a delightful time exploring as friends but as they age, it becomes more than just a platonic friendship until the new pastor moves to Oysterville with daughter Sierra. Beautiful and confident, Will is attracted to Sierra and a love story blossoms leaving Caroline heartbroken and a third wheel.
The book bounces around from timeline to timeline which was sometimes annoying as Caroline tells the story of her summers with Will and then her life when she returns to Oysterville with the two children. I felt like the writing was repetitious as she tries to navigate her feelings about taking on the unexpected role of mother, how she should have let Will know her true feelings when they were teens, her failed career in NYC. I felt like the Sewing Circle was just a backdrop to the main story and a conduit to her burgeoning business making clothing back in Oysterville. I felt this part of the story needed to be tighter and more developed. I think it needed to speak to women who are reading the story and who in real life, can relate to the fictional women of the Sewing Circle. Also, Sierra has taken her confidence seen earlier in the story into selfishness as an adult and how she relates to her husband and to Caroline. It was all a bit predictable and silly.
This book could have been so much more as it relates to this very sensitive and timely subject of domestic violence and the #MeToo movement instead it was a sappy, dull, poorly written love story with a forced and absurd ending. And to my way of thinking, it was injustice to use this topic as a backdrop to a love story. The author could have made this a very important book if she spent a bit more time perhaps talking to women who have gone through this, attended some groups to hear stories, talked to therapists to understand the psychological damage to women and families who have endured this violence in their lives. And maybe she did but it did not come out in any powerful, useful way.
I had high hopes for this book because of the way it was described as a story about a support group for women who had experienced any sort of physical or emotional abuse at the hands of spouse, lover, acquaintance and though there was some of that, the overriding story was about Caroline who leaves her little town of Oysterville with the dream of pursuing a career in fashion design in NYC. She begins to make her way working with an established label until two things happen: the designer steals her work and calls it his and her best friend and model Angelique dies and Caroline returns to Oysterville with her friend's two young children who she will raise on her own. Caroline wants to give these two little people a loving home and a fresh start away from the tragedy they left behind in NYC. And, she needs to reinvent herself as well. But first in the memory of her dear friend, she organizes the support group which she names the Oysterville Sewing Circle and over time, many women join and feel heard and empowered.
But this book had another string which was a love story that dates back to Caroline's childhood when she meets a summer visitor Will. They have a delightful time exploring as friends but as they age, it becomes more than just a platonic friendship until the new pastor moves to Oysterville with daughter Sierra. Beautiful and confident, Will is attracted to Sierra and a love story blossoms leaving Caroline heartbroken and a third wheel.
The book bounces around from timeline to timeline which was sometimes annoying as Caroline tells the story of her summers with Will and then her life when she returns to Oysterville with the two children. I felt like the writing was repetitious as she tries to navigate her feelings about taking on the unexpected role of mother, how she should have let Will know her true feelings when they were teens, her failed career in NYC. I felt like the Sewing Circle was just a backdrop to the main story and a conduit to her burgeoning business making clothing back in Oysterville. I felt this part of the story needed to be tighter and more developed. I think it needed to speak to women who are reading the story and who in real life, can relate to the fictional women of the Sewing Circle. Also, Sierra has taken her confidence seen earlier in the story into selfishness as an adult and how she relates to her husband and to Caroline. It was all a bit predictable and silly.
This book could have been so much more as it relates to this very sensitive and timely subject of domestic violence and the #MeToo movement instead it was a sappy, dull, poorly written love story with a forced and absurd ending. And to my way of thinking, it was injustice to use this topic as a backdrop to a love story. The author could have made this a very important book if she spent a bit more time perhaps talking to women who have gone through this, attended some groups to hear stories, talked to therapists to understand the psychological damage to women and families who have endured this violence in their lives. And maybe she did but it did not come out in any powerful, useful way.
September 12, 2019
Overall: 2.5/5 Stars
Characters: 3/5 Stars
Believability: 3/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 2/5 Stars
I had a really hard time trying to rate this as I went into it expecting to love it, but I really didn't.
There were three very distinct pieces to this book. The piece of the story that inspired the title and is the support group that Caroline creates. The piece that is Caroline's relationship with Will. And the piece that is Will's relationship with Sierra. Each piece, when completely separated from the other pieces are all really compelling and emotional stories that I would have probably been in love with if they had stood on their own.
I would have loved this emotional story about a group of women getting together and working through their struggles with abuse. I would have even really enjoyed it if this had been layered in with even one other portion of this book.
Will and Sierra's story, on its own could have been this amazing story about a loving, married couple coping with life and all the changes that brings even when those changes mean that the marriage isn't working anymore. It also could have been really compelling to see where they both ended up after things fell apart.
But, for me at least, the way all three of these pieces tied together really didn't work for me. The support group piece kind of gets lost in the background behind the other two pieces. The final piece, Will and Caroline's story, feels tainted by Will and Sierra's story. It puts Caroline in this sort of ugly position of being the second choice, second place, runner up kind of person and I just really didn't enjoy that. Especially when you add in the piece that, through it all, Caroline and Sierra were best friends. None of those pieces play well together. I'm not normally a huge fan of the old flame trope in the first place (some work for me, many don't), but the whole, "the guy falls in love with the best friend but the odd girl out maintains that crush for years and years when a simple conversation could have made things entirely different" are even less appealing to me.
None of these things are made any better by the time jumps back to when the three were teenagers. If anything, it made me just not like any of the characters all that much. I could have done without almost all of those parts of the book. On the flip side of that, most of the opportunities to develop a relationship between Caroline and Will organically later in the story never actually happens on the page. They are glossed over through huge time gaps forcing the reader to just make big assumptions about what has and hasn't happened.
I'm going to skip over the whole kids part of this as it is a massive peeve of mine, but I will mention it was another, smaller piece that made it hard to enjoy this one. I really loved the different pieces for what they could have been, but I just didn't like how they were all woven together. It really did kind of feel like 3 different stories all at different levels of being complete were tied together in an attempt to create a whole, but there are big gaps left in all of them and the ties are weak and distort the shapes of what should have been.
Characters: 3/5 Stars
Believability: 3/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 2/5 Stars
I had a really hard time trying to rate this as I went into it expecting to love it, but I really didn't.
There were three very distinct pieces to this book. The piece of the story that inspired the title and is the support group that Caroline creates. The piece that is Caroline's relationship with Will. And the piece that is Will's relationship with Sierra. Each piece, when completely separated from the other pieces are all really compelling and emotional stories that I would have probably been in love with if they had stood on their own.
I would have loved this emotional story about a group of women getting together and working through their struggles with abuse. I would have even really enjoyed it if this had been layered in with even one other portion of this book.
Will and Sierra's story, on its own could have been this amazing story about a loving, married couple coping with life and all the changes that brings even when those changes mean that the marriage isn't working anymore. It also could have been really compelling to see where they both ended up after things fell apart.
But, for me at least, the way all three of these pieces tied together really didn't work for me. The support group piece kind of gets lost in the background behind the other two pieces. The final piece, Will and Caroline's story, feels tainted by Will and Sierra's story. It puts Caroline in this sort of ugly position of being the second choice, second place, runner up kind of person and I just really didn't enjoy that. Especially when you add in the piece that, through it all, Caroline and Sierra were best friends. None of those pieces play well together. I'm not normally a huge fan of the old flame trope in the first place (some work for me, many don't), but the whole, "the guy falls in love with the best friend but the odd girl out maintains that crush for years and years when a simple conversation could have made things entirely different" are even less appealing to me.
None of these things are made any better by the time jumps back to when the three were teenagers. If anything, it made me just not like any of the characters all that much. I could have done without almost all of those parts of the book. On the flip side of that, most of the opportunities to develop a relationship between Caroline and Will organically later in the story never actually happens on the page. They are glossed over through huge time gaps forcing the reader to just make big assumptions about what has and hasn't happened.
I'm going to skip over the whole kids part of this as it is a massive peeve of mine, but I will mention it was another, smaller piece that made it hard to enjoy this one. I really loved the different pieces for what they could have been, but I just didn't like how they were all woven together. It really did kind of feel like 3 different stories all at different levels of being complete were tied together in an attempt to create a whole, but there are big gaps left in all of them and the ties are weak and distort the shapes of what should have been.
October 14, 2019
RATING: 3.5 STARS
2019; William Morrow/HarperCollins Canada
(Review Not on Blog)
I was interested in knowing more about the Oysterville Sewing Circle, and was disappointed how little of it was actually in this novel. While waiting on finding out more about the OSC, I sort of read the rest of the story in passing. I enjoyed this novel but also felt like there was something lacking due to my previous statement. I found that Wiggs handled domestic violence well for a lighter book. I have been a fan of hers since a friend lent me one of her novels, and I loved her Lakeshore Chronicles (so much so I cannot read the last novel in the series, lol).
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
2019; William Morrow/HarperCollins Canada
(Review Not on Blog)
I was interested in knowing more about the Oysterville Sewing Circle, and was disappointed how little of it was actually in this novel. While waiting on finding out more about the OSC, I sort of read the rest of the story in passing. I enjoyed this novel but also felt like there was something lacking due to my previous statement. I found that Wiggs handled domestic violence well for a lighter book. I have been a fan of hers since a friend lent me one of her novels, and I loved her Lakeshore Chronicles (so much so I cannot read the last novel in the series, lol).
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
September 11, 2019
Caroline Shelby left the quaint town of Oysterville, Washington for NYC with the dream of making it big in the fashion industry. After ten years of hard work, her career was about to take off when it was sabotaged by her boss. She's struggling to get back on her feet when her best friend, Angelique, a beautiful model, comes to her for help. After a tragic moment, Caroline finds herself guardian of Angelique's two young children, Addie and Flick.
To do what is best for the children, Caroline returns to Oysterville to give them the opportunity at the wonderful childhood she experienced. Old feelings are reignited when she runs into Will Jensen, her first love. He's now married to her childhood best friend, Sierra. Caroline had never told Sierra of her feelings for Will. Despite being a bit strained, they are able to resume their friendship.
Caroline was excited to see Lindy Bloom, the owner of the fabric shop where Caroline was first inspired to design. When Lindy reveals a secret she had kept for most of her adult life, Caroline realizes domestic abuse can happen to anyone. She decides to form a support group to give women a place to feel safe in sharing their stories
As Caroline and the children begin the healing process, new possibilities open up in all their lives.
A wonderful story of friendship, family and love.
To do what is best for the children, Caroline returns to Oysterville to give them the opportunity at the wonderful childhood she experienced. Old feelings are reignited when she runs into Will Jensen, her first love. He's now married to her childhood best friend, Sierra. Caroline had never told Sierra of her feelings for Will. Despite being a bit strained, they are able to resume their friendship.
Caroline was excited to see Lindy Bloom, the owner of the fabric shop where Caroline was first inspired to design. When Lindy reveals a secret she had kept for most of her adult life, Caroline realizes domestic abuse can happen to anyone. She decides to form a support group to give women a place to feel safe in sharing their stories
As Caroline and the children begin the healing process, new possibilities open up in all their lives.
A wonderful story of friendship, family and love.
August 29, 2019
This book is presumptuous and ill-informed. The title insinuates the book is about a women's sewing group, well it's not. There were just two meetings the first and the last. The so called heroine of this clunker "Caroline look at me, I will save the day, if you just tell me how" is pathetic and I didn't believe her storyline one iota and there is NO WAY IN HELL a NY judge would have signed off on her guardianship to Flick and Addie and let her vamoose to WA. I also wondered how she managed to keep a car in NYC with so little income. The children's characters were underdeveloped and the telling of their mother Angelique's friendship with Caroline didn't feel "true" enough for her to appoint guardianship to Caroline even in her "untold" desperate circumstances. None of that part of the story made much sense to me. And the NY fashion stuff was laughable. Clunky storytelling.
The abused women storyline is frankly bizarre in it's "telling" and naive in it's "message". Really Ms. Wiggs, did you do any research or just read People magazine and jump on the "ME TOO" bandwagon?
The hero of this novel is "just too good to be true" so the author had this gorgeous wonderful dude lose an eye while being a brave Navy Seal somewhere in Africa. His story is vague as is his marriage and the reason for it in the first place. It made me angry that his wife is vilified for having an abortion. The author could have done that differently just by having Nicole use birth control when Will thought they were trying to get preggers. That would have been enough of a betrayal to divorce her. I don't think in this uncivil political atmosphere should a woman's right to choose be an effing plot device for a romance novel and she then made a villain "to boot".
Badly done Ms. Wiggs, badly done.
There is also an "end of the book" custody courtroom scene which is predictable and farcical and overly dramatic in it's last minute "Hail Mary" by a women's group that comes "out of the blue" from Atlanta to Podunk WA to save little C-Shell and her kids. This book is awful and gets two stars only because of the WA coast.
FWIW my mother liked this book and when I asked her about all the "inconsistencies" she said "I didn't even notice". I must be adopted.
The abused women storyline is frankly bizarre in it's "telling" and naive in it's "message". Really Ms. Wiggs, did you do any research or just read People magazine and jump on the "ME TOO" bandwagon?
The hero of this novel is "just too good to be true" so the author had this gorgeous wonderful dude lose an eye while being a brave Navy Seal somewhere in Africa. His story is vague as is his marriage and the reason for it in the first place. It made me angry that his wife is vilified for having an abortion. The author could have done that differently just by having Nicole use birth control when Will thought they were trying to get preggers. That would have been enough of a betrayal to divorce her. I don't think in this uncivil political atmosphere should a woman's right to choose be an effing plot device for a romance novel and she then made a villain "to boot".
Badly done Ms. Wiggs, badly done.
There is also an "end of the book" custody courtroom scene which is predictable and farcical and overly dramatic in it's last minute "Hail Mary" by a women's group that comes "out of the blue" from Atlanta to Podunk WA to save little C-Shell and her kids. This book is awful and gets two stars only because of the WA coast.
FWIW my mother liked this book and when I asked her about all the "inconsistencies" she said "I didn't even notice". I must be adopted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2021
There is an old saying: "You can't go home again." This book proves that to be false.
Caroline Shelby left the little town of Oysterville with no intention of ever returning. Little could she know that not only would she find herself back in the village she left behind forever, but she'd return with two young children in the back seat of her car that had become her responsibility. Becoming their legal guardian wasn't a role she thought she could fill but one she would take on nonetheless.
Things, however, have changed in Oysterville since Caroline left. Her parents, owners of a seafood restaurant, have aged considerable and want to enjoy their golden years and desire to be out of the restaurant business. Her siblings have chaos in their own lives.
And, of course, there is her lost love that she hoped never to face again after he dumped her to be with her very best friend who happened to also be the most beautiful girl in town. How's that for a kick in the ol' keester?
Seeking solace, she goes to the one place she always found serenity: a little sewing store owned by Mrs. Lindy Bloom. Because of Lindy, Caroline has always loved to sew. While sewing, the outside world melts away with all its noise and drama. She enters her own little world where it's just her and her sewing machine.
This novel is well written and the characters are well developed. I grew to care for Caroline and wanted her to have a happily ever after. I won't disclose here if that happens of course, but when you're in the mood for a book with all the "feels" this would be a great choice.
Caroline Shelby left the little town of Oysterville with no intention of ever returning. Little could she know that not only would she find herself back in the village she left behind forever, but she'd return with two young children in the back seat of her car that had become her responsibility. Becoming their legal guardian wasn't a role she thought she could fill but one she would take on nonetheless.
Things, however, have changed in Oysterville since Caroline left. Her parents, owners of a seafood restaurant, have aged considerable and want to enjoy their golden years and desire to be out of the restaurant business. Her siblings have chaos in their own lives.
And, of course, there is her lost love that she hoped never to face again after he dumped her to be with her very best friend who happened to also be the most beautiful girl in town. How's that for a kick in the ol' keester?
Seeking solace, she goes to the one place she always found serenity: a little sewing store owned by Mrs. Lindy Bloom. Because of Lindy, Caroline has always loved to sew. While sewing, the outside world melts away with all its noise and drama. She enters her own little world where it's just her and her sewing machine.
This novel is well written and the characters are well developed. I grew to care for Caroline and wanted her to have a happily ever after. I won't disclose here if that happens of course, but when you're in the mood for a book with all the "feels" this would be a great choice.
September 4, 2019
The Oysterville Sewing Circle is the second of Susan Wiggs' books that I have read in the last year and I find myself wondering why I haven't read more! TOSC was important without being preachy and informative without being textbook-like. Touching on issues such as domestic violence (ranging from date rape to spousal abuse and beyond) and addiction, and the wake of destruction that can be found in the aftermath, I found this book taking me on a rollercoaster of emotions and finished the last page saying wow. I'm a bit surprised looking at reviews that I am more in the minority on this, but if you find yourself having similar taste to me, this is one I wholeheartedly recommend!
Thank you to William Morrow for a review copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to William Morrow for a review copy. All opinions are my own.
October 13, 2019
Although the book does contain serious social themes, overall it was a soap opera, albeit an entertaining one.
October 19, 2019
4.5/5
While I was reading, I kept thinking about how this is a story about change. Major life circumstances push Caroline Shelby to both leave her beloved job as a fashion designer in New York City and move back home to her parent's house in tiny Oysterville, Washington. She has one of her best friend's children with her after a quick and necessary decision to become their legal guardian. Caroline has no experience with parenting, but she is certain that she wants 5-year-old Addie and 6-year-old Flick to feel loved and safe. Her parents and siblings open their hearts and arms to Caroline and the kids, and the three of them start healing process that comes with great losses.
There are a lot of things going on in this story. Major career change, moving across the country, new parenting issues, and domestic violence all pop up on these pages. All of that sounds really heavy, but I didn't feel heavy when I closed the book. Yes there is some heartache, but many of the characters gain confidence and strength as they make changes to their life, and I loved seeing good things happen to all of these characters.
The book is called The Oysterville Sewing Circle because Caroline sees a need for a support group for women that are or have been victims of domestic violence, and this is what she calls it. I won't tell you why or how they decided on that name (very cool!) but I'll say that I wasn't sure how this group would work when Caroline sat waiting for women to show up at the first meeting. It took no time at all for the women in the group to win my heart, and I love every single thing that they brought to the table. They all played pivotal roles in Caroline's life, and in the lives of Addie and Flick.
I trust Susan Wiggs so completely when I sit down with her stories. It doesn't matter what the themes may be, I always find them to be some of my most enjoyable reads. She is so great at characterization. I felt like I could see and hear each of these characters perfectly based on how she wrote them into the narrative. I also love her setting choices. Small, waterfront towns are always some of my favorite settings.
Addie is such a great example of strength and stepping up to do something that is hard in her desire to raise these children as her own. I love that she takes them to her home immediately, because she has such a good, supportive family and it is clear that they'll likely be able to help provide the safety and security to these young kids. I loved watching the kids open up to their new life, in their new environment, which was totally opposite from the hustle and bustle of New York City. In Oysterville, Addie and Flick were able to experience the ocean, a yard in which to play, home cooking, and a huge network of people that they could trust.
I felt astounded at the decisions that Caroline has to make in terms of parenting and putting the kids first, and I love that the story shows that decisions involving kids often are not very glamorous and require tons of sacrifice.
There is a romance in the story and it comes with complications. I think it added so much to the story and while I was gritting my teeth and crossing my fingers for a while over this relationship, I did end up very happy at the end.
I always love spending my time in the pages of Ms. Wiggs' stories, and every time I finish one, I can't wait until I get the chance to pick up another one. I still think Between You and Me is my favorite by Ms. Wiggs, but they're all SO good. Readers that love stories about women making big decisions and women supporting other women will probably love this one. It's such a great story; so sweet and full of hope.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you, William Morrow Books!
Find this review and more like it on my blog, Into the Hall of Books!
While I was reading, I kept thinking about how this is a story about change. Major life circumstances push Caroline Shelby to both leave her beloved job as a fashion designer in New York City and move back home to her parent's house in tiny Oysterville, Washington. She has one of her best friend's children with her after a quick and necessary decision to become their legal guardian. Caroline has no experience with parenting, but she is certain that she wants 5-year-old Addie and 6-year-old Flick to feel loved and safe. Her parents and siblings open their hearts and arms to Caroline and the kids, and the three of them start healing process that comes with great losses.
There are a lot of things going on in this story. Major career change, moving across the country, new parenting issues, and domestic violence all pop up on these pages. All of that sounds really heavy, but I didn't feel heavy when I closed the book. Yes there is some heartache, but many of the characters gain confidence and strength as they make changes to their life, and I loved seeing good things happen to all of these characters.
The book is called The Oysterville Sewing Circle because Caroline sees a need for a support group for women that are or have been victims of domestic violence, and this is what she calls it. I won't tell you why or how they decided on that name (very cool!) but I'll say that I wasn't sure how this group would work when Caroline sat waiting for women to show up at the first meeting. It took no time at all for the women in the group to win my heart, and I love every single thing that they brought to the table. They all played pivotal roles in Caroline's life, and in the lives of Addie and Flick.
I trust Susan Wiggs so completely when I sit down with her stories. It doesn't matter what the themes may be, I always find them to be some of my most enjoyable reads. She is so great at characterization. I felt like I could see and hear each of these characters perfectly based on how she wrote them into the narrative. I also love her setting choices. Small, waterfront towns are always some of my favorite settings.
Addie is such a great example of strength and stepping up to do something that is hard in her desire to raise these children as her own. I love that she takes them to her home immediately, because she has such a good, supportive family and it is clear that they'll likely be able to help provide the safety and security to these young kids. I loved watching the kids open up to their new life, in their new environment, which was totally opposite from the hustle and bustle of New York City. In Oysterville, Addie and Flick were able to experience the ocean, a yard in which to play, home cooking, and a huge network of people that they could trust.
I felt astounded at the decisions that Caroline has to make in terms of parenting and putting the kids first, and I love that the story shows that decisions involving kids often are not very glamorous and require tons of sacrifice.
There is a romance in the story and it comes with complications. I think it added so much to the story and while I was gritting my teeth and crossing my fingers for a while over this relationship, I did end up very happy at the end.
I always love spending my time in the pages of Ms. Wiggs' stories, and every time I finish one, I can't wait until I get the chance to pick up another one. I still think Between You and Me is my favorite by Ms. Wiggs, but they're all SO good. Readers that love stories about women making big decisions and women supporting other women will probably love this one. It's such a great story; so sweet and full of hope.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you, William Morrow Books!
Find this review and more like it on my blog, Into the Hall of Books!
July 15, 2021
Okay, disclaimer time: This review is my own opinion. I had friends who liked this book very much, and that's great! If you got something out of it, more power to you! It was well-written, and I was invested, especially at the beginning. I cared enough about it to feel justified holding it a high standard, and it just didn't live up to it for me. If the whole thing had been bad, I wouldn't have cared. But it was just good enough, and its premise just interesting enough, to make me feel disappointed at the clumsy way in which the plot was handled. Okay, on to the review!
There is a Marx Brothers movie called A Night At the Opera. In one scene, someone sabotages the orchestra by placing the score of "Take Me Out To the Ball Game" inside the score of the operatic music they were scheduled to perform. The orchestra starts out with some gentle classical music, but when the conductor turns the page, the musicians switch gears dramatically and start the other song in a completely different style. It's funny for many reasons, not least of which is that no matter what happens, the musicians are together. They all change songs at the exact same time. There is no chaos, no discordant notes: just an immediate switch from one song to another, radically different, one.
This book is kind of like that. Instead of two musical scores getting merged together, it's as though there were two different manuscripts for two different novels, and someone put them together in the same briefcase and mixed up the pages, and then published them as a single hybrid volume. I felt like I was reading one novel, and then I'd turn a page and find myself reading a few chapters that didn't even feel like the same book.
To continue the metaphor, one of those briefcase manuscripts might have been something special.
This could have been a story about a supermodel in a high-stakes world struggling with drug addiction, or an immigrant in an abusive relationship who doesn't have any recourse, or children whose mother dies. When the main character finds herself raising her dead friend's two children, and she moves back across the country to her parents' home to give the kids some stability. She chucks her career, her home, her established life, in order to give the children everything that they need. Her whole world is reframed around those whom she's been entrusted to protect and nurture. If that had been the focus, it might have made a memorable novel. Her parents and grown siblings shine as supportive relatives. The young children understand that their mother is gone, and they are now leaving behind everything they know. One of the children is worried about going to a new school in a small town so homogeneous that he and his sister will be "the only brown kids" amidst a sea of white faces. And this is on top of the domestic violence and personal tragedy he's already endured. A woman with no experience working with children suddenly becomes the center of their lives. Supportive adults (therapists, social workers, teachers, etc.) help the children grow beyond trauma. This might have been interesting.
And then there's the rest of it.
The other story in my tw0-novels-got-spliced metaphor is a romance novel. The main character arrives in her hometown with these two traumatized newly orphaned children and runs smack into her old (married) middle school crush. Will he still like her? Is he still attractive? And of course, the story is peppered with flashbacks to her childhood moments of pining for him. Will he be at the school dance? Will her lip gloss still be shiny in an hour? Aw, gee! The suspense! (Spoiler alert: no. She has to reapply it every hour. Seriously. That's part of the story.) What about now? Does her dress match her earrings? Does her purse clash with her shoes? Whose ponytail is bouncier? Whose skin is clearer? Will he ever notice her? (Spoiler alert: yes. Also, duh.)
Okay, so I'm being harsh. I can see that, and I'm probably not quite being fair. But here are some issues:
• She's not really any more mature as an adult than she was as a kid. Her character is the same in both the past and present storylines.
• The author set up some tough issues early on in the book. How am I supposed to feel invested in shiny lip gloss (or really, any of this) while characters with real problems are suddenly getting sidelined?
• Also, the book takes potshots at religion. I am so tired of the cliché where anyone who is religious is either stupid or mean.
• Also, the book takes potshots at youth. At one point, the heroine even says that teens only go to youth group meetings to make out. It's as though she thinks teens aren't capable of being spiritual, or that they don't have any actual problems that would prompt them to find a trusted adult. This is coming from a character who leads a support group for victims of domestic violence. I would expect a bit less generalization about everybody's home life.
• And what about the heroine? For someone who's given up everything to care for these orphans, she gets to be pretty self-absorbed as soon as HE enters the picture.
• And what about the love interest? The guy is married. To her best friend. With whom, apparently, she's never been completely honest.
I think we're supposed to cheer when he dumps his wife and sleeps with the heroine. The weird thing about it is that his marriage might have made an interesting focus. (Again, if only!) At the beginning of the novel, they both still love each other, but they're starting to realize that they want different things in life. She's a model in her mid-30s, near the end of her career, and she's terrified of losing her livelihood, her friends, her independence, her world. He's former military, so they've spent years of their marriage living apart. Now he's home permanently, and they need to find out who they are together. Of course, this novel isn't supposed to be about them. I think the author must have realized that the wife character was starting to have more depth than the heroine, because near the end of the novel, she starts lying to her husband and stuff, so that he can leave her without the readers feeling too sorry for her.
It's too bad the romance portion, which was mediocre, was the focus.
It's too bad the heroes are all perfect and the villains are all cartoonish.
It's too bad that the problems set up early in the story get sidelined for the bulk of the novel.
The other big problem is that these serious issues turn out to be very easily solved at the end.
Her career is on the skids? No worries! She'll just fly back across the country, embarrass the guy who fired her, get the media on her side with no difficulty, organize a bunch of people to support her, accidentally befriend a millionaire, and create her own business that was even better. Hooray!
Her best friend is divorced? That's okay! She'll step in to console the husband! Hooray!
Her adopted son is worried about school? Not a problem! She'll make him a new T-shirt. Hooray!
She knows some women who have been victims of domestic abuse? Easily solved! She'll make her own support group for them! I think they might even have a few pages of plot here and there. You know, in between the lip gloss scenes.
It's all just a little too pat. It's a bit insulting. To be fair, I don't think that the novel was trying to suggest that the boy would never have any problems as long as he can have fancy new T-shirts. However, that bit with the T-shirt is the happy moment that wraps up his subplot. It's as though the author wanted everything to be resolved so that she could focus on the love story at the end of the book. That child has been through a lot of tragedy, and he will have ups and downs for a long time.
I felt similarly cheated by the humilates-the-bad-guy-and-fixes-her-career-after-being-blackballed subplot. Her career tanks early on in the novel, and she tries to fight back against the unethical businessman who sabotaged her, but he's too powerful and too well-connected, and she has no evidence to back her claims. After her defeat, she adopts the kids, moves away, and starts a new life. I liked that. Things are often hard and unfair in real life, and after we've lost something, we have a chance to rediscover who we are, and to be strong. The instant-happy ending undid any character growth she'd undergone. Who is she without her career? Who is she with a different career? Who is she when she endures humiliation and doesn't let it define her? Who is she when she fight to uphold dignity and honor for herself? I guess it doesn't matter, because when life hands her a get-out-of-every-problem-free card, she just doesn't have to worry about much of anything.
Parts of this book were quite good. It's just that the good stuff was never the focus.
There is a Marx Brothers movie called A Night At the Opera. In one scene, someone sabotages the orchestra by placing the score of "Take Me Out To the Ball Game" inside the score of the operatic music they were scheduled to perform. The orchestra starts out with some gentle classical music, but when the conductor turns the page, the musicians switch gears dramatically and start the other song in a completely different style. It's funny for many reasons, not least of which is that no matter what happens, the musicians are together. They all change songs at the exact same time. There is no chaos, no discordant notes: just an immediate switch from one song to another, radically different, one.
This book is kind of like that. Instead of two musical scores getting merged together, it's as though there were two different manuscripts for two different novels, and someone put them together in the same briefcase and mixed up the pages, and then published them as a single hybrid volume. I felt like I was reading one novel, and then I'd turn a page and find myself reading a few chapters that didn't even feel like the same book.
To continue the metaphor, one of those briefcase manuscripts might have been something special.
This could have been a story about a supermodel in a high-stakes world struggling with drug addiction, or an immigrant in an abusive relationship who doesn't have any recourse, or children whose mother dies. When the main character finds herself raising her dead friend's two children, and she moves back across the country to her parents' home to give the kids some stability. She chucks her career, her home, her established life, in order to give the children everything that they need. Her whole world is reframed around those whom she's been entrusted to protect and nurture. If that had been the focus, it might have made a memorable novel. Her parents and grown siblings shine as supportive relatives. The young children understand that their mother is gone, and they are now leaving behind everything they know. One of the children is worried about going to a new school in a small town so homogeneous that he and his sister will be "the only brown kids" amidst a sea of white faces. And this is on top of the domestic violence and personal tragedy he's already endured. A woman with no experience working with children suddenly becomes the center of their lives. Supportive adults (therapists, social workers, teachers, etc.) help the children grow beyond trauma. This might have been interesting.
And then there's the rest of it.
The other story in my tw0-novels-got-spliced metaphor is a romance novel. The main character arrives in her hometown with these two traumatized newly orphaned children and runs smack into her old (married) middle school crush. Will he still like her? Is he still attractive? And of course, the story is peppered with flashbacks to her childhood moments of pining for him. Will he be at the school dance? Will her lip gloss still be shiny in an hour? Aw, gee! The suspense! (Spoiler alert: no. She has to reapply it every hour. Seriously. That's part of the story.) What about now? Does her dress match her earrings? Does her purse clash with her shoes? Whose ponytail is bouncier? Whose skin is clearer? Will he ever notice her? (Spoiler alert: yes. Also, duh.)
Okay, so I'm being harsh. I can see that, and I'm probably not quite being fair. But here are some issues:
• She's not really any more mature as an adult than she was as a kid. Her character is the same in both the past and present storylines.
• The author set up some tough issues early on in the book. How am I supposed to feel invested in shiny lip gloss (or really, any of this) while characters with real problems are suddenly getting sidelined?
• Also, the book takes potshots at religion. I am so tired of the cliché where anyone who is religious is either stupid or mean.
• Also, the book takes potshots at youth. At one point, the heroine even says that teens only go to youth group meetings to make out. It's as though she thinks teens aren't capable of being spiritual, or that they don't have any actual problems that would prompt them to find a trusted adult. This is coming from a character who leads a support group for victims of domestic violence. I would expect a bit less generalization about everybody's home life.
• And what about the heroine? For someone who's given up everything to care for these orphans, she gets to be pretty self-absorbed as soon as HE enters the picture.
• And what about the love interest? The guy is married. To her best friend. With whom, apparently, she's never been completely honest.
I think we're supposed to cheer when he dumps his wife and sleeps with the heroine. The weird thing about it is that his marriage might have made an interesting focus. (Again, if only!) At the beginning of the novel, they both still love each other, but they're starting to realize that they want different things in life. She's a model in her mid-30s, near the end of her career, and she's terrified of losing her livelihood, her friends, her independence, her world. He's former military, so they've spent years of their marriage living apart. Now he's home permanently, and they need to find out who they are together. Of course, this novel isn't supposed to be about them. I think the author must have realized that the wife character was starting to have more depth than the heroine, because near the end of the novel, she starts lying to her husband and stuff, so that he can leave her without the readers feeling too sorry for her.
It's too bad the romance portion, which was mediocre, was the focus.
It's too bad the heroes are all perfect and the villains are all cartoonish.
It's too bad that the problems set up early in the story get sidelined for the bulk of the novel.
The other big problem is that these serious issues turn out to be very easily solved at the end.
Her career is on the skids? No worries! She'll just fly back across the country, embarrass the guy who fired her, get the media on her side with no difficulty, organize a bunch of people to support her, accidentally befriend a millionaire, and create her own business that was even better. Hooray!
Her best friend is divorced? That's okay! She'll step in to console the husband! Hooray!
Her adopted son is worried about school? Not a problem! She'll make him a new T-shirt. Hooray!
She knows some women who have been victims of domestic abuse? Easily solved! She'll make her own support group for them! I think they might even have a few pages of plot here and there. You know, in between the lip gloss scenes.
It's all just a little too pat. It's a bit insulting. To be fair, I don't think that the novel was trying to suggest that the boy would never have any problems as long as he can have fancy new T-shirts. However, that bit with the T-shirt is the happy moment that wraps up his subplot. It's as though the author wanted everything to be resolved so that she could focus on the love story at the end of the book. That child has been through a lot of tragedy, and he will have ups and downs for a long time.
I felt similarly cheated by the humilates-the-bad-guy-and-fixes-her-career-after-being-blackballed subplot. Her career tanks early on in the novel, and she tries to fight back against the unethical businessman who sabotaged her, but he's too powerful and too well-connected, and she has no evidence to back her claims. After her defeat, she adopts the kids, moves away, and starts a new life. I liked that. Things are often hard and unfair in real life, and after we've lost something, we have a chance to rediscover who we are, and to be strong. The instant-happy ending undid any character growth she'd undergone. Who is she without her career? Who is she with a different career? Who is she when she endures humiliation and doesn't let it define her? Who is she when she fight to uphold dignity and honor for herself? I guess it doesn't matter, because when life hands her a get-out-of-every-problem-free card, she just doesn't have to worry about much of anything.
Parts of this book were quite good. It's just that the good stuff was never the focus.
June 17, 2020
how is this getting 4 stars on goodreads? It is so trite -pure pablum. There are no surprises and no tension in this stupid weak silly story. As soon as she runs into her old boyfriend you know how this story is going to go. Not one believable character -not one. And the arrogance of the writer to attempt to make this story real, or more important, or somethin, by adding the abuse story line makes me want to puke. To suggest that someone who just moves back into town after years away will casually meet people from her past (and/or be introduced to knew people) and they individuals will, in the first conversation, confess to spousal abuse is fucking unbelievable - and then this person decides within days to set up a support group (the sewing circle)!! because she has to do something for these poor women who NEED to be able to talk about it and until she moved back to town there was no support - thank god she's back. Arrogance and bullshit.
December 4, 2021
Susan Wiggs is a skilled writer and I can see why she is popular, but she is not for me.
I am not fond of romantic fiction where there is a clearly drawn line between the good guys and the bad guys and you know from the start our plucky heroine will end up with the handsome dream boat in the end.
Life doesn't work that way. Unless magic is involved or you pull some sort of "quantum" crap.
Susan Wiggs does neither.
Dear Susan Wiggs,
I am a plucky heroine type who has lived through some hardships and kept my positive outlook. Would you please write a Happy Ever After ending for me? He doesn't have to be handsome, just loving. And funny.
Thanking you in advance,
Cookie
I am not fond of romantic fiction where there is a clearly drawn line between the good guys and the bad guys and you know from the start our plucky heroine will end up with the handsome dream boat in the end.
Life doesn't work that way. Unless magic is involved or you pull some sort of "quantum" crap.
Susan Wiggs does neither.
Dear Susan Wiggs,
I am a plucky heroine type who has lived through some hardships and kept my positive outlook. Would you please write a Happy Ever After ending for me? He doesn't have to be handsome, just loving. And funny.
Thanking you in advance,
Cookie
December 11, 2019
Oysterville Sewing Circle is a support group for abused women started by Caroline. She comes home to Oysterville as her career in NY flops. Her best friend Angeline died and Caroline is sad that she didnt prevent the abuse by some unknown man. There are a lot of moving parts to this story. It wasnt confusing but I felt more interested in some parts than in others. I probably picked this novel because of a silly reason, a title that includes the word Sewing. I love to sew but there is but just a little about sewing in this novel. Caroline is a designer and that is about it. I liked this novel although it did not blow me away. There are many important subjects explored such as abuse, drug use, adoption and being a good parent. Its a pretty good novel with a little bit of romance and a little bit more drama sprinkled in.
October 8, 2019
A heart warming story of a woman, loyal to her friend...taking in her friends children after she died of a drug overdose.
Caroline worked in the fashion industry in New York City, as a designer, until her boss stole her ideas and claimed they as his own.
She leaves New York and goes back to her home town of Oysterville, Washington with her best friends children.
She starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle as a place of healing for abused women, then they joined with other groups to make a strong statement.
When her adoption of the children is challenged, she has witnesses to support her and disclaim the father of these children.
Her dreams come true when Will Jensen asks for her hand in marriage. She has loved him since she was 13; the first summer they met
Caroline worked in the fashion industry in New York City, as a designer, until her boss stole her ideas and claimed they as his own.
She leaves New York and goes back to her home town of Oysterville, Washington with her best friends children.
She starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle as a place of healing for abused women, then they joined with other groups to make a strong statement.
When her adoption of the children is challenged, she has witnesses to support her and disclaim the father of these children.
Her dreams come true when Will Jensen asks for her hand in marriage. She has loved him since she was 13; the first summer they met
October 15, 2019
Caroline decided to return home to Oysterville, WA after a series of catastrophic events in NYC. Her hard won career as an emerging fashion designer plummets after her employer/mentor stole the designs from her first collection. But even worse, her best friend dies from an overdose leaving Caroline as guardian to her two small children Now it's back to where she always felt safe, but always wanted to leave, to find a way to remake her life, and make these children feel safe. Well written book that transcends the women's fiction genre and tackles domestic abuse and sexual abuse.
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