A Thread of Truth

Cobbled Court Quilts #2

by Marie Bostwick

At twenty-seven, having fled an abusive marriage with little more than her kids and the clothes on her back, Ivy Peterman figures she has nowhere to go but up. Quaint, historic New Bern, Connecticut, seems as good a place as any to start fresh. With a part-time job at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop and budding friendships, Ivy feels hopeful for the first time in ages.

But when a popular quilting TV show is taped at the quilt shop, Ivy's unwitting appearance in an on-air promo alerts her ex-husband to her whereabouts. Suddenly, Ivy is facing the fight of her life--one that forces her to face her deepest fears as a woman and a mother. This time, however, she's got a sisterhood behind her: companions as complex, strong, and lasting as the quilts they stitch. . .

Genres: Fiction, Quilting, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Christian Fiction, Friendship, Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Marie Bostwick is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of uplifting historical and contemporary fiction. She lives in the state of Washington and travels frequently to sign books, speak to reading groups, and meet her readers. Keep up with Marie, her travels, new releases and lifestyle blog, Fiercely Marie, at www.mariebostwick.com.

Reviews

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like all books I've read by this author. I plan on reading all of Marie Bostwick's books.

[Jeanne Adamek · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I have read (and now re-read) from this author. The story was rich and satisfying with details that made the characters/ town perfectly painted in.

[Judy Iliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finding that I'm reading more and more books that deal with the strong friendships of women. This was no exception. Bostwick does a magnificent job of explaining how women get sucked into abusive relationships without becoming gory; although, there are parts that make you wince and get angry. The fact that this book and her first with these characters, A Single Thread, is set in a quilt shop doesn't hurt, either.

My only complaint with the book was the edition I read - the Kindle edition. There were too many mistakes - double-words, wrong tense, wrong pronoun, wrong verb, misspelled words. My experience has been there are more mistakes in the Kindle editions of books than there are in the hardback/paperback versions. Someone needs to tell the editors and publishers of the Kindle editions that proofreading is every bit as important in the Kindle edition as it is in the other editions. Hmmmm. Maybe I should hire myself out as a proofreader. Do you think they'd let me proof only those kinds of books that I like to read? Probably not.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in a wonderful series! Loved it! On to the next!

[Virginia Pillars · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book, I'll never look at my rotary cutter the same! This is the second book I've read this summer by Marie Bostwick. I liked the combination of descriptive writing, interesting characters, a dose of faith, and quilting/sewing. I realize I missed other books in this series and plan to read each one of them. Since I read the second book first, I started A Single Thread this morning and then add the rest of the series to my reading list.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this story endearing and wholesome; a pleasure to read.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read because it dealt with abuse. How do these abusive men even come up with these ways to be so cruel? If you are in such a relationship, GET OUT and stay out! There is help available for you. At the beginning, I debated whether I would read this book because of the topic.

What a supportive group of women, and men as well, in these stories. This is the 3rd book of the series I've read. A very comforting little town to live in, New Bern. This was complete with some of the little nitpicky things that happen in little towns, too. In small towns, unlikely characters often do become friends because that's who lives there.

I read the large-print edition because that is all my library had. As someone else said about the kindle edition, there were a lot of errors in it, often involving the word "to" either omitted or added. This was true of "A Single Thread" as well, although I don't think there were as many errors in that book. But reading these large-print books does seem to make the pages fly by.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the Cobbled Court Quilt series focuses on the issue of domestic abuse. Ivy Petterman has left her abusive husband Hodge, taking her two children with her. She finds refuge in New Bern, but keeps herself issolated out of fear. She longs for the support of friends, but keeps many secrets hidden within. When she is offered a job at Evelyn's quilt shop, Ivy begins to let down the walls she has built around herself. When someone recognizes Ivy during a taping of a promotional video for a Quilt Pink Day, Hodge comes looking for her. When Hodge hurts and threatens Ivy, the quilting circle ladies step in. With their friendship and support and the help of local lawyer Franklin, Ivy finds the strength to fight for herself and her children. Again, an important women's issue is addressed in this heartwarming series.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop series. Apparently the inaugural book in the series dealt with breast cancer and this book deals primarily with domestic abuse and the power of female friendships. Ivy Peterman is fleeing an abusive husband with her two small children and they end up in New Bern, Connecticut where she finds housing in a apartment building filled with women who are victims of domestic violence and who are trying to rebuild their lives. Ivy also gets a job in the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop and when a television show is filmed in the shop, she inadvertently appears on air and her husband is on the hunt. Chaos ensues, but put your money on the strong female characters. A nice afternoon read when you are snowed in.

[Deb Backus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, not a great book, just a a little above okay. I liked that it showed a little of the quilting world to those readers unfamiliar with it!
Would I read it again? Nah...but it's a good book for those gloomy winter days! Shows loyalty, kindness and made me want to visit my quilting buddies!

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much truth in this book that it should almost be called nonfiction. The story of Ivy and the abuse that she experienced at the hands of her vindictive, violent husband, while trying to protect herself and her children, is spot on. It is exactly what happens, and fortunately in this story, Ivy has a group of friends to help her, even though at first she doesn't want their help. It becomes a wonderful story of friendship and the power of women to help each other and make all their lives better.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Thread of Truth was a good read told alternately in the first person by the two main characters, Evelyn and Ivy. The setting is in a fictional Connecticut town, often at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop. The themes are asking for help when it's needed, friendship, new beginnings, and finding strengths within one's self.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of domestic abuse and a quilting community that rallies around and supports a young mother and her children. It was nice to catch up with characters from the first book. I did find it a tad long with not enough tension driving it forward. However quilting threads through the story in a very engaging way.

[Cindy B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartening and well written. A lovely ‘march ahead and just keep going’ tale. A shy “come to Jesus” story. Clean. Excellent narrator. Both books I’ve read by the author are a worthwhile read and a pleasure.

[Susann Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in a series (in my experience) usually is not quite as good as the first. That is not so with THIS book! It was exceptional. I enjoyed getting the back story about a character that was a secondary character in the first book. It just really enriched the series and of course it was simply good storytelling.

[Lorraine O'Sullivan]

I could not get through this book. If you value your time do not read this.

[Judy Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool to read about fellow quilters who are helping others.

[Cindy Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about friends being there for you. Afraid also another domestic violence story. But husband got what he deserved in the end.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting Stories

Reading about real characters with similar life challenges and real solutions are uplifting. Add my favorite hobby, Quilting and it's a perfect book!

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie's good advice reminds me of Brad.

Can the club really quilt while drinking wine?

I liked the cute sewing sayings.

"Did you do any good for someone else today?"

[Joan Huehnerhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cobbled Quilt Series #2. I couldn't put the book down. I wanted everything to be all right, and I knew that the quilters would gather a strong defense. In my own life, when life gets tough, I get my quilting girlfriends, and somehow things work out.

[Judy Welch]

I really enjoyed the fact that this book centered around quilts and quiltmaking. There was a real friendship among these women of varied ages and they all pulled together when needed. I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series and want to read the book before and book after.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one more than the first book in the series. For some reason I don't really like Evelyn but really liked the book. This book is more based on Ivy's story but Eveyln was still a main character and many chapters were written from her point of view too. I absolutely loved the scene where Hodge came back for Ivy and attacked her in the alley by the quilt shop. Although it was a very serious scene it was hilarious picturing Abigail, Liza, Margot and Evelyn turning up to fight Hodge off with rotary cutters and a can of pepper spray. Liza I could easily picture but the other three were fun to imagine. It was such a relief when Ivy finally won the custody battle and Hodge ended up getting arrested for Medicare fraud. I also enjoyed seeing how much Abigail has changed since the beginning of the first book.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel about women's friendships and relationships, centered around a quilting shop in a small New England community. Similar to the stories by Jennifer Chiaverini in emotive tone and narrative style.

Addresses several serious issues in an indirect way, such as the experience of domestic violence and life in a homeless shelter. These themes provide some of the skeletal structure for the plot, but the story is larger than this.

There were times that references to Christian faith/belief seemed tacked on. Just not well integrated, so a little jarring when they occur.

An enjoyable read all in all. Would have been better if someone had given serious attention to editing; I found the abundant typos and syntax errors to be distracting.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. It's not earth shatteringly amazing, it's not full of amazing insight. It's a GREAT story about a group of women who came together unexpectedly in the first book (this is the second one) and had some pretty life changing events....but they pulled together, supported each other, took the risk to confide in each other and created an amazing community. At the end of the day, it's not the flash and the glamour that matter, it's that your friends are your friends. Period. They will get down in the trenches with you and fight side by side with you. You may come out on the other side battered, bruised and scarred, but they will be next to you, just as battered, bruised and scarred and neither one of you would have done it any differently.

[Bonnie Eldridge-labaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just as good as first book. The characters grew more in their personal and social lives, and secrets that were held by some were now exposed. I love how Ivy grew more sure of herself and made a life for herself and kids even after living life as an abused child and wife. Abigail has also learned that throwing money into causes is good but putting you heart out there is also important.

[Glenda L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book of the series ... I enjoyed it as much as the first ... can't wait to read the 3rd one. I love the characters in the book ... there is so much to absorb about the relationships. It makes you want to live in New Bern, Connecticut and start quilting. I would highly recommend this series.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of books about domestic violence. I wish I hadn't bought so many books in this series when they were on sale. I kind of liked the first book, but I'm already tired of too much God and not enough quilting.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pulled one of those mistakes all hardcore readers tend to do at some point in their lives with this novel. I didn't realize until after I started reading it that it was part of a series. It wasn't labeled as such, so I decided to give it a try. It wasn't until I reached somewhere in chapter three that I realized the mistake (funnily enough, when I posted it on here), but you know what? It didn't stop me from reading on! True, I was slightly confused by certain things, but not enough that it ruined the experience for me.

Going off of just book two, I have to say that it was enjoyable! My main gripe with it would be the fact that there are a lot (and I mean A LOT) of characters. Book one probably explained each of them in a proper manner, but this book didn't do a recap of any kind for people like me who are silly and read them out of order. That's the only reason I'm giving this four rather than five stars. Explanation or not, there are a ton of characters to follow. I'm the kind of person who talks about the things I like in a novel before naming the things I don't like, but I'm doing this review out of order (just like I'm doing with the series in general). Haha. I'll stop now!

Even if all the characters were properly explained at the beginning of the novel, they were still hard to keep track of for at least 50% of the story. The women were easier to remember, and I was happy that the novel only followed Ivy and Evelyn's POVs, rather than following every single person. The men, however, were much harder to remember name to purpose within the story because they weren't around as often. That can really make a story suffer. One thing I will say, though, is that every character was unique, quirky, and interesting. I loved how different every character was; with the amount of them in the story, that isn't easy to do! The women in the quilt shop were all fun to follow and, out of the men, I'd say Charlie was the best one. I loved the bits he was involved in. He was fun, loving, and loyal. Even though she was a side character, I loved Caramel Sundae as well. She was just delightful!

Something I really loved about this novel was the fact that it had two plotlines that intertwined with each other. Because you follow both Ivy and Evelyn, you have both of their stories from their perspectives: Ivy's story with her abusive husband, and Evelyn's story with her quilt shop being broadcast on television. I thought that following both stories from both perspectives was interesting (such as Evelyn worrying about Ivy's court case while we were following her and Ivy worrying about Evelyn's broadcast while following her side). I've read many novels in the past that had multiple intertwining plotlines that couldn't do it as smoothly as Marie Bostwick did it here. She did a fantastic job!

While I liked both plotlines, I thought Ivy's was more interesting to follow. Ivy's memories involving Hodge were chilling and heartbreaking. The way Hodge was portrayed, as an abuser who tried to hide behind a kind, "soft" side, was sadly accurate. The friendship Ivy formed with the women at Cobbled Court Quilts warmed my heart after the flashback chapters involving Ivy's misfortunes. I felt relieved knowing that she and her two children had people they could count on when Hodge came back into their lives. As for Evelyn's side, even though I didn't find it as interesting, I loved the fact that it was connected to finding a cure for breast cancer. My aunt survived breast cancer years ago and Evelyn's story reminded me of her victorious battle.

I checked the other five novels in the series and will definitely consider reading them! Though, if I do, I'll read them in the correct order. If this novel sounds interesting to you, you can read it without the first book and be just fine, but there might be some character confusion if you do so.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thread of Truth is about a quilting shop! I normally read knitting novels, if it's a craft novel (Debbie Macomber, anyone?) but I'm cool with anything craft-related. I first heard about it from Sandra Nachlinger and her teaser convinced me to go look for the book!

The main plot of this book centers on Ivy, who is running from her abusive husband. She finds refuge in New Bern and work in Cobbled Court (a quilt shop). However, she accidentally appears in a segment about the shop and that means that if she wants to keep this life that she's built, she'll have to learn to trust her new friends with her past and secrets.

The subplot is basically about the romance lives of the other four main characters and how Evelyn (the owner) deals with having her shop featured on television. I guess it could have been confusing since this is book two, but there was one chapter that basically summarised book one, so I don't think I missed much.

While the book can be a little heavy-handed in describing feelings or making a point about something, it is on the whole an enjoyable read. The story is engaging and I found myself rooting for Ivy from page one.

Will I want to read book one and the later books? I'm not too sure. I enjoyed it, but the mini-summary of book one means that I don't feel the need to read it, and I guess everything else depends on what the later books are about (I only picked this up because another blogger mentioned it and I thought the combination of topics was interesting).

If you're a fan of quilting, you will want to pick this up.

This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile