The Threadbare Heart

by Jennie Nash

Jennie Nash’s “winning debut,”* The Last Beach Bungalow , was followed by The Only True Genius in the Family , a “page-turning delight.”** Now she introduces us to two women who learn the lessons of grief—and of hope… A photo of her sons. A doormat from Target. Twenty-three tubs of fabric. Somehow it comforts Lily to list the things she lost when a wildfire engulfed the Santa Barbara avocado ranch she shared with her husband, Tom. He didn’t make it out either. His last act was to save her grandmother’s lace from the flames—an heirloom she has never been able to take scissors to, that she was saving for someday… As she negotiates her way through her grief, mourning both the tangible and intangible, Lily wonders about her long marriage. Was it worth all the work, the self-denial? Did she stay with Tom just to avoid loneliness? Should she have been more like her mother, Eleanor— thrice-married and even now, approaching eighty, cavalier about men and, it seems, even about her daughter’s emotions? It is up to Lily to understand what she could still gain even when it seems that everything is lost. Someday has arrived…
*Publishers Weekly **Book Club Classics

Genres: Fiction, Love, Marriage, Grief, Adult Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2010

About the author

Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company that trains book coaches to help writers bring their books to life. For twelve years, writers serious about reaching readers have trusted Jennie to coach their projects from inspiration to publication. Her clients have landed top New York agents, national book awards, and deals with houses such as Scribner, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette. Jennie is the author of 9 books in 3 genres. She taught for 13 years in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program, is an instructor at CreativeLive.com and speaks on podcasts and at writing conferences all over the country. Learn more about being coached or becoming a coach at bookcoaches.com or authoraccelerator.com

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't do much for me. It was more of a view of different perspectives of love and marriage of three generations than a story with an actual plot. I didn't relate to or like the characters especially Lily.

Lily and her mother didn't see eye to eye on love and marriage. Her mother, married three times seemed to collect husbands only to discard them easily enough when the marriages seemed to have run their course. When Lily found her one and only in Tom, Lily's mother was skeptical that it would last. She didn't believe in love or in the permanence of matrimony.

Lily and Tom have been married for enough years to see both of their sons grown and out on their own. Both Lily and Tom have jobs as academics in Vermont and in 5 years could settle on their pensions. When Tom decides on a whim that he would like to purchase an avocado ranch near Lily's mother in Santa Barbara, it is Lily's turn to be skeptical. She isn't sure she and Tom are still in love. She wonders if all these years they have just grown comfortable in routine. She thinks they may have taken love for granted. She does, however, agree to make the move; only to run into an old high school crush--not even a boyfriend, but just a guy she admired from afar. Now, all of a sudden, she is dreaming of having a true romantic relationship with him--after one casual and accidental meeting. GROAN.

Ryan, Lily and Tom's older son is married and has a two year old toddler. His life and his love for his wife has been upended since the birth of their daughter. His work takes him away from home for days at a time and when not traveling, he works late and arrives home to a tired wife and a demanding child. He's not sure he is cut out to be a husband and a father.

After a dramatic tragedy, Lily's world collapses. She is filled with doubt and guilt and yet she finds passion very quickly, even if just for a short time. GROAN. She does a lot of chest beating and hair tearing (not literally, but she makes some pretty rash moves) and then, in the end, sets out to memorialize the husband she wasn't sure she loved.

It wasn't the worst book I have read, and I did finish it; but for me, it was dark and dreary and what was meant to be an uplifting ending, just didn't uplift me. I just didn't believe in Lily and her sincerity. Oh, and I'm not really sure what happened with Ryan and his unsatisfying situation with his own marriage; but it's ok. At that point, I just didn't care.

Many people were delighted with this book and I am wondering what I missed that they were able to rave about the story, but that's what makes us readers--to like or dislike and to be able to agree to disagree and move on to the next book that some of us will like and some won't.

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rarely rate books low, but for me, this one did not live up to my expectations. I don't know where I got the book from and honestly I wish I hadn't read it. Truthfully, I kept reading to find the "hope" in the story. Although the positive from the book is "don't take your marriage for granted," there was so much angst it depressed me and made me feel negative and irritable all day. In the end, the conclusion wasn't strong enough to give the hope that the reviewers on back of the book mentioned. So as not to give spoilers for those that do want to read it, I will just say the three generations of marriages in this family left me feeling hopeless and sad for the state of marriage in general. I'm glad my own three generation of family haven't lived this storyline.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Nash writes characters I relate to so well. This one is a solid 4.5 for me. Wish I could tell you more but you'll just have to wait another month!

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

After finishing the book I was unable to determine who the main character was - was it Lily - a middle aged mother of two who had a long term, loving marriage that ended in the inexplicable death of her husband due to a California wildfire - or was the main character her mother Elinor - who had been married/divorced/widowed multiple times and at the ripe old age of 73 (?) contemplating a marriage proposal from her dead friends husband.

Toss in her son's unstable marriage, her quick descent in to a sad, sad one or two night stand with a "boy" from high school that she hadn't spoken to in over 25 years (until the week before her husbands death).

Drivel, absolute drivel.

[Amy Siegfried · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a sad book. I know the book was supposed to be Lily's story but felt it was more about her mother. Lots of unfinished business in this one

[Vicki Jaeger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read through page 80. Everyone was miserable. And based on the tragic occurrence noted on the back cover, it was going to get worse. So I stopped.

[Kathy (Bermudaonion) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily and Tom are both professors at a college in Vermont. They’ve been happily married for years and have raised two sons. They are content in their lives and their marriage, but when they visit Lily’s mother, Eleanor, in California, she offers to buy them an avocado ranch that Tom falls in love with. Lily resents her larger-than-life mother because she can’t seem to settle down and she seems to think her money will buy happiness.

In the meantime, Eleanor envies and resents her daughter, because Lily’s found the type of long lasting love that has always eluded her. Lily and Eleanor do love each other, but their relationship is somewhat tenuous. Their family has to survive a horrible tragedy for the two women to realize that they need to set their resentments aside and learn to show their love for each other.

I was purposely vague in my description of The Threadbare Heart. I went into knowing nothing about it, except the fact that it’s written by the wonderful Jennie Nash, and I really think I appreciated it more because of that. The story in this book is told from many alternating points of view, which I loved because I feel like I got the whole story that way.

The Threadbare Heart is basically a book about relationships – between parents and children, husbands and wives and even between friends. It’s about taking care of and nurturing your relationships and letting other people know what they mean to you while you still can. For me, the book serves as a reminder to set aside your differences and learn to appreciate the good qualities of the ones you love.

All of the characters in this book are flawed, but they were all so real, that I could relate to almost all of them. I loved Eleanor and her free spirit, but I can understand why Lily found those same traits aggravating in her mother. I also thought the portrayal of Lily and Tom’s marriage was very realistic – they had a good solid, relationship that had some rough patches, but they worked through them.

I finished The Threadbare Heart right before going to bed one night, and I’m not sure that was the best idea, because it made me cry and then I laid in bed and thought about it for a long time once I was through. This is one of those books that lingers in your mind for a while and I just loved it.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My synopsis: Lily had met her husband Tom in Colorado. Together they raised 2 sons, Ryan and Luke in Maine, and seemed to weather all the changes that the seasons of life brought them. Upon visiting their family in California - Luke, Ryan and his wife Olivia and daughter Brooke, and Lily's mother Eleanor, Lily starts to see chinks in her marriage. She begins to think she doesn't know her husband at all. When an avocado ranch goes on the market, and Eleanor offers to buy it for Lily and Tom, Lily is resentful that her mom would think they could just up and move from Maine to California. Especially since they were both so close to earning their full pensions at the university where they worked - their house was paid for - how could they just up and move all the way across the country? In the end, Lily decides that she wants to do this for her husband, for them, because she thinks she is losing him and this will hold them together.

My thoughts: I could go on and on with the synopsis, but I don't want to give too much away. The story vacillates with each chapter upon different people in the family - Tom, Lily, Eleanor, Luke, Ryan, Olivia. With each chapter you learn a little more about their individual history, and a little more about how and why they relate to each other as they do. I really enjoyed the way it was written and could relate to Lily - not necessarily because of length or stability of her marriage, but because of her insecurities. I enjoyed Eleanor also - she seemed to be a strong woman, a little uncharacteristic for women of her generation - used to taking care of herself and not letting anyone "inside". She had numerous husbands over the years and, since her last one, has "sworn off men". Olivia I didn't like so much - she seemed to do things to exclude her husband from her and Brooke on purpose, and wasn't very thankful the blessings she had in her life. The ending left me wanting more - I wanted to know what happens between Eleanor and Lily - if they are able to get closer. About Ryan and Olivia and if their marriage is going to withstand it's trials. We know that Lily is a survivor, but I want to know if she gets to be happy again!

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Threadbare Heart, Jennie Nash has written a story of love, loss, family and the many forms each of those can take. There’s love for a lifetime, love to help you heal, parental love, and love found when and where it’s least expected. Loss comes from death, withdrawal of affection, and unmet expectations.

Running through the core of the story is the relationship between Lily and her mother, Eleanor. They are totally opposite in many ways: Lily has had a lifelong love, and Eleanor never felt a strong enough connection with anyone to form a permanent attachment. Lily loves to sew, and she collects fabric to make clothes and quilts for the ones she loved. Embarrassed by her own mother’s homemade clothes, Eleanor doesn’t understand Lily’s lack of desire for designer clothing.

When Lily and Eleanor are forced by tragedy to take on a bigger role in each other’s lives, they struggle to bridge their differences and learn to respect each other for the unique talents they each have. The Threadbare Heart is told from multiple perspectives, including Lily’s husband, Tom, and their sons and daughter in law. This helps the reader see all sides to the story. It’s a reminder that most situations don’t feature good guys and bad guys, just people with different ideas of how they want to live their lives.

In some ways I felt the ending to The Threadbare Heart was abrupt—I could have easily followed Lily and Eleanor’s story for many more chapters—but when I finished it I found myself wondering what would happen next in each of the character’s lives. I worried for them, and I hoped for their futures. I expect the issues brought up in the book will stay with me for a long time.

While older teens may appreciate reading The Threadbare Heart, I believe it’s a better read for adult mothers and their adult daughters. It should open interesting lines of conversation between them about their own relationships.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story because it was about a love and a marriage that "wasn't flashy, or loud, but it was constant. It was relentless. Nothing was going to get in its way."
Lily the main character "lived with that kind of love for her entire marriage, she counted on it and sometimes took it for granted!"
There were times in the story that Lily took her marriage and the love of her husband for granted, other times their marriage seemed solid.....but I felt that it wasn't until the end of the story after the tragic loss of her husband that she resolved in her mind that she had a good marriage and a good husband!
I also liked how her fabric was symbolic of all the things we collect in our life to use "someday" most of us probably never use half of what we save. This story plays out reminding us that if we have a plan for something we should do it, make it, use it, because we never know what the next day may bring and we will lose our chance! After all the possibilities that there was for Lilys grandmothers lace to be used, I was surprised at what it was used for in the end!
Nice story about life, love, family, relationships, with a tragic fire and death of Lilys husband, the story is also about dealing with grief and loss.
I liked how the chapters are laid out with each being titled for who the chapter is about ie....Lily, Eleanor, Olivia etc. fairly large print book, and a quick read!l

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so sad for me, I struggled with finishing it. The exploration of love and relationships from many different characters' viewpoints was very well done. The description of setting and characters was incredibly realistic, which made the heartbreaking plot elements even harder to swallow.

The sad nature of the story and the flaws in the characters brought to mind the writing of Jacqueline Susann, though without the racy plot features.

I found myself really disliking some of the characters, but that fact just made me more determined to figure out their fate.

Recommended for fans of character-driven stories.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is mainly Lily's story, but it is also her mother Eleanor's story. In many ways, Lily and Eleanor are opposites, yet sometimes their minds meet and they always try to be there for one another. Lily is dealing with being alone after many years as part of a couple and Eleanor is deciding whether to try marriage again at age 75. Lily's sons are also dealing with difficult issues of their own. This book gets down to the nitty-gritty of the small things that can cause as much pain as the big things and that we never think about until we are faced with them ourselves. Jennie Nash understands relationships and is able to write about them very well.

[Arlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author was successful in addressing the depth of human emotions in both romantic and familial relationships, but missed on the targeted metaphor of using sewing to stitch together the pieces of Lily's (main character) family. I can imagine many better ways to intervine sewing, stitching, and quilting to stitch together a family teetering on collapse. Additionally, some of the characters conveniently changed long-developed character traits in order to jump on the happening bandwagon. This was disappointing.

[Deborah Fulk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although slow at first, after about 90 pages, I could not put this book down. I loved the character "Eleanor." The chapters are divided into different characters, so the story unwinds from the different characters' viewpoints. Interesting characters and relationships and the story seems very real, although fiction. Textiles are literally "woven" into the story, which was a bit strange, but effective.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. I picked it up on the library on a lark...thank goodness for larks! The author brings so much emotion and depth to a story that also reads and moves along very smoothly; and her observations about how different people choose to experience (or not experience) love and commitment felt insightful and genuine.

There are certainly sad moments in the book, but also hopeful ones...in a lovely balance.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb on the back of the book reveals that the husband dies in a fire. Usually when the blurb reveals something major like this it's because it happens at the beginning of the book. However he doesn't die until halfway through the book. So the whole time I'm reading, I'm waiting for him to die. Not sure what they were thinking to include a spoiler in the book description.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It made me smile and cry so I always like books that can tug at my heartstrings and care about the characters. After 25 years, what does it take to keep a marriage going? A lesson of appreciating what you have since you don't know when it will be gone. As someone who sews, I also could commiserate with the main character Lily's sewing obsession as well.

[Laurene Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read love story about a middle aged couple who leave behind their careers as college professors in New England and head to California and purchase an avocado farm! The relationship between the couple, their children, and the woman's mother, all are intertwined thru the book as they reflect on the past and cope with significant loss.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennie Nash's The Threadbare Heart was one of 3 books I read in the last 30 days and the second on a 14 day vacation. Jennie is a local author from Palos Verdes, California and she really struck home deeply with this book about processing grief. It also was a reminder about all the good and sometimes difficult parts of long term marriages. I felt a lot of emotion with this book.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It isn't what I normally read, but the plot kept me interested enough that I finished it in an evening. I particularly liked the character of Eileen. She struck me as a strong woman.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a nice love story about older love and what older couples go through as they get older and lose their spouse. Lily one of the main characters had to over come some personal events.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great summer read by Jennie that deals with the complexity of family and relationships. Set in Santa Barbara and based in part on the author's mother/stepfather's story (as she reveals in the afternotes), this story strikes a sweet and sentimental chord.

[Eddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An empty nest couple decides on a whim to move from the east coast to Santa Barbara and buy an avocado farm. When the house burns down, he husband dies in the fire. The wife had to regroup and move on.

[Care · Rating 4 out of 5]

rec'd 3/15/10, due before Mother's Day

[Gayle Wingerter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nash knows human nature--relationships, feelings, failings. I enjoy how each chapter was written from the perspective of an individual character. It was very satisfying to read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

[Morgan Pugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for moms club bookclub. Didn't like this one anymore than the Redondo Beach house book. Author came to speak at our meeting.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing is so poor it's embarassing.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Jennie Nash book. It's touching and thought provoking and is something everyone should read

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while to get to the plot of the story, but was an enjoyable, emotional read.