Helpful Score: 15
The hype by critics on the back cover of this book do it a great disservice. The writing is good, the character development solid, and the pacing okay. However, to read the back cover one would imagine the contents to be more exciting, more intense, and more hair-raising than they actually turn out to be. If you like to read slow-paced, character driven fiction and/or enjoy the "chick-flick" genre then you will like this book. However, you will not find an "astonishing end," or "a wild, dark place," or anything "creepy or fascinating" about the book (all things promised on the dust jacket). What you will find is a mix of death, psychic visions/readings, and abused women all combined in a seacoast town known for the eccentricities of its people.
Helpful Score: 14
I finished this book last night and I am still having trouble putting into words what I think of it. There are parts of the book I like and it seems to want to take off to be a good book, then there are other parts it drags so much I was beginning to give up. I stuck it out though and all I can say is this, I am not sure what the hype is about this book, to me you could take all the good parts that really mean something to the story and have about 70 pages the rest is filler.
Helpful Score: 13
This is a VERY good book! While I did have trouble relating to the characters early on, that was resolved relatively soon, and I felt deeply connected with them as I continued to read this unique and interesting story. Well written, with an intriguing plot, I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 5
"The Lace Reader" is a story of a woman named Towner who is faced with her great-aunt's disappearance, her mother's insanity, and her brother's wedding. Out of all of this comes a story that is laced with mystery, deception, discovery, death, and life.
Barry weaves the story together though the eyes of Towner, but also through the townspeople of Salem, Mass where the story takes place. "The Lace Reader" certainly does an excellent job of promoting tourism to Salem. It is a place I've always wanted to go, but now I want to go even more.
"The Lace Reader" is a fiction novel that brings a bit of the mystery novel into it as well. There is definitely a surprising revelation at the end that causes you to re-think the whole book. The reason I did not rate "The Lace Reader" higher is because I never got that feeling of I-can't-put-the-book-down. I was curious, but never felt so into the story that I couldn't put it down if the phone or doorbell rang.
"The Lace Reader" will be released on July 29, 2008. I recommend that you check it out. It is an enjoyable read.
But, I will admit, that even months after I read it, I still think about it sometimes, and wonder about the plot twists.
Barry weaves the story together though the eyes of Towner, but also through the townspeople of Salem, Mass where the story takes place. "The Lace Reader" certainly does an excellent job of promoting tourism to Salem. It is a place I've always wanted to go, but now I want to go even more.
"The Lace Reader" is a fiction novel that brings a bit of the mystery novel into it as well. There is definitely a surprising revelation at the end that causes you to re-think the whole book. The reason I did not rate "The Lace Reader" higher is because I never got that feeling of I-can't-put-the-book-down. I was curious, but never felt so into the story that I couldn't put it down if the phone or doorbell rang.
"The Lace Reader" will be released on July 29, 2008. I recommend that you check it out. It is an enjoyable read.
But, I will admit, that even months after I read it, I still think about it sometimes, and wonder about the plot twists.
Vivian Q. (bellasgranny) -
Helpful Score: 5
I hadn't read any reviews of this book, so I didn't know what to expect. I didn't expect to love this book. It's a rare occasion when I read a book that I hate to put down and fills my mind until I can get back to it. I didn't expect to cry at the end and I didn't expect to feel like I had been knocked off my feet. I know that I will go back and read it again sometime soon. An unexpected treasure - I highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 4
From all the reviews I heard about this book I was ecpecting a great read totally diffrent from what the book actually ended up being.I wasnt crazy for this story I found it a bit strange and I found myself bored in some parts of the story and some parts I found to be interested in. I also found myself stuggling to read the story.Like most books I read I cant wait to pick up the book and read it with this one if I put the book down I wasnt thrilled to pick it up right away and continue reading.The name of the book is deceiving since it really isnt about a person reading lace even though there is a few refrences in the book about it.I did finish the book only because I wanted to see what happned,
Helpful Score: 3
The Lace Reader is one of those books that is so weird that you can't put it down because your trying to figure out what is going on. The setting is Salem and the story involves witches, lace readers and split personalities. It is somewhat historical and the characters are very interesting. There are definitely many twist and turns in the story line.
Helpful Score: 2
This novel is beautiful and heartbreaking... It's inspirational and moving together. If you're looking for a complex plot that is part lost love story, part murder mystery, and part spook thriller give this a try! I love how the author brings the reader to Salem and brings the characters to life. Great read!! Highly recommended!!
Helpful Score: 2
I found the Lace Reader an interesting book, as it details some infamous history of Salem & areas in MA intertwined with the story of Lace Reading. I don't know if there is such an art as lace reading, but the author makes it easy to believe it's possible. She brings Yellow Dog Island to life as well, even tho it is a fictional place. It has made me more interested in the history of Salem & of the witch hunts & trials in early America.
Helpful Score: 2
The ending was a bit confusing and it was hard to make sense of. I actually went back to certain parts of the book to re-read them so I could get what the author was trying to convey. Other than that, it's an engaging and interesting book. The characters, even minor ones, are well portrayed and the way Barry describes the town of Salem and the surroundings so well, a clear picture is drawn in your head. I think the realism Barry gives to characters and setting is the best part of the book. Even if the plot might seem bumpy and a bit improbable, it becomes believable in the circumstances.
Helpful Score: 2
Great read, don't be fooled, it's not what you think by the time you get to the end!
Tidbits are given about the characters' lives that hint towards certain events, but you just have to be patient to find out more details. I kept going back to re-read pages to see if I had missed something. After the climactic ending, I was left with tons of unanswered questions.
If you like a book that tidies up all loose ends and explains everything, this book's not for you.
If you like stories that have a dream-like disjointed quality to them, you may like this book.
I did enjoy the whole setting in Salem aspect as well as the descriptions of living close to the sea, otherwise, I did not care for this book.
If you like a book that tidies up all loose ends and explains everything, this book's not for you.
If you like stories that have a dream-like disjointed quality to them, you may like this book.
I did enjoy the whole setting in Salem aspect as well as the descriptions of living close to the sea, otherwise, I did not care for this book.
Helpful Score: 2
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found that presenting the story from different points of view gave you hints into the mystery, and also made the story mroe interesting. It does have a surprise ending, and it is hinted at in the first paragraph, where Sophya admits she is not a very reliable source. The characters are believable, and the fact that they can 'read lace' or see into the future adds a supernatural dimension, one that I enjoy in books. Highly recommended.
Helpful Score: 1
The Lace Reader was a good book. I read it for book club - and everyone in group seemed to like it.
Helpful Score: 1
I grew up in Salem and thoroughly enjoyed reading about my city. My husband and I actually stopped at the statue of Roger Conant last week to see if what was in the book was true. I loved this book and would recommend even if you aren't from Salem.
Helpful Score: 1
A lot to think about in this book, with its surprise ending.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book, I knew something clever was coming but I never expected the twist!!! I want to read it again just to get a different perspective! Definitely recommend!!
Helpful Score: 1
This was a great book - had surprises and a great story. I loved the characters - would fight for some and wanted to kill others.
Helpful Score: 1
Oh, I enjoyed this book quite a bit! It really surprised me how much I really liked it by then, considering I wasn't that impressed in the beginning. It started off a little slow, with too many points-of-view, and too many dangling mysteries, but as the story unraveled, I ended up falling in love with it. The ending twist completely took me by surprise, and I certainly didn't see it coming! It didn't make perfect sense, though... and there were still some loose threads by the end. However, I really did like it and will certainly keep an eye out for her other books! I really enjoyed the role of the golden retrievers.
Helpful Score: 1
I did like the book. It was a little difficult to get into it at first, but once I did, couldn't put it down.
Took some time to get the story rolling, didn't quite see that ending coming.
too staged. too set up. too screwy. not a real mystery. too depressing. just flat out not very good. although it reads somewhat fast. too many narrators in the book.
This author started the book with some great ideas but they never quite came together in any way that made much sense. To me her writing was schizophrenic - bobbing from one idea to another. Perhaps she needed a better editor. I cant imagine how things this poorly written ever get published.
I picked this book up becauseI was intrigued by the idea of "reading lace." It was an easy read for a day at the beach.
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It came highly recommended by a friend, however I found that it dragged for about two thirds of the story. Only at the end did the action start and things started to happen. If you can hang on until the end, it will certainly pay off, but I just wish I didn't have to keep coaxing myself not to give up on it.
This reminded me a lot of "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" by Kate Atkinson, but much darker and the narrator is far more unreliable. I liked the setting and some of the characters, but I wouldn't say this is a 'must read.'
I read this book because of all the hype surrounding it, and I'd read glowing reviews about it. I had high hopes for it... WOW, was I ever disappointed! I did not like this one at all... I found the book to be extremely confusing. It goes back and forth between flashbacks (real & imagined by the main character, who appears to have quite a bit of mental instability), so it was hard to follow what was going on in the story. There is a theme of abuse throughout the book as well, so if you don't like that topic, then this one probably isn't for you. I also never liked the heroine of the story, as I never really figured out "who she was". I closed the book feeling let-down and confused. What an utter waste of time.
A wonderful book about a uniquely intuitive family living in modern day Salem, Mass. Mix that with a little mystery, insanity, love story and cults and you get a very interesting story.
Even after finishing this book, Im not sure how I feel about it. The concept was great and I was engrossed, but there was something off for me. Maybe its because in the first paragraph, Towner, the narrator, tells us shes a liar and not to believe what she says, which made me not trust her, obviously. That made me nervous, for lack of a better word, throughout the book and I ended up reading the ending while I was still in the middle of the book. So, I ruined the suprise ending for myself, but I could see the clues that led up to it throughout the rest of the book.
This book is a slow-burn type of book with lots of details. I read it twice. The first time I was not in the mood for a detailed slow burn book - was in an action/adventure mood so halfway through I put it down and read something else. Months later I picked it up and started over. This time I enjoyed it. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for a certain genre, but if It's good I go back after a while and try again - like with this one.
Just finished reading it and I have to think about it a little bit. I did like it and it was different. It really held my interest and I just had to keep reading until I was finished.
Carol F. (cactusflowerwomen) reviewed The Lace Reader (Lace Reader, Bk 1) on + 628 more book reviews
Excellent book about witches, twins, old family secrets, an interest thriller. Suspenseful and fast paced.
