The Wishing Thread

The Van Ripper women have been the talk of Tarrytown, New York, for centuries. Some say they’re angels; some say they’re crooks. In their tumbledown “Stitchery,” not far from the stomping grounds of the legendary Headless Horseman, the Van Ripper sisters—Aubrey, Bitty, and Meggie—are said to knit people’s most ardent wishes into beautiful scarves and mittens, granting them health, success, or even a blossoming romance. But for the magic to work, sacrifices must be made—and no one knows that better than the Van Rippers.

When the Stitchery matriarch, Mariah, dies, she leaves the yarn shop to her three nieces. Aubrey, shy and reliable, has dedicated her life to weaving spells for the community, though her sisters have long stayed away. Bitty, pragmatic and persistent, has always been skeptical of magic and wants her children to have a normal, nonmagical life. Meggie, restless and free-spirited, follows her own set of rules. Now, after Mariah’s death forces a reunion, the sisters must reassess the state of their lives even as they decide the fate of the Stitchery. But their relationships with one another—and their beliefs in magic—are put to the test. Will the threads hold?

When I saw that this novel had been likened to Sarah Addison Allen, I was extremely excited and had very high expectations as I am a massive Sarah Addison Allen fan. Sadly my expectations were only partially met, it just didn't have the focus on magic that I was expecting.

I also found that I could not really get into the characters mindsets. They were like wisps of smoke that I just could not grab hold of. I do think that they are likeable characters and that others will like them, but I don't think they were developed well enough for me.

The idea was there with The Stitchery and the magic that was woven into the stitches to make things happen for the people in Tarrytown. And I liked the story surrounding the Stitchery and how the magic came to be, but it just didn't quite capture that magical element that Sarah Addison Allen does.

I also thought the storyline was very slow. Barely anything seems to happen within the first 100 pages which was a real shame and I very nearly gave up, but as this was very kindly sent to me to review, I carried on.

This is just a short review, as I don't really like to give reviews where I haven't liked the book that much. However, Lisa does write really well and I believe that others will definitely like the story; it just wasn't quite my cup of tea.

5/10