This is my seventh book by Tracy Chevalier and I have enjoyed them all. My favourite is still Fallen Angels, about the Suffragette movement, but I enjoyed learning about the Winchester Broderers and the tradition of bell ringing.
I must admit, I did skim some of the detailed descriptions of the embroidery in the cathedral kneelers and cushions, but it was fascinating to learn about the intensive work that went into producing them, back in the 1930s.

 

Violet Speedwell is unmarried, earning her the unenviable title of a 'surplus woman'. She is one of many ladies who lost husbands, lovers and fiances on the battle fields of WW1. The chances of finding a partner now are slim and she spends her days working at a mundane job for an insurance company. She requests a transfer from her home town to Winchester as living with her miserable mother is becoming impossible. Now, however, she must take digs and struggle to make ends meet. It's not a particularly joyful situation but she makes the best of it, until a chance encounter results in her meeting up with the Broderers and she makes new friends and even a potential love interest.

 

This is a slow burning book, but kept my interest to the end. My book group gave it between 3.5 and 4.5 stars and generally enjoyed it. Googling some of the patterns and designs on the cushions was fascinating and was a highlight of our discussion. Images of the cathedral and the shattered stained glass window that was subsequently put back together higglidy piggildy, were also interesting.

 

The narrative highlighted the position of these 'surplus women' and covered the issues of love, loss. and the general position of single women of the era.
The narration in the audiobook, by Fenella Woolgar, was excellent and I forgot I was being read to, always a good sign.

This is my seventh book by Tracy Chevalier and I have enjoyed them all. My favourite is still Fallen Angels, about the Suffragette movement, but I enjoyed learning about the Winchester Broderers and the tradition of bell ringing. I must admit, I did skim some of the detailed descriptions of the embroidery in the cathedral kneelers and cushions, but it was fascinating to learn about the intensive work that went into producing them, back in the 1930s. Violet Speedwell is unmarried, earning her the unenviable title of a 'surplus woman'. She is one of many ladies who lost husbands, lovers and fiances on the battle fields of WW1. The chances of finding a partner now are slim and she spends her days working at a mundane job for an insurance company. She requests a transfer from her home town to Winchester as living with her miserable mother is becoming impossible. Now, however, she must take digs and struggle to make ends meet. It's not a particularly joyful situation but she makes the best of it, until a chance encounter results in her meeting up with the Broderers and she makes new friends and even a potential love interest. This is a slow burning book, but kept my interest to the end. My book group gave it between 3.5 and 4.5 stars and generally enjoyed it. Googling some of the patterns and designs on the cushions was fascinating and was a highlight of our discussion. Images of the cathedral and the shattered stained glass window that was subsequently put back together higglidy piggildy, were also interesting. The narrative highlighted the position of these 'surplus women' and covered the issues of love, loss. and the general position of single women of the era. The narration in the audiobook, by Fenella Woolgar, was excellent and I forgot I was being read to, always a good sign.

Die englische Stadt Winchester in den 1930er-Jahren: Nach ihrem Auszug aus dem mütterlichen Zuhause stößt die Schreibkraft Violet Speedwell in der Kathedrale zufällig auf die Gruppe der Broderinnen. Die 38-Jährige mag die Abende mit den ungewöhnlichen Frauen, an denen sie zusammen unter Anleitung von Louisa Pesel Stickereien für das Gotteshaus anfertigen. Die Treffen sind für Violet der Aufbruch in eine neue Welt. Nach dem Tod ihres Verlobten Laurence während des Ersten Weltkrieges ist sie allein geblieben und hat wenig Anschluss. Bei den Abenden in der Kathedrale lernt sie nun nicht nur das Kunsthandwerk kennen, sondern von Arthur auch das Läuten der Kirchturmglocken. Kann sie durch die Freundschaft zwischen den Frauen und die wachsende Nähe zu Arthur ein neues Leben in Winchester beginnen?

„Violet“ ist ein historischer Roman von Tracy Chevalier.

Meine Meinung:
Der Roman besteht aus 25 Kapiteln mit einer angenehmen Länge. Erzählt wird aus der Sicht von Violet in chronologischer Reihenfolge, allerdings mit einigen Rückblenden. Der Aufbau des Romans funktioniert gut.

Der Schreibstil ist anschaulich, einfühlsam, atmosphärisch und unaufgeregt. Dank viel wörtlicher Rede und gelungenen Beschreibungen ist er allerdings auch recht lebhaft. Der Einstieg in die Geschichte fiel mir leicht. Sie nimmt jedoch nur langsam Fahrt auf.

Mit Violet steht eine interessante Protagonistin im Vordergrund, deren Gedanke und Gefühle ich gut nachvollziehen konnte. Sie wird realitätsnah dargestellt. Trotzdem wurde ich nicht sofort mit ihr warm, da sie manchmal einen etwas unnahbaren und nüchternen Eindruck macht. Auch die übrigen Personen wirken authentisch.

Der Roman ist vor allem als Porträt von Violet angelegt. Aber der Leser erhält zudem ein gutes Bild der damaligen Zeit und Stimmung. Der Frauenüberschuss, die gesellschaftliche Stellung unverheirateter Damen und einige Themen mehr werden auf unterhaltsame Weise vermittelt. Dies macht die Lektüre tiefgründig. Gut gefallen hat mir auch, dass das Sticken so präsent in der Geschichte ist und dieses besondere Kunsthandwerk viel Aufmerksamkeit erhält. Auf rund 350 Seiten hat der Roman allerdings auch stellenweise Längen.

Das stimmungsvolle, nostalgisch anmutende Cover der deutschen Ausgabe gefällt mir sehr gut. Auch der Titel ist passend, obgleich ich die englischsprachige Originalversion („A Single Thread“) kreativer finde.

Mein Fazit:
 „Violet“ ist ein unterhaltsamer Roman von Tracy Chevalier. Eine Geschichte, die mir schöne Lesestunden bereitet hat, aber mich nicht durchgängig berühren konnte.

I'm planning out my 2020 reading challenge(s), and I decided I'm going to read all of Tracy Chevalier's books (the ones I haven't already read). To try and give myself a jump start, I thought I'd give these short stories a read. I started with Tracy Chevalier's and it wasn't bad (not great either, but enough that I was intrigued to keep reading). I then read My Mother's Wedding and felt very eh about it.

 

I don't love Jane Eyre. I was supposed to read it twice in college, and I mostly made it through the first time but completely skipped it the second (which was for my senior seminar... don't tell anyone). It just didn't capture me, though I must admit I do love the line, "Reader, I married him."

 

I didn't think the stories had to be read in any order and I was already planning on skipping at least two. I googled each author and only three were women of color, so I thought I'd read those stories first. I read The China from Buenos Aires and felt eh. I read Party Girl and felt eh. I read Double Me and felt eh (though probably the least eh of the five). Since I didn't like any of those, I decided to quit reading.

 

I'm not sure if it's the authors, the source material, the subject they're all writing on or what, but there's just nothing that compelling or interesting about these stories (to me). Someone who's a big fan of these authors or Jane Eyre might like it more.

This is one of my favorite books, but I totally understand why people wouldn't like it. I never recommend it to anyone because I'm convinced no one else would like it. I find it to be an easy, comforting read. 

 

I first read this book in high school, so there is a little nostalgia coloring my view of the book. I like the format. Give me a story with dual timelines and protagonists any day (Holes, The Hundred Secret Senses, etc). I like the characters. I like all the genealogical searching. I like the way everything comes together in the end.