Very good story but slow-moving. Interesting; Based on actual guild. ( )

Having been to these cathedrals and admiring the cushions, this was a great background info. Strong women in a difficult time. ( )

As a sewist I had to read this with thread in the title, it was good historical fiction but reflecting back on it there wasn't anything about it I really loved. I hadn't read much set in this time period outside of London so that part was nice and different. ( )

While there are lots of books about women during World War II and some set during World War I, there aren't many that I know of that are set in the time between the two wars. So many men were killed during World War I that there was a surplus of women. Tracy Chevalier has written a book that tells about the lives of these "surplus women".

Violet Speedwell's older brother and her fiancee were killed in World War I. So at age 38, when most women her age would have expected to have a husband and children, she was still living with her parents. She worked in the office of an insurance company as a typist and she occasionally went to a hotel bar and picked up a man to meet her physical needs. This was acceptable when both her parents were alive but after her father died she found her mother's constant criticism to be more than she could take. She took a job with the same company in Winchester, a city not too far from her home in Southhampton but far enough to get a place to live in Winchester. She soon found that, although her salary had been enough when she lived at home even though she gave a substantial portion of it to her parents, in Winchester it was very hard to make ends meet. Her room included breakfast but she had to provide other meals and soon she found her rations were meagre. It was not a very promising existence. Then, one day, she stopped into the Cathedral while out on an errand from work and learned about the Winchester Broderers. This group of women were responsible for making kneelers, cushions and other items to adorn the cathedral. One woman, Gilda, befriended her and convinced Violet to become a member of the guild. Soon, Violet is learning all the stitches and working on her own projects. Gilda also introduces her to an older man, Arthur, who was a bell-ringer in the cathedral. Instantly, there is a spark between him and Violet but, since he was married and lived in a village some distance from the city (with the charming name of Nether Wallop), there didn't seem much likelihood of any further relationship. That changed when Violet took a walking tour for her annual vacation and stayed over in Nether Wallop. Arthur remembered her from their initial introduction and spent an evening in the pub with her, talking and playing cribbage. A menacing man Violet had met during her walk that day turned up at the pub. Violet expressed her unease about him and Arthur, the complete gentleman, offered to walk with her the next morning for a while. Over the next year Violet and Arthur would often meet in Winchester for a meal. On one occasion, he took her up to the bell chamber to show her how the bell-ringing worked. These visits and her embroidery work, together with her friendship with Gilda,were the highlights of her life. But there were problems too. Gilda was in a lesbian relationship with a schoolteacher and when the school learned of this, her lover was dismissed. The man from the previous summer who had frightened Violet started turning up in Winchester. And her mother, on her own in Southhampton, had a stroke and it fell to Violet to care for her. She was determined not to let this uproot her life as an independent woman. Fortunately, she was able to get these issues sorted out satisfactorily. When the book ends Violet's life has changed again but it seems like it will be a good existence.

Although Violet and Gilda and some of the other broderers named in this book are not historical figures they are based upon the numerous women who worked from 1931 to 1936 to fill the cathedral with needlework artworks. One of the chief broderers, Louisa Pesel, did exist. From the Needleprint Blogspot I learned "Working with 160 other embroiderers, she created: 365 kneelers for the congregation; 32 choir kneelers; 60 stall cushions; 17 bench cushions; the lectern carpet; the litany kneeler; the communion rail edges; the borders for the curtains of the bishop's throne, 56 festival almsbags (14 for each of the 4 seasons) and 40 named almsbags!." I've never been to Winchester but if I am ever in the vicinity I certainly intend to visit the Winchester Cathedral. ( )

I absolutely loved this book. A female lead I could get on board with, embroidery, bell ringing and pre WW2 life. I'll definitely read more by this author. ( )