The Tapestry of Love...Review

About the book:
A rural idyll: that's what Catherine Parkstone is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. Divorced and with her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just on holiday, and Catherine finds herself with unexpected battles to fight. French bureaucracy, the mountain weather, the reserve of her neighbours - and most unsettling of all, her own fascination with the intriguing Patrick Castagnol.

The Tapestry of Love is the story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: a portrait of landscape, a community and a fragile way of life. 

Needing a life change, Catherine Parkstone leaves England and moves to a tiny city in France.  Once there, she find the rural, idyllic life she envisioned not only includes French bureaucracy, but friendship and romance.  She misses her children and feels guilty for leaving England when  her mother is suffering from Alzheimer's.  Her newly formed world is shaken a bit when her sister arrives, yet Catherine manages to adapt there as well.  As she meets local people, makes new friends and becomes part of the community, she discovers what she really wants from her life and learns just what part Patrick Castagnol will play in it. 

Reminiscent of Under the Tuscan Sun, this is just one of those books you savor.  You sit on the veranda with a cool drink, or by the fire with a warm one.  This is not a rushing river of story, it's a meandering stream.  You don't read it trying to find the ultimate purpose or plot, you simply read it to enjoy your visit with Catherine.

I so appreciated Catherine's age and stage of life!  She's someone I would love to have as a friend and neighbor.  Rosy Thornton has a beautiful, lyrical way of writing.  This was a charming journey of discovery. 

There is incidental, disappointing use of the F word, as well as incidental, non-marital sex without the details.

Thanks to the author for the opportunity to review this book.  You can learn more about Rosy Thornton here. You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 1/11

* * * *
4/5 Stars

Comments

  1. I really enjoyed reading this novel as well last year - Rosy has a great way of quietly sharing in a beautiful way, how life can always be exciting at many stages in life. Really liked this one.

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  2. Wouldn't this be a wonderful movie? I really liked it and will keep it on my shelf to read again someday.

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  3. You've made me really look forward to reading this one!

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  4. I've read about 80 pages of this one and took a short break, but I do want to get back and finish it! It was a quiet book, but I think it's one I will ultimately enjoy.

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