The Lace Makers of Glenmara

"You can always start again," Kate Robinson's mother once told her, "all it takes is a new thread." In the wake of heartbreak and loss, the struggling 26-year-old fashion designer flees to Ireland, desperate to break old patterns. Before she knows it she finds herself on the west coast, in the Gaelic village of Glenmara.

Kate quickly develops a bond with members of the local lace making society, including the recently widowed Bernie; Aileen, estranged from her husband and teenage daughter; Moira, caught in an abusive relationship; Oona, bearing the scars of breast cancer; and Colleen, who worries about her fisherman husband, lost at sea. And outside this newfound circle is Sullivan Deane, an enigmatic man trying to overcome tragedy of his own.

Under Glenmara's spell, Kate finds the inspiration that has eluded her, and soon she and the lace makers are helping each other create a line of exquisite lingerie—and face long-denied desires and fears. But not everyone welcomes Kate, and a series of unexpected events soon threatens to unravel everything the women have worked for…

An enchanting, romantic tale of friendship and love, loss and redemption set in Ireland, in which a young American woman helps a group of lace makers change their lives—and, ultimately, her own.

"You can always start again," Kate Robinson's mother once told her, "all it takes is a new thread." In the wake of heartbreak and loss, the struggling 26-year-old fashion designer flees to Ireland, desperate to break old patterns. Before she knows it she finds herself on the west coast, in the Gaelic village of Glenmara.

Kate quickly develops a bond with members of the local lace making society, including the recently widowed Bernie; Aileen, estranged from her husband and teenage daughter; Moira, caught in an abusive relationship; Oona, bearing the scars of breast cancer; and Colleen, who worries about her fisherman husband, lost at sea. And outside this newfound circle is Sullivan Deane, an enigmatic man trying to overcome tragedy of his own.

Under Glenmara's spell, Kate finds the inspiration that has eluded her, and soon she and the lace makers are helping each other create a line of exquisite lingerie—and face long-denied desires and fears. But not everyone welcomes Kate, and a series of unexpected events soon threatens to unravel everything the women have worked for…

Publishers Weekly

Barbieri (Snow in July) sets her latest in a small Irish town, Glenmara, where a heartbroken American tourist, Kate Robinson, finds her one-night stay extended with the help of some motherly role models. Kate's hostess, chronically grieving widow Bernie, draws the young Seattleite into a gossipy ring of lace makers. Kate, a former fashion designer, takes to them perfectly (one of several head-scratching coincidences), inspiring them to take on an empowering but controversial project. Although the focus is always on the positive, the narrative's strongest when exploring the less charming sides of Glenmara; rich sources of missed potential include the local priest, nicknamed Father Dominic Burn-in-Hell Byrne, and Bernie's irritable best friend Aileen, the only "lace society" member to regard Kate with anything but syrupy goodwill. The result is a sweet novel with few surprises. Even Kate's pivotal, inspirational idea-embellishing the ladies' undergarments with lace-suffers from murky logic (as do reactions from characters like Father Byrne). Still, Barbieri's world generates convincing warmth and emotion, making it worth a look for Friday Night Knitting Club fans between sequels. (July)

The author of the novel Snow in July, HeatHer BarBieri has won international prizes for her short fiction. She lives in Seattle with her husband and three children.