A Spool of Blue Thread: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Clock Dance comes the story of four generations unfolding in and around the lovingly worn house that has always been the Whitshank family's anchor. • MAN BOOKER PRIZE NOMINEE
“Absorbing and deeply satisfying.” —Entertainment Weekly
"It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon ...” This is how Abby Whitshank always describes the day she fell in love with Red in July 1959.
From Red’s parents, newly arrived in Baltimore in the 1920s, to the grandchildren carrying the Whitshank legacy boisterously into the twenty-first century, the Whitshanks are one of those families that radiate an indefinable kind of specialness, but like all families, their stories reveal only part of the picture: Abby and Red and their four grown children have accumulated not only tender moments, laughter, and celebrations, but also jealousies, disappointments, and carefully guarded secrets.
“Absorbing and deeply satisfying.” —Entertainment Weekly
"It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon ...” This is how Abby Whitshank always describes the day she fell in love with Red in July 1959.
From Red’s parents, newly arrived in Baltimore in the 1920s, to the grandchildren carrying the Whitshank legacy boisterously into the twenty-first century, the Whitshanks are one of those families that radiate an indefinable kind of specialness, but like all families, their stories reveal only part of the picture: Abby and Red and their four grown children have accumulated not only tender moments, laughter, and celebrations, but also jealousies, disappointments, and carefully guarded secrets.
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A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
358 pages
What’s it about?
This is the story of the Whitshank family. The Whitshanks are an average American family living in Baltimore. Through flashbacks we see the family as it was, and as it is in the present day. The concerns of the Whitshanks are the concerns many families face over time. It is a story with broad appeal.
What did it make me think about?
How very complicated all families are- even the ordinary ones.
Should I read it?
This is another book that centers more on character than plot. The plot is almost non-existent, and yet I wanted to keep reading about the Whitshank family. If you like a good character driven novel then I recommend this one.
Quote-
"The disappointments seemed to escape the family's notice, though. That was another one of their quirks: they had a talent for pretending everything was fine. Or maybe it wasn't a quirk at all. Maybe it was just familiar proof that the Whitshanks were not remarkable in any way whatsoever."
Question-
Did anyone else think this family did not communicate well?
If you liked this try-
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
358 pages
What’s it about?
This is the story of the Whitshank family. The Whitshanks are an average American family living in Baltimore. Through flashbacks we see the family as it was, and as it is in the present day. The concerns of the Whitshanks are the concerns many families face over time. It is a story with broad appeal.
What did it make me think about?
How very complicated all families are- even the ordinary ones.
Should I read it?
This is another book that centers more on character than plot. The plot is almost non-existent, and yet I wanted to keep reading about the Whitshank family. If you like a good character driven novel then I recommend this one.
Quote-
"The disappointments seemed to escape the family's notice, though. That was another one of their quirks: they had a talent for pretending everything was fine. Or maybe it wasn't a quirk at all. Maybe it was just familiar proof that the Whitshanks were not remarkable in any way whatsoever."
Question-
Did anyone else think this family did not communicate well?
If you liked this try-
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
I would give this book 4.5 if possible. I can't wait to read or listen to more books by this author. This was a great story about family and all the different personalities that make up a family.
love stories about families without needing a big plot or twist, so this was a cozy read that fit that. lost interest towards the end when it shifted to a past story that felt lasted too long. overall was enjoyable and made me want to read more tyler books
The short stories about Abby and Linnie in the middle were the high points of the book for me. I just couldn't get past the pointless rambling of the first section. OK, so the family wants to be perceived as wonderful and normal. But they're not. No family is. We are all broken and fit together in awkward ways.
Well written. I could easily see the situations, relate to the characters.
Well written. I could easily see the situations, relate to the characters.
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