A Spool of Blue Thread
Language: English
Published by Chatto & Windus, London, 2015
- First Edition
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: The Raven and the Writing Desk, Ruawai, Northland, New ZealandThe Raven and the Writing Desk
AbeBooks seller since March 11, 2026
Condition: Used
US$ 8.73
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketSeller Inventory # 070233
- Title
- A Spool of Blue Thread
- Author
- Tyler, Anne
- Publisher
- Chatto & Windus, London
- Publication year
- 2015
- Condition
- Good/Very Good
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0701189525
- ISBN 13
- 9780701189525
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Dimensions
- Trade Paperback
This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she and Red fell in love that day in July 1959. The whole family on the porch, relaxed, half-listening as their mother tells the same tale they have heard so many times before.
And yet this gathering is different. Abby and Red are getting older, and decisions must be made about how best to look after them and their beloved family home. They’ve all come, even Denny, who can usually be relied on only to please himself.
From that porch we spool back through three generations of the Whitshanks, witnessing the events, secrets and unguarded moments that have come to define who and what they are. And while all families like to believe they are special, round that kitchen table over all those years we also see played out our own hopes and fears, rivalries and tensions – the essential nature of family life.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
An Amazon Best Book of the Month for February 2015: It’s pretty clear that Anne Tyler is comfortable with the art of storytelling. From the first lines of A Spool of Blue Thread, there’s an urge to sit back and settle into the cadence of her words. Or, rather, Abby Whitshank’s words as she recounts the story of how she fell in love with Red Whitshank in 1959. But don’t get too comfortable. Anne Tyler understands that, despite their best intentions, family members don’t often let each other settle back for very long—and the Whitshanks, a Baltimore clan whose history is told through several generations in this sensitive and empathetic novel, is no different than most. As Abby and Red age, their children are drawn back to their sprawling house. When the second part of the novel moves back in time, the shift is jarring at first; but after a fifty year writing career (this is her 20th novel), Tyler has the end in sight. This is a book about the stories we tell each other and the little moments that make up our lives. – Chris Schluep
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
The Raven and the Writing Desk
Ruawai, Northland, New Zealand
AbeBooks seller since March 11, 2026
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The Raven and the Writing Desk Limited
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