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Sunday, August 04, 2013

The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen

The Wishing Thread  is magical realism in the lighter vein of Joanne Harris, Sarah Addison Allen, and Alice Hoffman.  

Book Description:   

The Van Ripper women have been the talk of Tarrytown, New York, for centuries. Some say they’re angels; some say they’re crooks. In their tumbledown “Stitchery,” not far from the stomping grounds of the legendary Headless Horseman, the Van Ripper sisters—Aubrey, Bitty, and Meggie—are said to knit people’s most ardent wishes into beautiful scarves and mittens, granting them health, success, or even a blossoming romance. But for the magic to work, sacrifices must be made—and no one knows that better than the Van Rippers.


A little magic, a little romance, a little family reconciliation.  Neither the characters nor the plot lived up to my expectations or sufficiently engaged my interest, but then I'm not a huge fan of magical realism despite having read a few that I enjoyed.  Love the cover, though!

NetGalley/Random  House, Ballentine.

Magical Realism.  Sept. 3, 2013.  Print version:  400 pages.
  • ISBN-10: 0345538552

4 comments:

  1. I do like magical realism too so I'll have to remember to give this one a try!

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  2. Like you, I have read magical realism that I liked, but it is not something that normally appeals to me. Thank you for your thoughts.
    -Dilettantish Reader

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  3. Iliana - I wasn't much impressed with this one.


    Belle Read - I always have my hopes up with magical realism, but am not often satisfied.

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  4. Such a beautiful cover! I like magical realism some of the time--depends on the author and book. It's too bad this one wasn't better as it sounded like it might've been.

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