This initially selfpublished first novel revolves around a family of women in Salem, MA, who can read the future in a piece of Ipswich lace. Protagonist Sophia "Towner" Whitney is an admitted liar with a history of mental illness, and listeners quickly learn to question her perspective. Between Towner's confused narration and the inclusion of other characters' points of view, the plot is sometimes hard to follow, but readers will enjoy the suspenseful (albeit somewhat implausible) ending. Actress/narrator Alyssa Bresnahan (White Oleander ) seamlessly and skillfully blends together the many aspects of this intriguing novel, which has garnered a great deal of advance attention (see "Hot Tickets," LJ 7/08, p. 34). Recommended for public libraries. [Also recorded by Recorded Bks. 10 CDs. Library ed. unabridged. ISBN 9781436140966. $123.75; Playaway® digital. $61.75; audio clip available through www.harpercollins.com ; the Morrow hc received a starred review, LJ 6/15/08.-Ed.]
In an ambitious debut, a wounded heroine returns home to confront ghosts and hallucinations, bereavements and beatings, a hellfire preacher with a witch-hunting flock and a murky family history with many missing pieces. It's been 15 years since Towner Whitney, descended from a long line of Salem eccentrics, fled the town, following her twin sister's death and her own incarceration in a psychiatric hospital where she received shock therapy after claiming to have killed vicious Cal Boynton, whose abuse left his wife brain-damaged and blind. Now, Towner's back, summoned by the disappearance of her great-aunt Eva, preeminent lace reader (it's a skill similar to reading tea leaves, but using the intricate hand-made fabric instead), whose body is soon found at sea. Eva's funeral is disrupted by the Calvinists, a fearsome religious group led by supposedly reformed Cal, currently suspected of further abuse or possibly worse by the local cop, Detective Rafferty, an ex-alcoholic from New York who starts to date Towner. Over-egged pudding doesn't even begin to describe the torrent of content and genres in Barry's first novel, which interweaves wise and half-crazed women, a gothic past involving a suicidal leap from a storm-tossed cliff and an occasionally thriller-ish present which includes Towner and a pregnant teen making a superhuman underwater escape from a burning building. Unusual and otherworldly, this is a blizzard of a story which surprisingly manages to pull together its historical, supernatural and psychiatric elements. A survivor's tale of redemption, reached via a long and winding road. Agent: Rebecca Oliver/Endeavor
A spine-tingler set in Salem...[with] an irresistible pull...The Lace Reader is tailor-made for a boisterous night at the book club.” — People (People Pick)
“[A] richly imagined saga of passion, suspense, and magic.” — Time magazine
“Suspenseful and literary catnip-for-book-clubs...while it’s surprisingly gritty for having “lace” in the title, we’re calling this now as the beach read of ’08.” — New York magazine
“An engrossing modern-day twist on the classic Gothic novel….the story both astonishes and satisfies. In short, The Lace Reader is great entertainment.” — Tampa Tribune
“Gripping…a marvelously bizarre cast of characters (living and dead) in a uniquely colorful town.” — Washington Post Book World
“Finely rendered moments make this a novel to savor—a story as textured as it is imaginative... a story that readers will find as lovely as a swatch of handmade lace.” — Rocky Mountain News
“Brunonia Barry has pulled off a major feat with her debut, The Lace Reader: It’s a gorgeously written literary novel that’s also a doozy of a thriller, capped with a jaw-dropping denouement that will leave even the most careful reader gasping.” — Dallas Morning News
“What makes Brunonia Barry’s compulsively readable debut even more interesting is the spice added by fillips both psychic and supernatural.” — Denver Post
“The Lace Reader casts an enthralling spell...As The Lace Reader unspools, we are drawn into a whirling vortex of deceit. Barry untangles these confusing strands of mystery with an artful precision.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Barry excels at capturing the feel of smalltown life, and balances action with close looks at the characters’ inner worlds. Her pacing and use of different perspectives show tremendous skill and will keep readers captivated all the way through.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Surprise endings are tough to pull off—too often they aren’t a surprise to anyone but the main character. To Barry’s credit, she genuinely got me.” — Christian Science Monitor
“An ambitious debut. Unusual and otherworldly, this is a blizzard of a story which manages to pull together its historical, supernatural and psychiatric elements. A survivor’s tale of redemption.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Barry does a fantastic job of sketching out her characters. The Whitney women, one and all, are intriguingly real.” — San Antonio Express-News
“A ‘romance’ in the Nathaniel Hawthorne sense of the word a dark tale of sin and guilt that blends the mundane and the fantastic, with a glimmer of redemptive hope at its core that all the Gothic trappings cannot obscure.” — Tulsa World
“Barry has written a meditative, lyric novel that in its discursive storytelling style full of digressions and expository sections on interesting facts will appeal to people who enjoy savoring a book one section at a time.” — Raleigh News & Observer
“The Lace Reader unravels a magical, yet tragic family’s tale...Barry has cleverly and delightfully set us up. With one fell swoop, she cuts the last thread, and the characters she has so carefully created unravel to reveal secrets we had not even begun to guess.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“[For] fans of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, Chris Bohjalian’s The Double Bind.” — Booklist
“Barry weaves a suspenseful tale of witchcraft and dark mystery…Barry’s depictions of time and place are marvelously descriptive.” — Roxanne Price, Elle
“A gorgeously written literary novel that’s a doozy of a thriller, capped with a jaw-dropping denouement that will leave even the most careful reader gasping.” — Chicago Tribune
“Past and present mysteries merge in a fast-moving narrative that builds through a numerous small dramas to a theatrical conclusion.” — Katherine Turman, Elle
“The Lace Reader is a page-turner, and the ending is almost as shocking as the film The Sixth Sense.” — Salem Gazette
“Barry’s depictions of her characters’ altered states of consciousness are beautifully rendered. And “The Lace Reader” establishes Brunonia Barry as a force...” — The Olympian
“With THE LACE READER, Brunonia Barry plunges us through the looking glass and beyond to a creepy and fascinating world. Prepare to meet strange, brave, bruised, electrically alive women there. Prepare to be riveted by their story and to live under its spell long after you’ve reached its astonishing end.” — Marisa de los Santos, author of Love Walked In and Belong to Me
“Lovely and captivating...The Lace Reader showcases Barry’s understanding of human nature. A splendid debut novel.” — Kristin Hannah, author of Firefly Lane
“The Lace Reader challenges the very notion of reality. A compelling, fast-action page turner. A terrific read!” — Diane Stern, CBS Radio, Boston
“Barry’s novel is that rare thing—a literary page-turner worthy for it’s story and for its art.” — Tom Jenks, editor of Narrative magazine
“Evocative, layered, smart, and astonishing, THE LACE READER is a fever dream of a novel that will haunt me for a long time to come. The Salem, Massachusetts that the Whitney women inhabit is a wild, dark place, and I loved every moment that I spent there.” — Joshilyn Jackson, author of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
“What is real in The Lace Reader? What is not? To her credit Ms. Barry makes this story blithe and creepy in equal measure.... And there is much suspense invested in where all the lacunas in Towner’s impressions will lead her...There are clues planted everywhere.” — New York Times
“Barry’s modern-day story of Towner Whitney, who has the psychic gift to read the future in lace patterns, is complex but darker in subject matter.... The novel’s gripping and shocking conclusion is a testament to Barry’s creativity.” — USA Today
[A] richly imagined saga of passion, suspense, and magic.
A spine-tingler set in Salem...[with] an irresistible pull...The Lace Reader is tailor-made for a boisterous night at the book club.
An engrossing modern-day twist on the classic Gothic novel….the story both astonishes and satisfies. In short, The Lace Reader is great entertainment.
Suspenseful and literary catnip-for-book-clubs...while it’s surprisingly gritty for having “lace” in the title, we’re calling this now as the beach read of ’08.
Brunonia Barry has pulled off a major feat with her debut, The Lace Reader: It’s a gorgeously written literary novel that’s also a doozy of a thriller, capped with a jaw-dropping denouement that will leave even the most careful reader gasping.
Finely rendered moments make this a novel to savor—a story as textured as it is imaginative... a story that readers will find as lovely as a swatch of handmade lace.
The Lace Reader casts an enthralling spell...As The Lace Reader unspools, we are drawn into a whirling vortex of deceit. Barry untangles these confusing strands of mystery with an artful precision.
Gripping…a marvelously bizarre cast of characters (living and dead) in a uniquely colorful town.
Washington Post Book World
What makes Brunonia Barry’s compulsively readable debut even more interesting is the spice added by fillips both psychic and supernatural.
Evocative, layered, smart, and astonishing, THE LACE READER is a fever dream of a novel that will haunt me for a long time to come. The Salem, Massachusetts that the Whitney women inhabit is a wild, dark place, and I loved every moment that I spent there.
With THE LACE READER, Brunonia Barry plunges us through the looking glass and beyond to a creepy and fascinating world. Prepare to meet strange, brave, bruised, electrically alive women there. Prepare to be riveted by their story and to live under its spell long after you’ve reached its astonishing end.
Lovely and captivating...The Lace Reader showcases Barry’s understanding of human nature. A splendid debut novel.
What is real in The Lace Reader? What is not? To her credit Ms. Barry makes this story blithe and creepy in equal measure.... And there is much suspense invested in where all the lacunas in Towner’s impressions will lead her...There are clues planted everywhere.
The Lace Reader is a page-turner, and the ending is almost as shocking as the film The Sixth Sense.
Barry’s depictions of her characters’ altered states of consciousness are beautifully rendered. And “The Lace Reader” establishes Brunonia Barry as a force...
A gorgeously written literary novel that’s a doozy of a thriller, capped with a jaw-dropping denouement that will leave even the most careful reader gasping.
Barry’s modern-day story of Towner Whitney, who has the psychic gift to read the future in lace patterns, is complex but darker in subject matter.... The novel’s gripping and shocking conclusion is a testament to Barry’s creativity.
The Lace Reader challenges the very notion of reality. A compelling, fast-action page turner. A terrific read!
Past and present mysteries merge in a fast-moving narrative that builds through a numerous small dramas to a theatrical conclusion.
Barry has written a meditative, lyric novel that in its discursive storytelling style full of digressions and expository sections on interesting facts will appeal to people who enjoy savoring a book one section at a time.
The Lace Reader unravels a magical, yet tragic family’s tale...Barry has cleverly and delightfully set us up. With one fell swoop, she cuts the last thread, and the characters she has so carefully created unravel to reveal secrets we had not even begun to guess.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A ‘romance’ in the Nathaniel Hawthorne sense of the word a dark tale of sin and guilt that blends the mundane and the fantastic, with a glimmer of redemptive hope at its core that all the Gothic trappings cannot obscure.
Surprise endings are tough to pull off—too often they aren’t a surprise to anyone but the main character. To Barry’s credit, she genuinely got me.
Christian Science Monitor
Barry’s novel is that rare thing—a literary page-turner worthy for it’s story and for its art.
[For] fans of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, Chris Bohjalian’s The Double Bind.
Barry weaves a suspenseful tale of witchcraft and dark mystery…Barry’s depictions of time and place are marvelously descriptive.
Barry does a fantastic job of sketching out her characters. The Whitney women, one and all, are intriguingly real.
[For] fans of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, Chris Bohjalian’s The Double Bind.
Barry’s modern-day story of Towner Whitney, who has the psychic gift to read the future in lace patterns, is complex but darker in subject matter.... The novel’s gripping and shocking conclusion is a testament to Barry’s creativity.
A gorgeously written literary novel that’s a doozy of a thriller, capped with a jaw-dropping denouement that will leave even the most careful reader gasping.
A spine-tingler set in Salem...[with] an irresistible pull...The Lace Reader is tailor-made for a boisterous night at the book club.
"Suspenseful and literary catnip-for-book-clubs...while it’s surprisingly gritty for having "lace" in the title, we’re calling this now as the beach read of ’08."
"[A] richly imagined saga of passion, suspense, and magic."
"A spine-tingler set in Salem...[with] an irresistible pull...The Lace Reader is tailor-made for a boisterous night at the book club."
