Violet Speedwell is a woman in her later 30s who is trying to make her way in the world, at a time when women had very little freedom and when men were scarce following on from WW1, when so many had been killed. Her existence, as it was for many unmarried women, was pretty much hand-to-mouth, as women took jobs whilst waiting for a marriage proposal to knock on the door. If they didn’t come, what then? Women were expected to care for their parents, they were not expected to go out much on their own. The rigours of society were such that women were stifled and had to adhere to norms imposed by a masculine hierarchy. Violet and her friends are, however, not going to remain sequestered in a humdrum lifestyle. Having moved away from her über-critical mother in Southampton, Violet takes lodgings in Winchester with some other young women, a very formal set up watched over by redoubtable landlady Mrs Harvey. She also finds herself a typing job, working alongside O and Mo (Olive and Maureen) in an insurance company. A serendipitous visit to Winchester Cathedral finds her spell bound by the work of the broderers, who are sewing beautiful designs onto kneelers and seat cushions to soften the hardness of the spiritual experience. After a few test runs and eagle-eyed evaluation of her handiwork, she is welcomed into the community and it becomes a regular part of her life. She meets Gilda and her friend Dorothy and forms a firm friendship. The broderers’ work is carried out under the watchful eye of Louisa Pesel, a real person in history. She also meets bell ringer Arthur who regularly rings both at the Cathedral and in Nether Wallop but he is already married…. Circumstances lead her to choose to go on a walking holiday, once again something that is not quite proper for a young woman to do and she frightens herself witless when on a lonely stretch heading South she comes under the scrutiny of a ne’er do well who dogs her life as she forges her way through constraints, just trying to live her life. This is a wonderful, gentle novel that takes the reader back to an era of stoic hardship and repressive manners. Violet as a person is beautifully formed and I certainly rooted for her to cleave her way through these tough times. It started off fairly slowly which may lose some readers, but I found it engrossing to follow Violet’s life. I really wanted to know how things would turn out for her. You will learn much – and delightful learning it is too – about needlework and bell ringing and discover more about fylfots and Thomas Thetcher’s grave (who died of a violent fever contracted by drinking small beer when hot… in 1764). As always, the author’s writing is eloquent, engaging and wonderfully observant of era and place, with tension and humour making this a very rounded and satisfying read. The author first came to my attention with Girl with the Pearl Earring which wonderfully evoked Delft in the 17th Century. The author also shares with her readers at the end, that Keith Bain bought the privilege of having a character named after him (in the novel he is a friend of Arthur’s) at an auction to raise funds for Freedom From Torture.

Oh I loved this book! Violet Speedwell, in her late 30s, unmarried and likely to remain so in the aftermath of WW1, escapes the confines of the stuffy Southampton home she shares with her complaining mother, and sets out to create a new independent life in Winchester. The greatest change to Violet comes when she joins the Broderers at the cathedral, learning the art of canvas embroidery to create kneelers and cushions. Through this group she makes new friends, and encounters the boundaries of society in ways she has never before known. Violet is an endearing, feisty and independent character, a thrill at such a time when women were there to look after the home, the children, and ageing parents. The character of Louisa Pesel, the chief designer among the Broderers, was also remarkably strong, and I did not realise until finishing the book that she was a real person. Highly recommended, a real insight into a fascinating topic.

The history of great tapestries, such as Bayeux, is well known but here Chevalier throws her writer’s light on church broderers whose stitches tell their own tales as they share their lives between the wars. Violet Speedwell lost both her brother and her fiancé in WW1 and is struggling to find her way, suffocated by her mother’s neediness and the sense that she is expected to look after her. In many ways it feels easier to succumb to expectations, avoiding society’s pity and judgment, but Vi needs more, refuses to accept the title of “superfluous”, and finds strength in seemingly unexpected places. Needlework, specifically the Winchester Broderers and their “canvas embroidery”, ultimately provides an outlet for resistance and bellringing is both highly disciplined and almost sensual. I loved this book, loved the subtle subversiveness, the seamless inclusion of children out of wedlock, same-sex relationships, and single women being not a threat or a burden but a joyous sign of freedom, independence, and truly a part of life’s rich tapestry.

Do I want to read a new Tracy Chevalier book? It's a no-brainer, I would always say a big resounding yes! She's an incredibly versatile author when you think of her back catalogue and here she is again concentrating on another period in history, this time the more recent history of those difficult interwar years. Our heroine is Violet Speedwell. Aged 38 when the book opens in 1932, she's one of the surplus women, those who remain spinsters because of the loss of so many men in World War 1. Violet, however, wants to be anything but surplus. She wants to be useful, she wants to be independent, she doesn't want to be confined to looking after her mother for the rest of her life. Talking of her mother, Mrs Speedwell is a fabulous character, full of complaints and poor Violet can do nothing right. I had to smile! I loved Violet though. That hint of steel running through her core made her so courageous in the face of so much adversity. She moves alone to Winchester from Southampton, surviving on fish paste and cress sandwiches, some days forfeiting a hot meal to have the treat of a trip to the pictures, and yet she's doing it, she's branching out alone. It is at Winchester Cathedral that she embarks on a new hobby: she becomes a broderer, part of a group of women embroidering kneelers. It's also in Winchester that she meets someone who is destined to change her future but enough of that - read this book for yourself to find out! Chevalier has hit just the right tone with this book. The horror of the first war is still hanging over so many people, the losses still just as strong as they were then, and yet Hitler's power in Germany is growing and a second war is looming on the horizon. It's such an interesting time to read about, especially from a woman's point of view, and one of Violet's age. A Single Thread is a book I wanted to devour but I also wanted to savour every word. The descriptions are so rich and the author has a particular talent for making her characters not only three-dimensional but also completely fascinating. They come to life on the page and are a people-watcher's dream come true. This is a wonderful read, a gentle one and yet so full of life. It's the perfect read for those of us who enjoy social history, those little details about how people lived their ordinary lives. I found it to be compelling reading and I loved how it ended, uplifting and hopeful for the future.

I was lucky enough to be on holiday so I could read this lovely book in a day. It wasn’t what I expected from Tracy Chevalier, but it was interesting, charming, and a lovely way to spend a day in the sunshine. . Set in Winchester in the early 1930s (an era that I always find intriguing) #ASingleThread shows the challenges faced by single women at the time to make a living and be independent. Through her embroidery (really) Violet finds friendship and is able to make a mark in the world. I didn’t expect to find out so much about Winchester Cathedral or about the kneelers I have seen there. I could imagine the author at Midnight Mass having a lightbulb moment about her next book. I very much enjoyed A Single Thread and will recommend it. Thank you to Tracy Chevalier, the publisher, and to @NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this charming novel.