Seven years ago, a hidden betrayal scattered three young friends living in the shadow of Biltmore Estate. Now, when Biltmore Industries master weaver Lorna Blankenship is commissioned to create an original design for Cornelia Vanderbilt's 1924 wedding, she panics knowing she doesn't have the creativity needed. But there's an elusive artisan in the Blue Ridge Mountains who could save her--if only she can find her.
To track the mysterious weaver down, Lorna sees no other way but to seek out the relationships she abandoned in shame. As she pulls at each tangled thread from her old life, Lorna is forced to confront the wounds and regrets of long ago. She'll have to risk the job that shapes her identity as well as the hope of friendship--and love--restored.
In this seamlessly woven historical tale, award-winning Appalachian author Sarah Loudin Thomas delivers a poignant novel of friendship, artistry, restoration, and second chances.
To track the mysterious weaver down, Lorna sees no other way but to seek out the relationships she abandoned in shame. As she pulls at each tangled thread from her old life, Lorna is forced to confront the wounds and regrets of long ago. She'll have to risk the job that shapes her identity as well as the hope of friendship--and love--restored.
In this seamlessly woven historical tale, award-winning Appalachian author Sarah Loudin Thomas delivers a poignant novel of friendship, artistry, restoration, and second chances.
MY THOUGHTS.....
Biltmore Industries and the Biltmore Estate are the backgrounds for this story which takes place in Asheville, North Carolina during a nine-year span in the early 1900s. Author Sarah Loudin Thomas weaves the themes of friendship, second chances, and forgiveness into a mesmerizing tale that hints at the tangles that can be created by doubts, secrecy, and guilt.
I'm a fan of Thomas's Appalachian stories but this book offers a glimpse of the wealth and influence enjoyed by the Biltmore family during the time known as the Gilded Age of America. Much of the drama centers around the preparations for Cornelia Biltmore's wedding and a commission to create an original design. Master weaver Lorna Blankenship knows that she has the weaving ability but does she possess the artistic vision needed to create the masterpiece that they're looking for? She knows that there is one who can and thus begins her search for the elusive weaver. Her friend Arthur is willing to help her, but will her desire to fulfill this commission result in lies, deception, and the loss of something more valuable than fame and recognition?
I enjoyed the peek inside the lives of the Vanderbilts and their employees, and I loved learning about the anticipation of Cornelia's wedding, but my heart was captured by the romance that blossomed between Lorna and Arthur. Fallible but endearing characters, a beautiful setting with both a mansion and the Blue Ridge Mountains, and a captivating story of love and redemption made this a book that I couldn't put down. I recommend These Tangled Threads to all who enjoy historical fiction.
I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed the peek inside the lives of the Vanderbilts and their employees, and I loved learning about the anticipation of Cornelia's wedding, but my heart was captured by the romance that blossomed between Lorna and Arthur. Fallible but endearing characters, a beautiful setting with both a mansion and the Blue Ridge Mountains, and a captivating story of love and redemption made this a book that I couldn't put down. I recommend These Tangled Threads to all who enjoy historical fiction.
I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Loudin Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh generation to live there. Her historical fiction is often set in West Virginia and celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia.
Sarah is the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Right Kind of Fool–winner of the 2021 Selah Book of the Year–and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live in western North Carolina.
