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The Ruins of Lace

by Iris Anthony (Goodreads Author)

3.35 of 5 stars 3.35 · rating details · 462 ratings · 141 reviews

Lace is a thing like hope.
It is beauty; it is grace.
It was never meant to destroy so many lives .

The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France,
pulling soldier and courtier alike into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don’t have, Flemish lace can buy...more

Paperback, 326 pages

Published October 2nd 2012 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published October 1st 2012)

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Oct 14, 2012 My Book Addiction and More MBA rated it 4 of 5 stars

MY THOUGHTS:
THE RUINS OF LACE by Iris Anthony is a complex and intriguing historical fiction set in 17th century France and Flanders. It is a complicated story of freedom,the fascination of lace,lace makers, the rise and fall of an empire,homosexuality in the 16-17th century in France, and cost to lace makers. “The Ruins of Lace” is a story written with vivid descriptions,detailing the intricate making of lace,the cost to the lace makers,and the lost of so much. It interweaves between the cast o...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed-from-public-library

What a surprise! This was snatched off a library shelf as I chased my toddler because I saw it had a positive review on the front and a pretty cover (I know, I know, but sometimes you CAN judge a book by the cover). When I got it home, I was mildly disappointed to see the blurb was by an author I'd tried to read before and just couldn't get into, but I started reading this book at a horrifically long dentist appointment and finished it the next day.

It splits into multiple point of views, even a...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Susan Meissner rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was news to me, that there was a time in French history when lace was contraband. To possess it was a criminal act and to smuggle it into the country was treasonous. Whenever someone with means wants something they can’t readily have, there is always someone who will get it for them for a price, regardless of the risk or who they have to abuse and use to get it.

Told in multiple view points, including that of a dog who is a smuggler’s runner, it is obvious the story is really about people –...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I first read a trailer to Ruins of Lace I was immediately intrigued. I knew that lace was once made totally made by hand; my knowledge coming from a sister-in-law who took up bobbin lace making while she lived in London. It takes hours and hours to make a bookmark or a lace collar. To think that once all lace on shirt cuffs and dress adornments was made in such a manner is a little mind boggling. When I read in the book preview, that Louis XIII in 1636 forbade the wearing and making of lace...more When I first read a trailer to Ruins of Lace I was immediately intrigued. I knew that lace was once made totally made by hand; my knowledge coming from a sister-in-law who took up bobbin lace making while she lived in London. It takes hours and hours to make a bookmark or a lace collar. To think that once all lace on shirt cuffs and dress adornments was made in such a manner is a little mind boggling. When I read in the book preview, that Louis XIII in 1636 forbade the wearing and making of lace, I was astonished and intrigued. Like countless other tales of human nature, prohibition and restriction breeds an intense desire to possess, and with it, fertile ground for crime, greed, and inhumanity. This is the story Iris Anthony tells in Ruins of Lace.

Just as the white threads from multiple bobbins are unwound and twisted to create a complex pattern of lace, the individual lives and stories of multiple people unwind and then twist together around a certain length of Flemish lace in this book. Iris Anthony skillfully reveals fragments of each person's story, then moves on to another character and another bit of the story. Finally all meld into one story.

In the end, I must give this book a mixed review. I was swept into the story by the author's skillful story telling and character development, but the story itself, however authentic, is dark and disturbing. Only the slightest glimmers of humanity can be found. A dog plays a central role in the book, and its treatment will be shocking to most readers. Anthony, herself, had trouble writing this aspect of the tale, but she bases its inclusion on documentation of thousands of dogs which were killed during this time period. For those reasons, my recommendation is a cautious one. As a commendation, I believe I will always remember this book and the plight of lace makers such as Katharina and Mathild whenever I see lace in the future. For that, I thank author Iris Anthony. I received an e-copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review.
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Nov 13, 2012 Chelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Ruins of Lace is a complex historical fiction novel that follows the outlaw of lace and the sacred desires that surround it. Lace is a rarity and something that was only seen wore by the upper classes and people who had the means to afford such lavish luxuries. This novel tells the story of several different characters who all share some relation to lace or the making or distribution of it. I think the “note to the reader” on the first page sums the idea of the story up nicely, better than I...more The Ruins of Lace is a complex historical fiction novel that follows the outlaw of lace and the sacred desires that surround it. Lace is a rarity and something that was only seen wore by the upper classes and people who had the means to afford such lavish luxuries. This novel tells the story of several different characters who all share some relation to lace or the making or distribution of it. I think the “note to the reader” on the first page sums the idea of the story up nicely, better than I could:

“The Seventeenth Century was the age of the musketeer and fabulous royal wealth. It was also an age of poverty, despair, and unconscionable cruelty. There were those who made lace- and there were those who wore it. While some people paid fantastic prices for the privilege of buying lace, others were forced to make it under the most miserable of circumstances.

Though lace is created from many threads, it is fashioned from just two simple movements: the twist and the cross. This story, like a length of lace itself, is woven from many strands that are twisted and crossed, first overlapping, then intertwining. To try to follow each thread directly through the pattern of this story would be to miss the pattern maker’s intention, just as following one thread through a piece of lace would be to ignore the beauty of a whole.”

I just had to share the above text with you just to give you a sample of the beauty and delicacy that this particular text is filled with. This book focuses on the brutal conditions in which lace was produced under as well as the smuggling of lace, and even involved the harsh treatment of dogs. We all know what an animal lover I am, and I honestly had to skip some of those parts. Lace is the equivalent of gold in this riveting historical fiction novel, and the story will have me forever looking at the material differently. The writing was so rich and full of despair that was captured in a very realistic sense. This is seventeenth century France after all, a time of great wealth as well as squalor.

Lace had a different meaning to each of the seven narrators of this book. The chapters designated the speaker by using the character’s name as the new chapter marker. I had some characters that I liked reading about over some of the other. My favorites were Katharina Martens and Lisette Lefort, the two characters in which the story really revolves around. The “mini” stories of the other characters all twist and wind down to fit in with Katharina and Lissette’s stories! I absolutely love novels like this because I honestly did not start putting everything together until the very end.

I love the excerpts in the back of the book and the question and answer section as well. I almost felt that all of that should have been placed at the front behind the note to readers. The author, Iris Anthony, describes in full detail what led her to write about the banning of lace. I was so intrigued by the history behind it all because in all my days I would have never thought that something so delicate and refined could ever be forbidden. If you are a fan of any type of historical fiction then I highly recommend this book to you! Trust me; you will not look at lace the same ever again! Such a powerful novel that is highly complementary to its time.

***Thank you to the publisher as well as Iris Anthony for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review***
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Oct 30, 2012 Melisende d'Outremer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: france, historical-fiction, ebooks, melisende-s-library

Our story starts with two sisters – Katharina, who is a lacemaker at the Flemish abbey of Lendelmolen; the other, Heilwich, who is a housekeeper of sorts to a nearby priest. Both stories are presented in the first person narrative.

As intricate as the pattern of the lace, the other voices are added to the story - Denis, a border guard whose job it is to seek out the smugglers; a dog used for smuggling; Lisette, a young girl who has fallen under the spell of lace; Alexandre, a young man with no fu...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mainstream, historical

2.5 stars

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

Yesterday I looked at Sarah Waters’ The Night Watch, in which a reverse chronology storytelling approach is used as a device to mirror the confusion and disconnectedness felt by the characters. By beginning the story with its end, it seems that the intention is to create a sense of un-anticipation, of pointlessness, of inappropriate awareness of these strangers to whom we’re just being introduced.

It’s certainly not unheard...more 2.5 stars

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

Yesterday I looked at Sarah Waters’ The Night Watch, in which a reverse chronology storytelling approach is used as a device to mirror the confusion and disconnectedness felt by the characters. By beginning the story with its end, it seems that the intention is to create a sense of un-anticipation, of pointlessness, of inappropriate awareness of these strangers to whom we’re just being introduced.

It’s certainly not unheard of for authors to ask the structure of their novels to multitask. After all, the way in which a story is written is often just as important as the story itself. But toying with structure isn’t an easy task. Sometimes when something is so very complicated and intricate it’s difficult to know where to look, and it’s impossible to find a pattern or rhythm or meaning to it all until you step back a bit. When you do this, key motifs and designs make themselves apparent. But when you’re pressed in up close, you don’t have that context: all you see is chaos and disorder.

In The Ruins of Lace Katharina, a gifted lace-maker who spends her days in what are virtually sweatshop conditions, knows this all too well. Her long days of close work mean that, like the other girls around her, her eyesight is failing. Though her entire life is about lace, she works so closely with it that her knowledge of her work is utterly decontextualised. But as Katharina scarcely knows what she’s creating beyond the numbers of knots and stitches it involves, neither does she have any understanding of life beyond the walls of the convent where she works.

Just as Katharina only sees an isolated fragment of her world, so does the reader when working through this book. Told from seven different points of view, all of them first person–including one from the point of view of a dog–The Ruins of Lace is itself a piece of lacework viewed up close from various aspects of its pattern, and as a result it’s a blurry and disorienting read. Although these different points of view are linked together through their interactions with lace they never come together adequately, and the end result is unsatisfying.

We loop through the various points of view so quickly that we scarcely settle into one character’s situation when we switch again, and with everything being told in first person, regular trips back to the beginning of each chapter so that we can recall who’s who are an irritating necessity. This is only compounded by the fact that there’s no one person whose story this is. Really, it’s the story of lace itself. Although it’s fascinating to see how such an innocent and frivolous thing can cause so much pain and ruin, there’s something disappointing about reading a novel that’s more about an object than it is a person.

While the stories teased out within the larger structure are of course human, there’s no real protagonist. Because of this there’s no real sense of an individual journey we want to trace, and it’s hard to feel truly engaged with the book. This is particularly true towards the end of the book, where we’re quite forcibly reminded that this is the story of lace, and not the story of a particular character. For example, though we open with Katharina’s point of view, we don’t end with it, and though I understand the suggestion that Katharina is both invisible and expendable in the wider world of lace, there’s something jarring about this. It’s as though our lacemaker has lost their place in their pattern. There seems almost to be an awareness of this from the author to some degree given that the book is bookended with discussions about lace as an object and the historical importance of lace–the characters are secondary.

The choice of the multiplicity of first person points of views, although evoking the same-ness of a piece of lace, is questionable as well. A ubiquity of “I” characters so often results in a novel where the characters end up involved in a sort of book equivalent of a shouting match, and the result is a dull roar where no one stands out from the rest. And, personally, I find myself very grudgingly going along with multiple first person narrators–I feel as though I’m being clad, against my will, in all sorts of costume changes and personas.

The Ruins of Lace has an intriguing subject, and the historical context is certainly fascinating. However, the characters’ utter preoccupation with lace is mirrored in the book’s lace-like structure, and I couldn’t help but feel that the attempt to draw parallels between subject matter and structure undermined the actual story being told.(less)

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Oct 15, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Who would have known that in the 17th c. a sheer piece of lace-delicate and intricately woven was preciously coveted, priceless and forbidden by law and the French king himself? The Ruins of Lace is a novel based on all the sacrifice, crimes, smuggling, corruption and the unimaginably wild extent that people went to obtain even the smallest piece of this craft.

Written in the points of view of seven people whose lives enmeshed each others’ all in the pursuit of their quest for lace: Alexandre wo...more Who would have known that in the 17th c. a sheer piece of lace-delicate and intricately woven was preciously coveted, priceless and forbidden by law and the French king himself? The Ruins of Lace is a novel based on all the sacrifice, crimes, smuggling, corruption and the unimaginably wild extent that people went to obtain even the smallest piece of this craft.

Written in the points of view of seven people whose lives enmeshed each others’ all in the pursuit of their quest for lace: Alexandre would need to embezzle it to save Lisette-who as a child innocently ruined a precious lace cuff from her now horrid kidnapper, the Count of Montreau. The despicable Count of Montreau, demands the lace as ransom as he also needs to ensure his inheritance. Katharina has been a lacemaker in a convent for over twenty five years. Blind and hunched she knows no other life but the lace that dances through her fingers. Being blind and of little use, she now risks being thrown to the streets into prostitution. Her sister, Heilwich needs money to get Katharine out of the convent before she meets her dreadful fate. Lace is what Heilwich needs to help smuggle out in order to earn that money. Denis Boulanger was once a baker, then patrol officer and now the king's soldier- his role is to stop the smugglers. And there is also Moncher, the hound used for the trafficking of the lace. All will somehow pass though a certain De Grote’s guile…

Admittedly, it was a bit confusing at the beginning to read in all these different points of view- but the story was much too captivating to put down. Iris Anthony, did a fantastic job at fine-tuning the story in making the numerous characters have lives and paths that begged me to read on. I was particularly captivated by Katharine’s life and what it was like for this woman who knew nothing else about the world, but lace. How could she continue living this way- and she was blind?!

Intricate as lace itself, this story unwinds through a series of events that lead to every character’s personal mission and quest to resolving an almost insurmountable feat. Mystery, murder, sacrifices and honor, The Ruins of Lace has opened up a whole new world of questions regarding this subject in itself. 17th c. Lace: forbidden, unattainable, priceless, beautiful and historical.

Very enjoyable!(less)

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Sep 03, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, non-erotic

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...

You know the saying, too many books, too little time? It sums up my dilemma perfectly. Sometimes it’s a choice between fiction and the many books on historical events I want to read by year’s end. Lucky for me I got the best of both worlds in The Ruins of Lace.

It’s a fascinating read and shows how much work and effort the author took in researching the topic of lace and its impact on culture and society in 16th century France. What ma...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Katharina has spent her whole life making lace. It is the only thing she knows. Without it, she will be lost. This is why; Katharina can not let the nuns know that she is almost blind. Because if the nuns where to learns Katharina’s secret then Katharina would be thrown out on the streets.

Lisette is in love. Although, Lisette is about to learn the true cost of love. The Count is obsessed with lace. He wants it and will do anything in his powers to get it.

I have had a history with historical an...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Taffy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

First line:

"It had been two months now."

Interesting book with eight different view points, including a smuggling dog.

Lace is illegal and worth more now than ever. Used as bribery, smuggled into France and made by nuns, Flemish lace is precious.

I really liked all the different points of view and how they came together in the end. I'm not sure I liked or understood the ending. But the journey was intriguing. I had a hard time putting the book (ereader) down.

The book starts with a nun who is a l...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Cynthia Mcarthur rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first began this book, I thought to be reading a simple, possibly frilly book about the back-alley lace trade in late 1600's France and Flanders. Imagine my surprise when the story is told from the alternating, first-person points of view of seven different players, one of whom is so improbable, I just did not know how it could possibly flow.
But flow it did! From the almost blind, convent-bound lace-maker who will soon be turned out, to an evil gender-confused Count who believes contraban...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Rick F. rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Lace is a thing like hope.
It is beauty; it is grace.
It was never meant to destroy so many lives .

The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France,
pulling soldier and courtier alike into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don’t have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything––or anyone."

I just finished this most superb of novels and I am simply amazed at how truly affecting it is....more

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Sep 08, 2012 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Phoebe

Shelves: historical-fiction, arc

During the reign of King Louis XIII, lace was banned in France. The story of six people and one dog and the importance of lace in their lives during this time is told in alternating chapters beginning with Katharina. At 30 years of age Katharina is the best and oldest lacemaker in a convent. She is practically blind and sits hunched over. Her older sister wishes to buy her freedom but the head nun won't giver her up. When the nuns find out Katharina will be kicked out of the convent and fated to...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Cayleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

I loved in intricacies of this story, just like lace is made from lots of strands twisted together so is this story made by the POVs of several different characters, including very uniquely a smuggling dog which she wrote in the back was the reason she decided to write the story. Besides the stories of the characters intertwining I also enjoyed how themes also were carried throughout the story, Katharina the lace maker hunched over from the 25 years of lace making, Lisette hunched from the weigh...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Jean rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: lpl, france, flanders, historical-fiction

My rating is really a 2.5 as the style of writing is not my cup of tea but didn't negate that this was an intriguing novel though a bit on the fatalistic Bruegel's Fall of Icarus feel to it.

This novel is written from the first person perspective of several characters simultaneously with very different lives and circumstances but their fates are intertwined by lace. I liked the concept. Parallel lives that may intersect briefly or more entrenched yet each person affected another person's life in...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not sure how I came across this book title, but put it on hold at the library and got it in a few months.

I enjoyed the story about making lace by hand and that it had been forbidden to own lace in France at one time, causing, of course, smuggling. Told by 7 characters, one reads each point of view. The ending may seem ambiguous, but on checking the author's blog http://www.irisanthony.com/index.html, she gives a couple of hints of pages to re-read before returning to the end. AHA. I had not made...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Jessica at Book Sake rated it 3 of 5 stars

Before reading this novel I didn’t know that lace was ever outlawed anywhere. Now having read this book, I realize why and how anything could be forbidden under the right circumstances.

The book follows seven different point of views and weaves their tale together. While not all of the seven ever meet, they all have an effect on the others and the way their story runs. There is even a dog that we get to read about and his point of view was both my favorite and the hardest for me to read.

The numbe...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Tamara Clark rated it 3 of 5 stars

I recieved this book for free on goodreads from a giveaway.

I enjoyed this book, but there were too many different characters and points of view that it too up until half way through the book I could figure them out and then about 3/4 of the way through see how they all intertwined.

I had a very hard time getting through the chapters that were from the dogs point of view. I'm a HUGE animal lover and reading those first few chapters with his point of view while my two four legged babies are cuddle...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a great "escape read" and reveals a little known part of history -- 17th century France. It's written to be a page-turner and based on themes of corruption vs. honour. All in all I did enjoy it quite a lot. I'd give it a 3.5 rating. I read it quickly and sometimes was confused about who was who in the story; there are a number of characters. How sad that young women (girls, really) were taken into convent and forced to make lace from morning 'til night. Then, when they went blind about 3...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

There are so many things about this historical novel that I loved - the time period, an original set of stories, the cover of the book, the story about the history of lace, how shocking that girls at six were taken in and trained to make lace, then thrown to the street and abandoned once their eyesight fails. Imagine living a life where you are punished for talking, for having friends?

Imagine losing your house because you ruin a lace cuff? Being punished for carrying lace and using dogs to smugg...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Autumn rated it 4 of 5 stars

My history was a little bit rusty. I had no idea that lace had been outlawed in France in the 1600s. The Ruins of Lace was a little bit of a history lesson for me. The one thing the book didn't really explain was WHY lace had been outlawed. A little bit of internet exploration gave me the answer. Bottom line, it had to do with only having nobility showing off their wealth and no one else. Google Sumtuary Laws for more explanations and other places where lace was outlawed, including the early Ame...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Alice Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Full post on my blog:
Crazy Red Pen

The writing of Ruins of Lace is lyrical and slow, which makes the book so good. Readers are taken back to 17th century France, with the aristocracy still in place. Despite the setting of a place that’s more than 400 years into the past, the universal emotions of love, greed, desire, loyalty and more make the book relatable no matter the time period. One of the characters describes his love for a girl, “Care! Care was contemptible. Care was cowardly. I wanted mor...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Barb rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a $.99 special from either B&N or Bookbubs that looked worth the price. The author is a pseudonym for someone who has written 10 award winning novels but she doesn't look familiar and I don't know who she is. The story and writing was ok but what was fascinating was the information about lace. I did not know that it had been banned in France and only those who the king said could wear it, could wear it. There was much smuggling of lace, especially from Flanders and the ways the lace...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Jessica Moore rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5
The novel weaves multiple story lines together, but stops just short of brilliance when the reader can easily discern the pattern near the end. Instead of just reading how it's all too late for one of the characters, I'd like to have experienced it with the character. The emotional tug could have toppled it from good to great. The ending also came too abruptly. I actually turned the page, looking for the end, then reread the last two pages to see if I was just going too fast. Unfortunately...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Kamilla rated it 2 of 5 stars

The story is told from the viewpoint of 7 characters in alternating chapters. It's just too many voices and the chapters overlap in odd ways at times. I've read a lot of books from multiple POV and even for the best writers maintaing 3-4 characters is difficult, maintaining 7 and keeping your reader interested ESPECIALLY in a book under 320 pages is impossible. This unfortunate choice flawed the book. At most 3 of the characters were needed to tell the story and there are 2 that are completely i...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Gene rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting book both in its content and presentation. Each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the characters. Even the dog has his say. The book was well written; however, the ending seemed unclear. Don't know if the author intended to be ambiguous or if I just missed something.

The book was satisfying because wrongs were righted and the good characters largely triumphed. Violence and depravity were core themes in the book, but they were presented tactfully and with m...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Gabrielle Carolina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: october, sourcebooks-fire

3.5

An utterly brilliant work, like lace in its weaving, that ends with inexcusable abruptness, almost creating a soap-opera "Next week on The Ruins of Lace," feel, though the book is a standalone novel.

I read this book in one sitting, it was so amazing, and I love Anthony's narrative risk-taking of using so many POVs, including that of a dog, to narrate the novel, but that ending. THAT ENDING! It made me so angry to read this book in one gulp and have such a rushed, unrefined end to the story. I...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Ruins of Lace is an affecting novel about the prohibition of lace in the late 1600s in France. It mixes history and fiction brilliantly. The author did a great job of weaving the stories of seven characters, one of whom's is a dogs, and how all their lives are affected by the outlaw of lace. How can something as simple as lace affect anyone you may ask? Apparently during the reign of Lous the xlll it affected many lives...from its banishnent, to its making, and to those who were smugglers of...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

I won't summarize the plot. That is already done for you by Goodreads. I gave it three stars, but would have given only 2.5, which in my rating system means it was just an OK read and a book I will not read again and would only recommend to someone else on a limited, qualified basis. An interesting feature is how each of the 8 main characters alternate from chapter to chapter and speak in turn in the first person. It took awhile to get used to it. It was never really made clear why lace was ille...more

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