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The Lace Makers of Glenmara

by Heather Barbieri (Goodreads Author)

3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 · rating details · 1,998 ratings · 461 reviews

"A charming, moving story, written with a delicate touch"--Joanne Harris
"Pitch-perfect literary fiction"--Books on the Cape
"Generates convincing warmth and emotion"--Publisher's Weekly
"Impressively authentic"--Minnneapolis Star Tribune
"Compelling"--Library Journal
"Unforgettable"--National Examiner
"Entertaining"--BookPage

"You can always start again," Kate Robinson's mother...more

Published (first published June 23rd 2009)

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Jul 01, 2010 Courtney rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-giveaway

I received this book through a GoodReads giveaway.

I had a lot of trouble actually getting through this book. While there are some good ideas here, the writing just didn't do it for me. I didn't feel very in touch with the characters; they seemed rather flat to me and prone to strange emotions (Kate losing her mother's necklace and not seeming to care much; Aileen is jealous of Kate after only a few days, despite Kate not interacting much with Bernie).

I was also frustrated by all of the telling...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

I so enjoyed reading this book. I did not want to put it down, but I did not want it to end. The friendships, the joys, the sorrows, the love, it was all there. I hope to read more by Heather Barbieri!

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Jan 16, 2010 Erin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ireland

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wow. This book was not good. Barbieri takes pretty much every stereotype about Ireland and the Irish and populates her story with them. There's the little village that time forgot, filled with quirky but adorable locals and an overbearing priest. There's the American with a tragic past who stumbles into their midst and is immediately treated like family (because the Irish are the friendliest people in the world, dontcha know?). There's the hunky but brooding love interest who can't open his hear...more Wow. This book was not good. Barbieri takes pretty much every stereotype about Ireland and the Irish and populates her story with them. There's the little village that time forgot, filled with quirky but adorable locals and an overbearing priest. There's the American with a tragic past who stumbles into their midst and is immediately treated like family (because the Irish are the friendliest people in the world, dontcha know?). There's the hunky but brooding love interest who can't open his heart due to a dark secret in his past. It is RIDICULOUS. All of it.

First of all, the heroine, Kate, is one of the worst-written protagonists I've ever encountered. She talks like she just stepped out of 1890, not contemporary Seattle. There's nothing modern or fashionable about her, and yet we're expected to believe she's this cutting edge fashion designer back home. Uh... sure. She has no ambition, no direction, absolutely nothing in her life that makes her interesting. She's perfectly happy to sit around Glenmara all day sewing lace with women twice her age and not thinking at all about what she's going to do with her future. Why would the reader care about her? Answer: they don't.

The love story is ridiculous and forced. I can't figure out why anyone would be attracted to Kate to begin with, but the "Quiet Man" rip off proceeds anyway. Some of the Glenmara ladies are likable enough and it is their cares and concerns that really propel the story, but the eventual conclusion to the book is so thoroughly preposterous that it just made me groan. Really? The lace underwear is SO spectacular that international news stations pick up the story and suddenly the product is in incredible demand all over the globe? Tourists pour into town dying to get a look at some freaking lace underwear? Are they aware that lace underwear is available at pretty much every mall in every city in the world? It's all so insulting to a reader's intelligence. This book was a huge disappointment.(less)

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Dec 20, 2011 Sonia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Di fronte ad un libro così piccino, che si presenta con colori così forti e allo stesso tempo delicati, con un'immagine che richiama lavori di precisione, di pazienza, fatti rigorosamente a mano, credo di aver sbagliato a pretendere di più.
In realtà il romanzo mantiene ciò che promette: una storia tranquilla, una donna tranquilla, un circolo di donne che riesce a cambiare qualche situazione difficile senza proteste o grandi azioni, ma semplicemente ricamando. E' un libro piacevole? Sicuramente....more Di fronte ad un libro così piccino, che si presenta con colori così forti e allo stesso tempo delicati, con un'immagine che richiama lavori di precisione, di pazienza, fatti rigorosamente a mano, credo di aver sbagliato a pretendere di più.
In realtà il romanzo mantiene ciò che promette: una storia tranquilla, una donna tranquilla, un circolo di donne che riesce a cambiare qualche situazione difficile senza proteste o grandi azioni, ma semplicemente ricamando. E' un libro piacevole? Sicuramente. Ma non riesce a tenere costante il livello di piacevolezza e godibilità di quelle pagine, purtroppo.
Kate è una donna americana con origini irlandesi, che dopo essere stata lasciata dal compagno, aver visto la sua carriera di stilista affondare penosamente, e ritrovatasi sola senza famiglia, decide di iniziare un viaggio che, per caso o per destino, la farà approdare a Glenmara, un minuscolo paesino irlandese.
L'intenzione della donna sarebbe restarvi per la notte e riprendere il cammino il giorno successivo, ma grazie all'accoglienza di Bernie, presso cui la donna dormirà, e quella delle altre donne di Glenmara, Kate accetterà di restare nel paese per qualche altro giorno. Sperimenterà l'accoglienza degli abitanti tra entusiasmo da parte dei più, diffidenza da parte dell'invidiosa Ailey - miglior amica di sempre di Bernie - e vera e propria ostilità da parte del parroco del paese, padre Byrne. La situazione iniziale di scoraggiamento e spaesamento cambierà a favore di un vero e proprio inserimento, quando potrà mettere la sua arte al servizio delle altre donne. Kate insegnerà loro a decorare col pizzo la loro biancheria intima, rendendola bella e seducente, mentre le altre donne le insegneranno il ricamo. Quegli incontri diventeranno il modo per conoscersi e far conoscere al lettore la storia di ogni suo personaggio.
La nostra protagonista fa da filo conduttore tra tutte le donne di Glenmara, che davanti a lei si aprono, si chiudono, si nascondono, si confidano. Grazie a lei si sentono più femminili e sicure. Con lei iniziano a reagire verso ciò che non va.
Tutta la storia sembra seguire la struttura di un ricamo, ogni personaggio viene inserito e ricamato al punto giusto, e di ogni personaggio scopriamo il dritto e il rovescio: qualcuno risulta limpido in ogni aspetto, qualcun altro nasconde un groviglio di fili che per essere messo a posto dovrebbe solo essere sfilato e rifatto daccapo.
L'elemento amoroso non mancherà, per le più romantiche, grazie al bel Sullivane Deane, dal passato misterioso. Un amore che inizialmente lascia credere che si svolgerà tra battutine ironiche e maliziose, ma che in realtà diventerà immediatamente fin troppo prevedibile e scontato.
Appuntamento a Glenmara è una storia che in potenza mi piace davvero tanto. Ha quegli ingredienti giusti per essere amabile, ma non sono stati sfruttati a pieno. Mantiene un ritmo troppo lento, dei toni troppo bassi per entrare nella testa del lettore e restarci: rischia di finire nel dimenticatoio in pochi giorni. Sembra che si insista poco su ogni aspetto, su ogni situazione, al punto che anche i personaggi più interessanti non sono risultati totalmente credibili. La Barbieri si è controllata fin troppo nella stesura di questo romanzo, rendendolo troppo tiepido per i gusti di un lettore esigente.
Mi auguro di trovarla più in forma nei prossimi romanzi!

anche qui:
http://cuoredinchiostro.blogspot.com/...(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Dianne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Kate Robinson is hiking her way across Ireland, trying to forget the man who walked out on her without warning after 5 years. Her career in fashion design had been faltering, so with nothing to keep her in Seattle she traveled to Ireland, taking the trip she and her mother had intended to take together until cancer ended those plans forever.

After a month in Ireland, Kate has wandered into the tiny village of Glenmara, staying in the house of a recently widowed woman named Bernie, who, along with...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Weaverannie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Boeken die over handwerksters gaan, kan ik altijd slecht laten liggen en dat was dan ook de reden, dat ik dit op mijn Kindle zette.
Kate Robinson, een jonge Amerikaanse, is op reis gegaan naar Ierland, nadat haar van oorsprong Ierse moeder was overleden en haar relatie op de klippen was gelopen.
Ze trekt te voet door Ierland en tijdens een hevige regenbui mag ze meerijden met William, die met paard en wagen rondreist. Hij zet haar af in Glenmara. Ze krijgt onderdak bij Bernie, die aangeeft, dat z...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Denise Cuenin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Author's concept for this story is very appealing but there were a lot of loose ends in the execution. Kate's mother succumbs to cancer but leaves her a small legacy and instructions to travel to Ireland as they had planned. Kate finally takes the trip after her fashion career takes a nose-dive and her live-in boyfriend dumps her abruptly at a wedding. She hits upon a small, (maybe enchanted?) village on the West Coast of Ireland. She quickly gets involved in the village life and the day-to-...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Kaitlin Rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a good read if you don't mind a bit of junk food. I have an insistent sweet tooth, so this was a quick, enjoyable journey for me.

I liked the idea behind the story, and I like Kate, the main character. I did, however, have a few big problems with the book.

1) The writing style is choppy and unrefined; it is obvious that this is a new writer who is still learning the ropes.

2) There's too much going on all the time. The author has good ideas...too many. This excess of ideas adds to the i...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

When would-be fashion designer Kate's fiance jilts her for a model, she runs away. To Ireland.

Then her bus breaks down and she hikes to a languishing fishing village where she can spend the night before resuming her journey to forget. While looking for a hotel or room, she runs into a group of women who gather to make lace each week. One of the lace makers takes her home and the woman is so welcoming and the room is so comforting and the air is so peaceful and there's a dog so...

Kate's one day t...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book on the Kobo website under the heading "Great Reads under $4.99". I should have guessed why it was discounted. :)

The story itself was...meh...ok I guess. I didn't care much for the main character, Kate. She should have been developed more. As it stands I found her very bland and 2 dimensional. I would have liked to have read more about her background in fashion design and sewing. It wasn't clear to me why she would be so good at designing lingerie by just being at the right place...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Nereia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La stagione sbagliata.

Sono sempre stata convinta, fin da bambina, che i libri avessero le stagioni. Ogni libro ne possiede una. Le parole scelte per raccontare una storia ci avvolgono, ci abbracciano, ci rivestono come fossero degli abiti. Gli abiti del nostro cuore, della nostra anima.
Le storie colorate, frivole e leggere appartengono all'estate, come dei bermuda dalla fantasia floreale. Quelle invece serene, tenui e delicate fanno parte della primavera, come una camicietta scollata, magari in...more La stagione sbagliata.

Sono sempre stata convinta, fin da bambina, che i libri avessero le stagioni. Ogni libro ne possiede una. Le parole scelte per raccontare una storia ci avvolgono, ci abbracciano, ci rivestono come fossero degli abiti. Gli abiti del nostro cuore, della nostra anima.
Le storie colorate, frivole e leggere appartengono all'estate, come dei bermuda dalla fantasia floreale. Quelle invece serene, tenui e delicate fanno parte della primavera, come una camicietta scollata, magari in seta color pesca. Proprio come la storia narrata in Appuntamento a Glenmara, una storia di fresco cotone biologico color acqua marina.
Leggere un libro nella stagione sbagliata rovinerà, irrimediabilmente, il nostro giudizio su di esso, perché i nostri sentimenti, le nostre sensazioni, non entreranno del tutto a contatto con le parole impresse sulle pagine. Come se rimanessero due cose separate, in un rapporto di fredda e superficiale conoscenza, senza coinvolgimento, senza approfondimento, senza emozioni. Perché d'inverno non si potrà mai apprezzare, pienamente, la sensazione di lino sulla pelle.
Ed è proprio questo che mi è successo con Appuntamento a Glenmara, un libro che, se lo avessi letto in primavera, forse avrei apprezzato un po' di più.
La storia narrata è molto semplice: Kate, stanca della vita a Seattle che, nel recente passato, le ha regalato solo dispiaceri, decide di partire per una vacanza in Irlanda, terra originaria della madre, che le è stata portata via da un cancro. Per via di una serie di incidenti sbarca a Glenmara, piccolo villaggio gaelico aggrappato alle tradizioni, e non riesce più a staccarsi dalle persone che lo abitano.
La passione di Kate per la moda e la tenacia delle donne del luogo che si riuniscono settimanalmente per il Circolo del merletto daranno vita ad un audace atelier di biancheria intima.
Insieme a Aileen, Moira, Bernie, Oona e Coleen, Kate ritroverà la voglia di vivere, di innamorarsi di nuovo, e il dolore per la perdita della madre, per la sua storia d'amore finita male e per l'insuccesso della sua collezione di abiti finirà con lo sparire, lasciando il posto ad una nuova speranza, una nuova vita.
La storia è ben narrata, con uno stile fluido e piuttosto semplice. Così semplice, però, da risultare superficiale, poco approfondito. Nonostante l'autrice ci racconti le esperienze di vita di tutti i protagonisti della storia non entra mai, veramente, nel dettaglio. Non ci si riesce, così, ad emozionare per la storia di Sullivan o per quella della povera Moira, storie che avrebbero meritato un po' più di attenzione per i particolari. Tutto scorre lentamente e velocemente allo stesso tempo, senza lasciare nulla nel cuore di chi legge. Una storia fresca e poco impegnativa, non adatta ai colori caldi e intensi dell'autunno.

Recensione presente anche sul mio blog:
Recensione Appuntamento a Glenmara (less)

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Jul 27, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Summer brings summer reads. The Lace Makers of Glenmara is a pleasant, if predictable, novel. It tells the tale of Kate, who leaves Seattle for Ireland, hoping to leave behind the death of her mother, the break-up of a relationship and the failure of her fashion line in the process. Kate's tourist tour of Ireland sidetracks when a train stoppage lands her in the village of Glenmara. Stranded there for a week until public transportation runs through again, Kate meets Bernie and the other women wh...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kate is grieving from the loss of her mother and the sudden breakup from the love of her life. She decides to find healing by getting away from it all and heads from Seattle to her ancestral homeland of Ireland.

She comes across a small seaside village, intending to stay just one night on her way through, but immediately feels a warm welcome to stay longer. She quickly develops a bond with the female members of the local lace making society. These women love and care for each other and offer supp...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Carolyn Hill rated it 2 of 5 stars

The idea of this book was appealing - a young woman of Irish heritage, disappointed and broken-hearted by events in her career, love life and the loss of her mother, leaves Seattle to tour Ireland on her own, a trip that she and her mother had planned. After hitching a ride in a 'traveler's' van, Kate ends up in the forgotten village of Glenmara, taken in by a kind widow, Bernie. I didn't have to read far before I found events straining credulity. First, Kate purposely sleeps outside in the rain...more The idea of this book was appealing - a young woman of Irish heritage, disappointed and broken-hearted by events in her career, love life and the loss of her mother, leaves Seattle to tour Ireland on her own, a trip that she and her mother had planned. After hitching a ride in a 'traveler's' van, Kate ends up in the forgotten village of Glenmara, taken in by a kind widow, Bernie. I didn't have to read far before I found events straining credulity. First, Kate purposely sleeps outside in the rain without a tent, a feat I would hardly expect from a city-dwelling fashion designer. Then, accepting the kind offer of a stranger's guest room, she constantly abuses her hospitality by taking excursions on her hostess' bike, staying out nights and getting lost on the proverbial moor, without so much as a by your leave. Seems like her hostess would have been up all night worrying what happened to her, but that is never addressed until maybe the third or fourth time when she actually needs rescuing. Bernie, the kind widow who sees in Kate the daughter she never had, is solicitous, understanding, and eager to share her lace making, as well as set her up with the only available bachelor for miles, the devilishly handsome (natch) but tormented potter, Sullivan. Their instant romantic involvement was not given any kind of believable support structure. Young Kate becomes a part of Bernie's circle of mostly middle-aged lace makers, and encourages them to expand beyond the traditional crafts into adorning lingerie. This is too scandalous for the village priest, who is cast as the villain. What century is this? This added another thread, pardon the pun, of unreality. The stories of the individual lace makers give the only depth to this book, but the cast is typical - the breast cancer survivor, the abused wife, the mother with an estranged teenage daughter, the widow who lost the love of her life, the fisherman's wife left alone at home - and all rather sad and struggling under financial strain. There is also a bit of magical realism, as Kate perceives mythical beasts of Irish folklore in the waves and ghosts of an abandoned village. This just didn't work - why would she go exploring a dangerous bit of coastline alone, even going into the frigid water, and end up in the dark dazedly following ghostly crying? Duh. It was too gothic and out of tune with the rest of the story. I usually enjoy a touch of fantasy or a mythic layer, but it takes a skilled writer to pull it off. Since nothing of Kate's world seemed grounded in modern reality, the magical elements just seemed delusional, and this reader never could buy into it. (less)

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May 12, 2009 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grownup-books

Sweet book. Kate's mother succumbs to cancer, her first line of designer clothing flops, and Kate is callously dumped by Ethan at a wedding.

In search of space and time to grieve Kate takes the trip to Ireland that she and her mother planned years ago.

Missing a bus, she catches a horse drawn ride and fins herself in Glenmara. On a whim Bernie invites Kate to stay with her until she can get a bus out of town. The two women enjoy each other strike a bond that slowly spreads through the lacemakers...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Forgotten Realms Queen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

The Lacemakers of Glenmara is the touching tale of a young woman escaping to her ancestral home of Ireland. Young Kate was abandoned by her fiancee, and after the death of her mother with whom she was very close, Kate felt lost and adrift on the sea of life, and in order to find herself flew to Ireland, picked a direction, and started walking.

She finally winds up in a little village called Glenmara where she makes friends with some of the older women in the village and helps them rediscover a li...more

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May 06, 2011 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, awesomebooks

My thoughts:

First I must say that my review is not going to give this wonderful book justice. It's just one of those books that is so wonderfully written that I just not have enough words to express why I loved it so.

Kate designs clothes and loves to sew gets dumped by her fiancé, so she leaves for Ireland and just wanders around. She is both sad over her relationship and her mother's death. She is a bit broken and she finds solace in Glenmara. A broken town with no tourists and people are fleei...more

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Jun 18, 2009 Lunasea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Just in time for summer comes The Lace Makers of Glenmara (available next Tuesday). I'm a sucker for books set in Ireland (note the entire Maeve Binchy library over there in my GoodReads widget), and this one hits all the notes: lousy weather, rugged terrain, mysterious travellers, witty elders.

Kate is fleeing a failed relationship, a failed career move and her mother's death. She takes the trip to Ireland that she'd been planning to take with her mother, and ends up stranded in the tiny hamlet...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Mandolin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Barbieri, Heather
Fiction

Reminiscent of the novels of Maeve Binchy and Patricia Falvey, The Lace Makers of Glenmara is a story of female friendship and fortitude in the face of the common trials of family, broken hearts, poverty and shattered dreams. Jilted by the man she thought she was going to marry and reeling from the death of her mother, struggling clothes designer Kate flees to Ireland where she hopes to find new life, inspiration and purpose in the land of her ancestors. After a long, rel...more Barbieri, Heather
Fiction

Reminiscent of the novels of Maeve Binchy and Patricia Falvey, The Lace Makers of Glenmara is a story of female friendship and fortitude in the face of the common trials of family, broken hearts, poverty and shattered dreams. Jilted by the man she thought she was going to marry and reeling from the death of her mother, struggling clothes designer Kate flees to Ireland where she hopes to find new life, inspiration and purpose in the land of her ancestors. After a long, relatively unfruitful journey, she ends up in the tiny village of Glenmara, where she quickly forms friendships with an eclectic group of women who form the local lace-making society. Each woman is dealing with her own issues, including lonely widowhood, rebellious children, marital abuse, cancer and financial struggles. When Kate joins the group, her interest is quickly captured not only by their individual stories but also by the beautiful pieces they create. Combining her knowledge of clothes design with their talent, she devises a plan to create and sell luxury lingerie. As their project unfolds, their friendships also undergo transformation. Despite personality clashes and misunderstandings, they eventually learn to rely even more on each other. The strength they find in their bonds helps them each find a way through the trials that lie ahead. What a wonderful lesson on the importance of friendship! Like the lace the women create, our own webs of friendship can be beautiful things - deceptively fragile with a strength woven into their very core.

The book was a very pleasant read and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who loves Irish fiction. I can't rave about it as much as I do about Binchy books because the characters tend to be a bit stereotypical (especially the village's local self-righteous priest) and lack the three-dimensionality that so characterizes her work. Their lives and issues were still interesting enough to keep me reading, though. What touched me most of all about the book were Kate's memories of her mother and the lessons about life and sewing that she learned at her feet. It really reminded me of all the things I've learned from my own mom. My favorite quote brought back memories of trying to learn to sew as a teenager: "You hesitate, thinking of past mistakes, when you threw the pieces across the room in a fit of anger because nothing was coming together the way it should, and you cried over a misshapen collar or sleeve, lying prone on your lap as an injured child. And yet you must press your lips together, pick up the thread. Don't be afraid. You'll find your way. This is a place to start."

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Jul 25, 2010 Spinneretta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heather Barbieri has written a novel about loss, and finding yourself- about moving on and moving up.
It is the story of Kate, a young American, steeped in heartbreak. She takes the trip of a lifetime to Ireland, and makes friends with the lace makers of Glenmara- a small Irish town. It is the story of Kate's interaction with the lace makers, the story of the interactions between the lace makers and villagers and the story of how to move on with your life when you are laid out flat.
It is a beauti...more

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Apr 29, 2009 Bridget rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Chick-lit fans, Ireland fans, lace fans

Shelves: 2009-reads

I received an Advance Reader’s Edition of this title, which will be published in July 2009. It tells the story of Kate, a young woman from Seattle who has recently lost her mother to cancer, and her live-in boyfriend of five years to a young model. To add insult to injury, she is a clothing designer whose latest collection went nowhere.

She decides to visit Ireland, for a change of scenery, and because it was a trip she and her mother had originally planned to make together. After spending time i...more I received an Advance Reader’s Edition of this title, which will be published in July 2009. It tells the story of Kate, a young woman from Seattle who has recently lost her mother to cancer, and her live-in boyfriend of five years to a young model. To add insult to injury, she is a clothing designer whose latest collection went nowhere.

She decides to visit Ireland, for a change of scenery, and because it was a trip she and her mother had originally planned to make together. After spending time in Dublin, she ventures out into the countryside, and eventually finds herself in the west. She ends up walking along the country roads in the rain, with her backpack and no immediate plan, when she is given a ride by a traveler (gypsy) and dropped off in the town of Glenmara, during the beginning of the St. Brendan’s Festival.

Glenmara is a town that is shrinking in population, due to the demise of factory work and the fishing industry. The festival is not much of a success at first, and Kate meets two women – Bernie and Aileen – who are packing up a display of handmade lace that no one bought. Bernie (who is recently widowed) in particular takes to Kate, and invites her to stay with her until she decides where to go or what else to do.

As the days pass, Kate gets to know Bernie better, and causes Aileen to become jealous, as Bernie had been her best friend. She also becomes involved in the Lace Maker’s Club, and learns the basics of creating lace from the members. Each of the women in the club has a backstory, and to some degree, none of them are surprising stories. There are times when the conversations and the story itself become predictable. Kate shows the women ways in which their lace can be added to lingerie pieces, not just table runners and curtains, and they decide that there may be a market for lingerie in the modern world more so than household items. As the uses for their lace changes, so do the lives of the women, including Kate, who meets a young man in the village. It is a case of mutual attraction, though he has a loss of his own that he is trying to overcome.

This book was enjoyable, if sometimes predictable. There was really not a lot of melodrama, like there tends to be in stories like this that I’ve previously read. It was interesting reading about the different types of lace, and how the threads are manipulated for differing effects. I liked the descriptions of the town and the surrounding countryside, as it sounded very familiar and true of the places in the west of Ireland that I have visited. It was also interesting how Barbieri used the example of the village priest and his strict, old-fashioned ways as an example of a stationary Ireland, and the stories of the women, their lace, and the support of their families and neighbors to show that embracing new ideas and modernizing in some ways does not have to ruin the character of a place or its people.
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Jul 26, 2010 Agatha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Novel. Aspiring seamstress Kate from Seattle flees to mother Ireland after her mother dies from cancer and her fiancé Ethan leaves her. She travels around the romantic wilds of the West until she is taken under the wings of a local ladies' lace-making guild in the tiny town of Glenmara. The ladies (Bernie, Aileen, Moira, Oona, and Colleen) teach Kate the old ways of making Irish lace and she in turn shows them how to incorporate them into more modern designs. Will she or won't she fall for local...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Serena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heather Barbieri‘s The Lace Makers of Glenmara is set in Ireland as the main character, Kate Robinson, leaves her life in the United States to take the journey to her ancestral lands that she was supposed to take with her mother. She leaves her home after failing to make it with her own clothing line and the break-up of her relationship with Ethan. After a rough journey in the rainy countryside, Kate happens upon the small village of Glenmara and its quirky residents from motherly widow Bernice...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Rosalie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Stephanie

Recommended to Rosalie by: I don't remember

I loved this story. Kate a clothing designer has lost her mother to cancer and her boyfriend (to another woman). Now the line of clothing that she designed has been rejected. She leaves everything behind and travels to Ireland (the homeland of her grandparents). She begins to travel by bus from one small town to another when she happens upon Glenmara. There she befriends Bernie a widowed craftwoman and her sewing guild of fellow lacemakers. Kate is adopted as their "apprentice" and learns the an...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Nancy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh. I just didn't care about the characters; and also, there was something so fake-Irish about it. The Irish folks are either faithfilled and optimistic, or full of deep Celtic wisdom, or drunk and scarred. *snore* Here's a crazy thought: How about trying "interesting"? If you want to read about Irish, I'd go for the Crazyleadies of Pearl Street. So they're Irish-American, not Irish - at least they are interesting.

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Sep 14, 2012 Margo Brooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, needlework

This book had me laughing out loud and shedding tears, even though I was sitting in the middle seat of a plane. I loved it. The dialog was especially good--some of the best I've ever read.

Barbieri is a short-story writer, which may explain why some reviewers had a hard time with the book. The beginning uses short story techniques to set mood. Short sentences composed of descriptive phrases. But I found these sentences particularly good in depicting the mind set of someone who had just lost her...more

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Nov 03, 2009 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Lace Makers of Glenmara is a beautiful, heartfelt story of grief, friendship, adventure, tradition, love, and so much more. While traveling in Ireland, Kate Robinson happens upon the tiny village of Glenmara, and little does she know that her life will never be the same. The women of the village have a lace-making club that Kate becomes part of, and she takes their handiwork in an entirely new direction. The women are a close-knit group, providing friendship and support to each other through...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Katherine Coble rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book has the (dubious) distinction of being the first novel I'd ever seen a book trailer for.

I had no idea how fitting that would be. Because this book was actually more of a movie. Albeit a movie without the visual shorthand a filmmaker can use to expand upon the character development.

It seemed like it had the potential for a fun light read. But this was almost too light a read. I had the feeling of a stone skipping across a pond, touching down lightly on this character or that but not re...more This book has the (dubious) distinction of being the first novel I'd ever seen a book trailer for.

I had no idea how fitting that would be. Because this book was actually more of a movie. Albeit a movie without the visual shorthand a filmmaker can use to expand upon the character development.

It seemed like it had the potential for a fun light read. But this was almost too light a read. I had the feeling of a stone skipping across a pond, touching down lightly on this character or that but not really sinking under the surface.

Everything that happened in the book was too improbable and seemed like the author was too unfocused to really bring actual detail.

1. The Main Character
This girl is a cypher. We know a few things about her, but we never really know who she is apart from the events that have happened to her. She doesn't exist outside of them.

2. The Mechanism
Kate (the 'main character') is a clothing designer whose latest line fails, her boyfriend dumps her for a model and her mother dies of cancer. So she packs up and goes to Ireland. She hitchhikes to the West Country and is eventually given a ride by a kindly Traveler in a colourful wagon. He drops her off in Glenmara because they're having some kind of festival and the road just stops there. Okay. That's a nice mechanism for a short story written by a 14 year old. Wouldn't it have been more logical to have this designer travel to the West Country to research handmade Irish lace in person? She's a designer. She's Irish. That all makes more sense than falling aimlessly into the small town.

3. Circus Irish
I'm not Irish. I do count actual Irish people from Ireland among my dear friends however. And this book falls under the category of being the type of book about Ireland that people want to see to reinforce their comfortable notions. For all that Edna O'Brien is mentioned about a dozen times there is little of O'Brien's realism here. Instead we have the cast of characters of an Irish Lifetime Movie. What gets me is that there is little attention to true detail. For instance, why is the lead proponent of the Gaelic language a man called JOHN? Wouldn't he be SEAN?! Every pro-Gaelic person I've known (at least a dozen) has insisted upon using their Gaelic name. If they were given an English one at birth, they've adopted the Gaelic version instead.

All in all this novel just felt like someone went ahead and published the notes and sketches meant for a deeper book with real connective tissue. No wonder it needed a trailer. (less)

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Mar 20, 2013 Bubble Bath rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bubblebathbooks.net (aka Bubby and Sissy) found the writing in The Lacemakers of Glenmara to be beautiful and flowing, and therefore a joy to read. Bubby (Kathleen Seamus O’Shea O’Sullivan) dreams of going to Ireland, and loved how the townswomen of Glenmara (for the most part) opened their arms and hearts to main character Kate. The story is a good lesson on acceptance, both of newcomers and of the changes that inevitably happen in life. Sissy understands how making beautiful, personal items mi...more

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Nov 19, 2009 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mod-lit

For recently widowed Bernie Cullen, the arrival of Kate Robinson into her life comes as a blessing. Kate is touring Ireland on her own, trying to soothe her depression over recent losses of her own. Kate is not planning to stay, but the next bus out isn't due for a week. Bernie introduces her to her lace making group, and Kate, much to her surprise, finds her interest stimulated and engaged for the first time in months. Lacemakers is a novel of transformation, in which Kate, Bernie, and company...more

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About Heather Barbieri

The author of three novels, The Cottage at Glass Beach (Harper, 2012), The Lace Makers of Glenmara (Harper, 2009) and Snow in July (Soho, 2004), Heather Barbieri has been awarded fellowships and international prizes for her short stories. Before turning to fiction full time, she was a magazine editor, journalist, and film critic.

Heather is half Irish. Her paternal ancestors left counties Donegal...more

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