The Tapestry of Love

Jan 26, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Catherine leaves England to settle in the Cévennes mountains, she's hoping for a simple and rustic life. Surrounded by the dense woods and the idyllic mountains, her neighbors immediately adopt her into their community. From the older couple who share her land and help her with the maintenance of her property to the older widow who enlists Catherine to help her into town, Catherine is at once enveloped in France. But when she meets another neighbor, the handsome and mysterious Patrick, Cath...more When Catherine leaves England to settle in the Cévennes mountains, she's hoping for a simple and rustic life. Surrounded by the dense woods and the idyllic mountains, her neighbors immediately adopt her into their community. From the older couple who share her land and help her with the maintenance of her property to the older widow who enlists Catherine to help her into town, Catherine is at once enveloped in France. But when she meets another neighbor, the handsome and mysterious Patrick, Catherine begins to question all she has known about attraction and love. As she settles in the beautiful French countryside, Catherine decides to become a self-employed business woman, weaving tapestries and working with fabrics on interior design. But there are some serious snafus when her sister Bryony comes to town for an extended getaway and is immediately enraptured by Patrick, and her interior design business hits a roadblock due to government restrictions. Just when Catherine thinks she's home free and that her feelings for Patrick have been quashed, the situation changes once again, leaving her more confused than ever. As the months roll by, Catherine becomes deeply involved in all aspects of rural life, from the ties to the locals, to her business, to the very perplexing feelings for Patrick that she can't seem to jettison, and discovers that life in this blissful and remote area is not only what her soul craves, but what her heart desires. Like the tapestries Catherine weaves, Thornton takes all the exquisite colors of the French countryside and Catherine's life, and creates a stunning representation of one woman's existence filled with the subtle dramas and grace that we all hope to capture in our own lives.

Sometimes I crave a good quiet read that renews my spirit and gives me things to contemplate. I had been reading many reviews of this book on the blogosphere and began to think it would be a great reading experience. When Rosy Thornton contacted me and asked me if I'd like a chance to review it, I snapped to attention and responded in the affirmative right away. The book didn't disappoint, and it was just the type of read that I could relax into like a hot bath during a time in my life that was rather stressful and worrying. As life was doing its best to turn my heart into a pretzel, I knew that I could have respite within these pages and I grew to love the time I spent with this story.

Catherine was a character whom I loved from the instant I began reading about her. She was so strong-willed, and no matter what disappointments were hanging over her head, she never gave in to self-pity and recrimination. Some of the things that she went through required a strong heart and a tough spirit, and Catherine had that in spades. When she meets Patrick for the first time, theirs is an electric attraction, and there's noting unrequited about her feelings for him. As he gently coaxes her into his life, Catherine begins to bloom like a rose under his ministrations. There was a lot of passion between these two people, but Thornton shares these revelations with a subdued and graceful hand, and the effect is one of total realism. Catherine is a woman in her middle age but her heart is no less moved or passionate than that of a younger woman at Patrick's tender behavior. When her sister Bryony comes into the picture and basically usurps Patrick, the tension Catherine experiences forces her to reexamine her feelings, not only for her sister, but for the man who has so enraptured her. She doesn't fret and whine about it though, and instead employs a great deal of patience and understanding, preferring to put Patrick and Bryony in the background and moving the other parts of her life into the foreground.

Another thing that was great about this book was its rustic appeal. I'm sort of a city girl, but I had not a bit of trouble appreciating the sections in which Catherine tends to her garden, or her forays into French cooking. I liked the quiet feel of the writing in these sections and it was constantly edifying to my soul to read about the wild mushrooms found in the woods and the elusive pack of wild boars that Catherine observes. There was something so charming and genteel about the life she was living out in the French countryside, and many times while reading I would drift off into daydreams about escaping the city to find solace in the woods and mountains. There was such a feeling of cohesion and peace within Catherine's life out there, and I found that a lot of these sections gave the book such charm. Reading about Catherine's day-to-day life in the Cévennes mountains made me at once feel relaxed and put me in a very peaceful frame of mind, which is something that I desperately needed.

The focus on the tapestries and Catherine's various other handicrafts was also something to be admired. I didn't know very much about this form of artistry before reading this book, but Thornton had a way of explaining everything so clearly that even a layperson could get caught up in it. Her descriptions of the work Catherine did and the dying and collecting of thread struck me as very knowledgeable, and I wondered many times if Thornton herself engaged in tapestry making, such was the level of expertise that she created in her story. I also liked that Catherine's artwork was so appreciated and sought after by the locals because so often crafts and art are things that are pursued and appreciated alone. The aspect of a single woman living in France and being such an expert needlewoman somehow appealed to some of my softer and more creative emotions. Often times, when one doesn't participate in a craft like this, reading about it can be alienating or just plain boring, which is something that Thornton very successfully escapes in her work.

I was so enthralled with this book and I think I read it at a perfect time in my life. The quietness and rustic qualities really spoke to me in a way that had a healing effect on me during a rough patch I was having, and I would be interested in re-reading this book at another time to examine other aspects of the story that Thornton so expertly crafted. It's a love story, yes, but also, and I think more importantly, a story about a woman who is strong, independent and wise, and who takes a chance on a life that not many of us will ever experience. I think this book would appeal to a lot of readers and it would be a great read to curl up with on a rainy afternoon. A great and gentle read. Recommended!
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Jul 18, 2012 Lydia Laceby rated it 2 of 5 stars

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

The Tapestry of Love was a richly drawn read about starting over amidst uncertainty. I loved the premise along with the novelty of a story set in France, but unfortunately, I wasn't as drawn into the story as I wanted to be.

The details about the area, the terrain and neighbours was initially fascinating, but my interest soon waned as it continued throughout much of the first half of the novel. As a positive, I could picture the setting vividly, but unfortunat...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Best Books To Read rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, firstly I have to say that I am usually of the ‘trashier the better’ kind of attitude. If I am reading Chick Lit, I love the sleaze and glamour of it all. On the other side of the fence, I
love a good crime thriller where we see the regular cop heroes turn up at every given opportunity. However, this book certainly doesn’t fit into the Chick Lit genre and I would be at a loss as to where to place it. It is a ‘real’ book, that’s the best way I can describe it. There is no gush, no fairytale...more Okay, firstly I have to say that I am usually of the ‘trashier the better’ kind of attitude. If I am reading Chick Lit, I love the sleaze and glamour of it all. On the other side of the fence, I
love a good crime thriller where we see the regular cop heroes turn up at every given opportunity. However, this book certainly doesn’t fit into the Chick Lit genre and I would be at a loss as to where to place it. It is a ‘real’ book, that’s the best way I can describe it. There is no gush, no fairytale typical storylines, and certainly
no murders!

Rosy Thornton has managed to produce a book that doesn’t just tell you a story; it parks your butt on a plane and actually takes you there. Her style of writing is unusual in comparison to what I am used to but it is brilliant all the same. I could almost imagine myself sitting in the corner of Catherin Parkstone’s kitchen in the Cevennes Mountains and actually watching her life unfold. The characters are written really well and there is such an element of realism that you find yourself swept along with the tale. The scenery is so well described that it has left a vivid picture in my imagination of what everything and everybody should look like.

The story itself was great too and we meet Catherine’s local neighbours, who are at first very ‘French’, making Catherine have to work a lot harder to become part of the community. Catherine’s sister Bryony makes an appearance in Cevennes after making a radical decision to take a sabbatical from work. This complicates Catherine’s life more than she cares to admit. She struggles to get her priorities in her head the right way round. Although both her children are grown up she finds herself constantly worrying about whether they will be okay and whether moving to this remote part of France was a good idea after all.

The book is structured so that we see her time at her home progress over a number of months which makes it so much easier to imagine the different times of year in this area. It also gives the reader the element of how far she has come and what the future will hold.

All in all this was a fantastic book. I will admit that I would never have chosen this from a bookstore as it doesn’t look trashy enough for me, but boy am I glad I read this. A wonderful book with a real touch of realism that is perfect for curling up with. I would highly recommend this book and Rosy Thornton will definitely be added to my list of authors to pre-order from.
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Oct 15, 2011 Mary Gramlich rated it 5 of 5 stars

THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE by Rosy Thornton
10/11 - Headline Book Publishing, Limited - Paperback, 352 pages

What does it take to bring closure our unfinished business?

Catherine Parkstone has decided to take her life to another country. Not to not start again, but jump-start the one she is living. The divorce is years past, the children on their own, and now it is time for Catherine to put some life in the years.

She starts a needlework and upholstery business, prepares a garden, and contemplates raising...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Nikki Bywater rated it 3 of 5 stars

With her divorce now in the past and her two Children Lexie and Tom now grown up Catherine is now free to make a fresh start, so she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the C’evennes Mountains. She plans to set up in business as a seamstress and do something she enjoys. She slowly makes good friends with her neighbours and meets the mysterious Patrick Castagnol, who we learn lots more about as the story goes on.

Catherine finds that her plans do not go how she expected when s...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-uns

I ran across my first reference to THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE over on The Zen Leaf and immediately wanted to read it after coming across Amanda's comment:

It was warm, comforting, and homey, and the prose was beautiful without ever jarring me.

That described exactly the kind of book I was in the mood for at the time. By a new-to-me UK author. And set in the French countryside? I wanted it. I wanted it now. Unfortunately, it somehow slipped through the cracks and I didn't end up ordering a copy immediate...more I ran across my first reference to THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE over on The Zen Leaf and immediately wanted to read it after coming across Amanda's comment:

It was warm, comforting, and homey, and the prose was beautiful without ever jarring me.

That described exactly the kind of book I was in the mood for at the time. By a new-to-me UK author. And set in the French countryside? I wanted it. I wanted it now. Unfortunately, it somehow slipped through the cracks and I didn't end up ordering a copy immediately. But it wasn't long before I received Rosy Thornton's previous novel, Crossed Wires, as a gift and figured I may as well start there. I immediately liked Ms. Thornton's writing style and the so-very-real way her characters went about living their lives. So it was with great pleasure I opened up a package in the mail a little while later to find my very own copy of THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE. Falling into this story was as easy as pie.

Catherine Parkstone has just made one of the biggest decisions of her life. At the age of 48, she's been divorced for a while now and is fairly certain she's ready to move on with her life. In this case, moving on entails picking up her tomato plants and her threads and using almost all of her modest savings to purchase a cottage in an infinitesimally small village in France's Cevennes mountains. Yes, it shocks her kids. And her ex-husband. And basically anyone who ever knew her. But to Catherine it just feels right. And she doesn't regret it for a moment. Though her French isn't exactly up to par and sometimes the solitude can creep in unawares, it is with a lightening of the heart and a surge of hope that she takes to her new home and its curious denizens. Hanging out her shingle as a professional seamstress, Catherine sets about getting to know the locals and her easy way with people and quiet independence wins her a place in their hearts, though her nearby neighbor Patrick Castagnol is a bit of an enigma. Even if he does brew his own beer and cook her dinners like a master chef. Then one day, out of the blue, Catherine's sister Bryony arrives in need of a holiday, and the fragile balance Catherine has achieved threatens to crumble under the weight of her sister's forceful personality.

Okay. Favorite thing about this book, hands down? Catherine is so unapologetically herself and the rest of the characters are so exquisitely fraught with shades of grey. No villains. No angels. Just life in all its messy glory. And the beautiful, beautiful French countryside, French food, and Catherine's careful hands and rainbow of threads binding it all together. It sounds strange, but I am often so very gratified to be neatly foiled in my attempts to hate certain characters. You see, Catherine is a very likable character. And a couple of other characters (who should seriously know better, in my opinion) get in the way of her happiness. And such things can try my patience with them. But Rosy Thornton did an excellent job of presenting these actions in the context of their complicated history together, their individual fears, wants, and needs. And I could see it all laid out. The way it inevitably came together in just the way it did, like Catherine's tapestry of the saint in his boat, sailing for the shore. It was lovely in its imperfection. And I was so very happy with the way it ended. This is a quiet book and, like Patrick (and Catherine, for that matter), it is not given to effusion. But also like those two characters, it is wonderfully mature, full of hidden depths and shades of beauty. THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE is a book I could easily hand anyone, knowing they will likely fall for its simple, eloquent charms just as I did. Recommended for fans of Linda Gillard's Emotional Geology. (less)

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Jan 27, 2011 Maggi Andersen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Catherine Parkstone goes to live in a tiny hamlet in France after her divorce and her children have left home to start a business as a seamstress. It appears as the story unfolds, that she has not given much thought to the success of this venture, having failed to take the French bureaucracy into consideration. But that was not her prime motivation it appears. She becomes enarmoured of an intriguing neighbour, Patrick Castagnol but must deal with family issues, particularly her sister Bryony.
Tho...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Catherine Parkstone's family may feel she is a bit "off" as they say. She gives up her home in England, buys a small cottage in the Cevannes region of France and relocates. Just like that. She is a needlewoman, making cushions, drapes, and designing beautiful tapestries to sell. She moves in to no lights, not heat, a lonely stone house on a hillside and is immediately happier than she has been in years. This is her time.
Neighbors are close-mouthed but friendly. She meets dogs, sheep, pigs and Pa...more

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Dec 17, 2010 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes books arrive at just the right moments. Usually I think these books are heady, intellectual numbers that set my thinking straight or give me clarity on the path of life. But in this case, Rosy Thornton’s The Tapestry of Love was neither heady or terribly clarifying; instead, it was simply comforting in the way good fiction can be.

The story is about Catherine, a woman in her 40s who sells her house in England and moves to a rural farmhouse in the mountains of France. She leaves behind h...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, general_fiction

I thought this was a really nice story. Catherine is an older woman embarking on an adventure. She picks up her life and moves it from England to a rural part of France, a national park, where the roads are narrow, the mountains are high, the houses are few and far between, and the sheep are plentiful. She makes an interesting character — bold in some ways, timid in others, and oftentimes too stubborn for her own good. Especially where her neighbor, the friendly but private Patrick Castagnol, is...more

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Oct 30, 2010 Shan rated it 4 of 5 stars

At forty-nine Catherine Parkstone is having a fresh start in her life. She has been divorced for eight years and her two children are now grown and on their own. So Catherine does what many people long to do. She sells her home in England, moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cevennes mountains of France and sets up a business as a seamstress. It sounds perfect.

But adjusting to life in her rural idyll isn't as easy as she had thought it would be. Days can be lonely, neighbours tend to keep to themselve...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Susan Roebuck rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

The cover picture on Rosy Thornton’s new novel, The Tapestry of Love, is beautiful – one of the finest I’ve seen, and if there’s a competition for the best or most evocative cover, then this should be entered for it. The picture leaves the reader in no doubt that he/she is going to read about rural France. Yet for all my enthusiasm, it doesn’t do the story justice.

This is an outstanding read, pulling the reader straight into the Cévennes mountain region of Fr...more The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

The cover picture on Rosy Thornton’s new novel, The Tapestry of Love, is beautiful – one of the finest I’ve seen, and if there’s a competition for the best or most evocative cover, then this should be entered for it. The picture leaves the reader in no doubt that he/she is going to read about rural France. Yet for all my enthusiasm, it doesn’t do the story justice.

This is an outstanding read, pulling the reader straight into the Cévennes mountain region of France with such simplicity and effectiveness. The novel starts with the main character’s car being stuck in a straggling flock of sheep which Catherine is not used to, making her imagine a flood in which her car may dislodge and “be swept downstream with the sheep”. Just the next day she answers her cottage door (which I imagine to be the one on the cover) to a local farmer delivering a consignment of hay which Catherine has no idea what to do with. Rosy Thornton is brilliant at conveying scenes that the reader believes he/she is also living and therefore sharing, first-hand, the experiences of the characters.

Catherine has no super-powers, she’s not a powerful, beautiful heroine, yet I wanted her for my best friend. She’s warm-hearted, with a quiet bravery that she plays down. She is generous and makes friends easily, melting the hearts of the “suspicious of outsiders” locals. Soon she becomes part of the community and even manages to cope with the excessive bureaucracy without pulling her hair out.

This is a warm, inviting book, even though the love-attraction is flawed (albeit handsome and in many ways appealing) with secrets only revealed towards the end.

The array of characters have their individual foibles: there’s the selfish sister, the very funny daughter who can’t settle and the quiet, studious son. And that’s not counting the colourful local characters who have to face their own problems. No-one can accuse this novel of being boring or repetitive.

But Rosy Thornton is a master of description. She brings the story alive, either through the pelting weather: “through the descending curtain of gray she could make out the gate at the end of his yard” or through the markets heaving under their selections of fruit and vegetables: “fat, blanched leeks (and) butter beans for drying, their creamy pods stippled with purple”. She sees the countryside as an artist, “the sky was a luminous mauve…giving the illusion that road and rocks and vegetation were illuminated from some hidden source, like ethereal stage lighting”.

And it doesn’t end there. If we can feel and see the story, we can also taste it. This is the world of thick green soup, of dates and bacon, of wild mushrooms on toast, of wild boar and venison, and a scrumptious Mirabelle tart.

I was so enthralled, I didn’t want the book to end. It certainly is a page-turner, but I savoured it, restricting myself to just a few pages per day because I knew that when I finished it, I’d feel I’d lost a friend. And I did.

Buy the book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tapestry-Love...
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Nov 30, 2010 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

‘You think there will always be time.’

Catherine Parkstone is seeking to make a fresh start. Catherine is a 48 year old divorcée, with two grown children who is now free – more or less – to pursue her own dream: a rural idyll in a place where she enjoyed childhood holidays. Catherine sells her home in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes Mountains in France where she hopes to use her skills in needlecraft (tapestry and soft furnishings) to establish her own business.

Catherine finds...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Brenda Rupp rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't always like Slice of Life stories but this one was great. It was written about a women who sells her home in England after a divorce and moves to a place she visited with her Mom at one time a home she rents in the Ce'vennes mountains. She learns to love the French countryside and the people who live there. The young people for the most part have moved away from the area, it is mostly agricultural and the people in power don't really encourage new ways of living there. The woman, Catheri...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reviewed for BookPleasures.com & A Cozy Reader's Corner Reviews

With her children grown, her divorce behind her and her future ahead, Catherine is ready for a fresh start. With a plan and a dream of a new life, Catherine leaves England to move to the rural and idyllic French town in the Cevennes Mountains. Her dream of starting her own tapestry business is in her sights. Though Catherine has fond memories of the holidays she once spent in these French mountains, she soon discovers not everyth...more Reviewed for BookPleasures.com & A Cozy Reader's Corner Reviews

With her children grown, her divorce behind her and her future ahead, Catherine is ready for a fresh start. With a plan and a dream of a new life, Catherine leaves England to move to the rural and idyllic French town in the Cevennes Mountains. Her dream of starting her own tapestry business is in her sights. Though Catherine has fond memories of the holidays she once spent in these French mountains, she soon discovers not everything is as idyllic as she hoped it would be. As Catherine deals with loneliness, dreary weather and the French bureaucracy, she finds friendship, love and a new outlook. When Catherine’s sister Bryony arrives Catherine realizes everything has only just begun.

The Tapestry of love can only be described as a soulful and descriptive journey. The novel chronicles a year in Catherine’s life as she moves from England to France in hopes of a quiet and idyllic life. She has personal dreams of starting a tapestry business and becomes quite successful. Unfortunately life cannot be idyllic all the time. Catherine learns to find peace and comfort with new neighbors and friends in times of turmoil.

The author is a skilled writer. Her descriptive nature left nothing to the imagination. I was able to clearly envision the town, mountain landscape, characters and everything else this novel had to offer. The pace likewise was measured. It fit the idyllic community perfectly while all of this is a charming aspect of the novel it also took away from the book for me. I found that due to the measured pace, I was able to put this book down far to often for my own preference. I also was not compelled to pick it back up quickly, though I did enjoy the story.

Overall, this is a relaxed read. Nothing about the novel is rushed. The story is wonderful, yet I would have preferred less description and more story. While the ending works, I was interested in more than what it gave. I felt that if the story hadn’t seemingly paused as often as it did that I could have learned much more about all the characters rather than feeling a surface relationship. The title would be a great rainy day read or garden read for those who enjoy reading outdoors.(less)

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Jan 27, 2011 Eliza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I have to admit I was not previously aware of the works of Rosy Thornton before being approached to read her latest book “The Tapestry of Love”. Generally speaking they appear, at least on first glance, from a genre of books I never read. But I admit I was drawn in by the author who appealed partly to my culinary interest and partly to someone who had recently abandoned the UK for life living up a mountain! (only I am in Rural Spain and not France).

Despite my reservations I enjoyed this book imm...more

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Dec 03, 2010 Bhargavi Balachandran rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, from-my-library, read-in-2010, review-copy, dec2010

To me a book is a window into possibilities, people and customs that exist elsewhere –something that I would never have had an opportunity to knowing otherwise. So, when Rosy Thornton mailed me about reviewing her book, The Tapestry of Love, I was thrilled. I had never read a book based in the French countryside before.I fell in love with the book right from the minute I opened the package and set my eyes on the cover of the book: An old door painted white with splotches of greenery around it.

Th...more To me a book is a window into possibilities, people and customs that exist elsewhere –something that I would never have had an opportunity to knowing otherwise. So, when Rosy Thornton mailed me about reviewing her book, The Tapestry of Love, I was thrilled. I had never read a book based in the French countryside before.I fell in love with the book right from the minute I opened the package and set my eyes on the cover of the book: An old door painted white with splotches of greenery around it.

The book starts languorously with Rosy describing the Transhumance, a bi-yearly ritual common to the mountain regions of France where sheep are herded up and down the slopes of the mountains depending on the time of the year.During the autumn transhumance sheep are herded from the grasslands in the mountains down the slopes to the valleys and during the spring transhumance the process is reversed. Catherine is a divorcee who moves to a hamlet in the Ce'vennes Mountains from London.She is an empty Nester with her children, Lexie and Tom grown up and busy with their own lives . She decides to start her own business as a seamstress in the idyllic rural environment.

At the Ce'vennes, Catherine has to contend with loneliness, stiff neighbors and horrible weather. We are introduced to the Bouschets, Madame Volipere, the Merriels and Patrick Castagnol. Her neighbors are gracious and invite Catherine over for tea and meals , but their requests are formal. Catherine strikes up an easy friendship with Patrick as their conversations cover subjects as varied as bee-keeping, boars ,lepers and saints. As paragraph upon paragraph rolled by describing Catherine’s life, I could feel her loneliness myself. But the narrative is not depressing at any point.I loved Catherine’s character-strong and warm.Despite her divorce, she is not bitter about her husband seeing another woman .

Catherine embraces her new life selling her cushion covers and upholstering furniture to the locals . Everything rolls by smoothly until her sister, Bryonne decides to visit her. Now, Bryonne is everything Catherine is not- perky and leads an extremely successful life as a partner in a London law firm.During Bryonne’s visit Catherine realizes that both of them are falling for the same man. But the man has secrets that he holds close to his heart himself. The rest of the story is about how Catherine befriends the neighbors, becomes an integral part of the neighborhood, how she strives to get her enterprise registered and makes sense of the feelings she has towards Patrick.

The strong points of the book are the depth with which each character is etched out,Rosy’s lovely words and the information on life in the mountains. I particularly loved Lexie,the journalist daughter who tires of her writing jobs in a jiffy and constantly seeks something else to excite her. Somehow, the neighbors didn’t make much of an impression on me and I wonder if it was done on purpose.Rosy’s love for good food and the mountainside shows through the pages of the book.

My only issue with the book was the length-400 odd pages.Somewhere in the middle the narrative sags a bit . I would have also wanted to learn more about the finer points of making tapestries.But things soon heat up and to know more you need to grab the book and read it :-).

Let me leave you with one of the passages I particularly loved

“Catherine inhaled.It was the smell of the valley always had in snatches, the acidity of woodsmoke and behind it everywhere the darker, mellower scent of what had been there before the settlement of man.Earth and water and rock , and spent leaves returning to the earth.”

Overall, a simple love story set in a beautiful pastoral background. I’ll give it a 3.5 /5. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good love story and am looking forward to reading more of her work.(less)

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May 02, 2011 Laurel-Rain rated it 4 of 5 stars

Catherine Parkestone has embarked upon a new life. Having lived in England through most of her life, she still has memories of time spent in the French countryside. So buying an old house near a small village in France seems like the perfect step in her life. And for her desire to begin her business of soft furnishings--needlepoint, tapestries, etc.

At first, the local farmers and others who surround her seem foreign and different. Their lives follow certain patterns that are strange to her. And...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Serena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rosy Thornton‘s The Tapestry of Love follows 48-year-old Catherine Parkstone as she makes her way through the French countryside after leaving her home in England following her divorce. She has bought Les Fenils in the Cevennes Mountains where she gets to know her quirky neighbors and learns how to navigate an unfamiliar culture with her amateur French-speaking skills. Her initial plans are to establish a business as a needlewoman, but also to return to a place she remembers enjoying from her ch...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Kirsty (Blatant Biblioholic) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kirsty by: Review copy from author

Shelves: arc-review-copy, fiction, travel, favourites

When Rosy Thornton contacted me via my blog to ask if I'd like to review her book, I wasn't sure whether to accept at first. This is not the kind of novel that I usually read and to be honest I probably wouldn't have picked this up in a bookstore, but I decided to give it a chance because I do like reading about other countries and it has had some great reviews. Having read it, it's clear that I need to re-think how I choose my books in bookstores because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Catherine was an...more When Rosy Thornton contacted me via my blog to ask if I'd like to review her book, I wasn't sure whether to accept at first. This is not the kind of novel that I usually read and to be honest I probably wouldn't have picked this up in a bookstore, but I decided to give it a chance because I do like reading about other countries and it has had some great reviews. Having read it, it's clear that I need to re-think how I choose my books in bookstores because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Catherine was an instantly likeable character. She's incredibly strong willed yet down-to-earth and simply refuses to let anything bring her down. Throughout the book there are a number of occuring problems that would cause a lesser person to become self-pitying but this is never the case with Catherine and I loved her for it. Despite the fact that Catherine is much older than me, I was still able to relate to her and I felt a real affinity for her need to escape and to experience a different way of life. I also grew to really like the supporting characters in the book, especially Monsieur and Madame Bouschet. I loved the way that they took Catherine under their wing and it was nice to see the relationship build between the three. Patrick was an interesting character and it took me longer to warm to him, but I did eventually and it was interesting to see Catherine's relationship with him develop also.

The plot is brilliant in it's simplicity. It's simply a tale of life. There is no mystery, there is no huge twist and there are no vampires, but it's a compelling read. Everytime I picked this book up, I lost myself in the French way of life and I really didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay in the gorgeous French countryside, the slow, relaxed way of life and the sense of belonging and community that comes with living in such a small village. The images painted throughout the book of the mountains and the surrounding area just made me want to get on a plane as soon as possible - the authors use of description is just enough to make you feel like you're there, but not too much that it overshadows the rest of the book.

This book is just beautiful. I could have easily read another 300 pages without becoming bored. I will definitely be looking into Rosy Thornton's previous works.(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Louise Graham rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Tapestry of Love is I believe the fourth novel by Rosy Thornton. Set in the idyllic French Countryside, Catherine is trying to start a new life now that her children have grown and she is divorced. Her plans are to start a business as a seamstress but didn't realise how difficult the French bureaucracy can be.

Poor weather, reserved locals and then there is Patrick Castagnol. Who is he? With her sister Bryony coming to stay will things change for the better? Can she fall in love with this new...more

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Feb 08, 2011 LindyLouMac rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this, uncomplicated, I mean this in a very complimentary way, contemporary women's literature at its best. This was such a fun read that transported me to an idyllic, well almost, life style abroad, in this case the Cevennes mountains at the southern end of the Massif Central in France. The kind of life style abroad that I know many of us dream of and some of us are even lucky enough to be given the opportunity to experience. While where I live in Italy is not the harsh lonely place tha...more I loved this, uncomplicated, I mean this in a very complimentary way, contemporary women's literature at its best. This was such a fun read that transported me to an idyllic, well almost, life style abroad, in this case the Cevennes mountains at the southern end of the Massif Central in France. The kind of life style abroad that I know many of us dream of and some of us are even lucky enough to be given the opportunity to experience. While where I live in Italy is not the harsh lonely place that the protagonist Catherine chooses to call home, there are many similarities that made me smile.
Catherine Parkstone, divorced for a number of years with adult children decides to seek a rural lifestyle in an old stone farmhouse on the outskirts of La Grelaudiere a tiny hamlet amongst the chestnut woods on the slopes of Mont Lozere. The book tells the story of Catherine’s gradually emerging love affair with the place, the nature around her and of becoming friends with reserved neighbours. The title comes from the fact that she sets herself up as a seamstress, not without some opposition from local bureaucracy.
Beautifully written I found I very quickly became attuned to Catherine as she coped with not just the emotions of moving abroad but personal highs and lows concerning family, community, love and loss. Besides Catherine there is an interesting array of other characters to meet and her descriptive writing to savour. Savour is the right word to use as not only does she describe so well the surroundings but you can almost taste the food she talks about.
I do not like to give away too much about the plot or story in my reviews as my intention is to encourage you to read the book for yourself not tell you the story! If this a genre you would normally enjoy, then I recommend it highly. I hope I have tempted some of you to read The Tapestry of Love as it is such a cheering read, that certainly lives up to the many enthusiastic reviews I have seen in the blogsphere.
Until a few months ago I had never even heard of Rosy Thornton which is a shame as I feel sure I would enjoy her previous three published novels. I have now added them to my wish list on Goodreads, More Than Love Letters, Hearts And Minds, and Crossed Wires. My excuse for not discovering this author before now is probably because her first novel was not published until 2006 after we had left the UK, it is not so easy to keep up to date with new authors when living abroad but I now do so by following Book Blogs. I was introduced to Rosy, by her getting in contact with me, albeit virtually by the fact that we have two author friends in common. I believe she had also seen some of my other reviews. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to get to know her and to read and review The Tapestry of Love as she so kindly sent me a copy.

Rosy Thornton is a Goodreads Author and on my blog post at LindyLouMac's Book Reviews I have reposted some of her profile information, plus photos and information about her inspiration for this novel.

I am certainly looking forward to getting hold of the rest of her novels to read.(less)

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Nov 30, 2010 Beadyjan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who has a pipe dream of escaping the rat race and living abroad.

I enjoyed my "visit" to the Cevennes mountains in France with Catherine the 49 year old heroine of this book, despite never having been there, the authors genuine love for and in depth knowledge of this region is very apparent throughout the book, as is her knowledge of needlecraft when she describes Catherine establishing herself as a seamstress and tapestry stitcher.

It takes a wry and nostalgic look at how a middle aged divorcee, fresh from city life in Britain battles to adapt to life in rura...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a lovely little pleasure this book was - like having a warm bath and cuddling up in your pyjamas! The Cevennes mountains and their nature and life is vividly described, as Catherine captures it in her tapestries, and you share her joy at the dipper in the river and the family of wild boar. You plant her vegetables with her and nurture them, you share her concern when a neighbour brings her a swarm of bees, you want to fight alonside her as she tries to set up her business while battling Fre...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Michelle added it · review of another edition

Some stories start out strong, capturing a reader’s attention from the first few pages, while others build slowly, taking their time to weave a story through detailed descriptions and careful character development. As one could guess from its title, The Tapestry of Love is very much one of the latter types of stories. Rosy Thornton’s deliberate layering of setting and character create a languid story that is as French in its meandering as it is in its set location. Do not let this description fo...more Some stories start out strong, capturing a reader’s attention from the first few pages, while others build slowly, taking their time to weave a story through detailed descriptions and careful character development. As one could guess from its title, The Tapestry of Love is very much one of the latter types of stories. Rosy Thornton’s deliberate layering of setting and character create a languid story that is as French in its meandering as it is in its set location. Do not let this description fool you however; The Tapestry of Love is a powerful story of reawakening and a coming-of-age story for the over-forty crowd.

Catherine is a bit of a conundrum. She arrives in France completely affected by the eight years since her divorce, but the reader does not get any insight into these experiences. Instead, one gets the chance to understand Catherine and her motivations slowly, through hints and glimpses into the past. This makes Catherine a difficult character to understand at first because very few people can relate to her need to move to a foreign country and surround herself with the silence of the countryside, let alone her tapestry business. However, as the reader gathers a more complete picture of her, the story, and the reader's empathy for Catherine, takes off.

Reminiscent of stories by authors like D. H. Lawrence or Thomas Hardy, the setting is as much a character as Catherine or Patrick is. Catherine’s entire growth occurs because of her house and her experiences in France versus in England. Ms. Thornton captures the ambiance and flavor of Cévennes with her lush descriptions and painstaking detail. In fact, she builds the setting color by color, just like Catherine builds her tapestries. The tie-in is brilliant and effective.

The Tapestry of Love is a simple and beautiful story told in an old-fashioned, meandering way that is perfect for the idyllic backdrop. Completely the opposite of today's more popular conspiracy thrillers or sappy romantic tragedies, it is one of those novels that all but requires a cuppa while reading. More importantly, it is meant to be savored slowly, read while enjoying a quiet afternoon or two; pauses for daydreams or naps while reading are completely allowed. The Tapestry of Love provides a great relaxing escape from the mundaneness of everyday life.(less)

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Aug 22, 2010 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copies

Before I started to read The Tapestry of Love, I thought it looked and sounded wonderful – but I wasn't sure what I would think of it as it's a bit different from the type of book I usually read. I needn't have worried though, because I thoroughly enjoyed it! I admit that I had previously been unfamiliar with Rosy Thornton and her books, but now that I've been enlightened I would definitely like to read more of her work.

The Tapestry of Love is the story of Catherine Parkstone, a forty-eight year...more Before I started to read The Tapestry of Love, I thought it looked and sounded wonderful – but I wasn't sure what I would think of it as it's a bit different from the type of book I usually read. I needn't have worried though, because I thoroughly enjoyed it! I admit that I had previously been unfamiliar with Rosy Thornton and her books, but now that I've been enlightened I would definitely like to read more of her work.

The Tapestry of Love is the story of Catherine Parkstone, a forty-eight year old divorced woman who decides to sell her home in England and buy a cottage in the mountainous Cévennes region of France. Catherine intends to start her own business providing home furnishings for her neighbours, but unfortunately things don't go quite according to plan. And her life becomes even more complicated when her sister Bryony arrives on a three month sabbatical!

Although the book has a quiet, gentle tone, the plot was interesting enough to hold my attention from beginning to end. There were enough moments of drama to keep the story moving along and some humourous scenes too – for example, Catherine's telephone conversations with her daughter Lexie, an aspiring journalist who is feeling increasingly disillusioned with her job at a cake-decorating magazine.

I particularly enjoyed reading about all the little details of Catherine's new life: gardening, cooking, beekeeping, shopping at the market. The real highlight of this book though, is the sense of community: when Catherine first arrives in La Grelaudiere she is a stranger, an outsider, but over time she begins to gain the trust and respect of her neighbours and starts to forge some real friendships. We get to know Monsieur Bouschet and his wife; the reclusive Guillaume; the elderly widow Madame Volpiliere and the enigmatic Patrick Castagnol. The author skilfully brings the characters to life and makes them feel completely realistic.

I've never been to the Cévennes, but the mountains, remote hamlets and picturesque villages are described so vividly I could easily build a picture of the area in my mind. While I don't think I'd be brave enough to do what Catherine did and leave my home and family to move there all on my own, it does seem like a beautiful and peaceful place to live, the kind of place you could easily fall in love with.

I very much enjoyed spending time in the mountains with Catherine and her neighbours. If you're interested in France, needlework, nature or good food, or if you're simply looking for an absorbing and well-written story with likeable, believable characters, you should find plenty here to keep you happy. (less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Xenia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a good book, but I do have mixed feelings about it. I loved the setting in rural France. I loved the Catherine character and I am always excited for any woman who is brave enough to start a whole new chapter of her life in another country.

Descriptions of places, actions and things certainly makes a story come alive, but in this book the author goes way overboard with it for my liking. The endless descriptions in detail made this book very tedious for me to get through. Most of the book...more This is a good book, but I do have mixed feelings about it. I loved the setting in rural France. I loved the Catherine character and I am always excited for any woman who is brave enough to start a whole new chapter of her life in another country.

Descriptions of places, actions and things certainly makes a story come alive, but in this book the author goes way overboard with it for my liking. The endless descriptions in detail made this book very tedious for me to get through. Most of the book to me is describing things, places and actions. Unless you love that type of writing style it can be challenging. I don't much care for it and that is mostly why I gave this book only 3 stars. The endless descriptions was bordering on boring for me Strangely enough there was very little descriptions of how the characters looked. I wondered all through this story what Catherine looked like.

I suspected that Patrick was in love with Catherine all along; even after Bryony came to visit and he slept with her the evening she had dinner with him alone while Catherine had business to tend to. I wondered why he did it. Why did he further entertain Bryony during her sabbatical? Why if he loved Catherine would he sleep with her sister? His explanation at the end I found to be so 21st century male. John Thornton in N&S would have been more respectful of the woman he loved. Well, at least Patrick did admit to being no saint. I was disappointed in Catherine's reaction when she figured out that Bryony and Patrick slept together the night before. She was way too passive about it. Her sister intruded on her budding relationship with Patrick and that is just not acceptable behavior. I am sure that Bryony knew from the start that Patrick cared very much for Catherine.

The premise of this story is a good one, but for me the telling of it was done in a tediously drawn out way. I have read many love stories before that were just as long, but I was kept a lot more engaged and interested as I kept reading. By the middle of this book I was looking forward to finishing it. I was thrilled that Patrick finally told Catherine how much he cares for her and that it was always "Cat-rine". Their overall relationship is not quite the romance-love story that I thought it was going to be.

Please do not let my review of this book stop you from reading it. It is a good story. (less)

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May 12, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Catherine Parkstone is a divorced woman with grown children who seizes the chance to make a new start for herself when an opportunity to move to France presents itself. Settling in the countryside in a scenic and rural hamlet in the Cévennes Mountains, Catherine nestles in and sets up her own business as a seamstress. The landscape is picturesque, the work is a pleasure, and the neighbors are delightfully charming - especially the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. But when French bureaucracy puts a...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who love the French countryside

Recommended to Sam by: sent to me by the author

First of all, I want to tell you that this book was sent to me by the author for review (thank you Rosy). I was pleased to see when I opened the package that Penny Vincenzi, one of my favourite authors, had given her praise for Rosy’s books.

The cover of this book is so lovely and relaxing – the promise of an escape to the French countryside, something I’m sure that all of us have thought of doing at one time or the other (even those of us on the other side of the world). That’s what this book is...more First of all, I want to tell you that this book was sent to me by the author for review (thank you Rosy). I was pleased to see when I opened the package that Penny Vincenzi, one of my favourite authors, had given her praise for Rosy’s books.

The cover of this book is so lovely and relaxing – the promise of an escape to the French countryside, something I’m sure that all of us have thought of doing at one time or the other (even those of us on the other side of the world). That’s what this book is – relaxing.

The premise is simple – Catherine, divorced mother of two adult children, sells up and leaves England for the mountainous French countryside. What will she do there? Well, she’ll start a little business (tapestry – see the title falling into place?) and enjoy the fruits of her small farm and the local village. It all sounds perfect…but of course it’s not! It rains a lot, French government bureaucracy is neverending (Catherine can’t start a business as she lives in a national park), back in ten minutes means a good couple of hours and her workaholic sister suddenly descends on her peace and quiet, interfering with her blossoming friendship with her neighbour Patrick…

It has all the ingredients of a manic chick lit, but it’s not. It’s a gentle, dignified look at this genre. Full of detailed description about the landscape (I could picture it even though I’ve never visited France) and the delicious food. The supporting characters are well-written, and I was upset when tragedy befell one of them. Catherine’s sister and daughter are both wittily written, particular her daughter’s various jobs!

If I had to pick a downfall of this book, it’s that my French was not good enough to pick up the French dialogue (Australian schools tend to offer more Asian languages these days). However, I’m sure that could easily be solved with Google Translate.

This book is subtle, wonderfully descriptive and relaxing. I’d suggest it while you are lazing in the French countryside.
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Jan 15, 2011 Ana T. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, contemporary

I had only read one Rosy Thornton book before this one but I enjoyed it so much that, when offered this one by the author, I just couldn't resist. And I am really glad I did so! I find that my reading tastes have changed somehow over the years. Now I seem to appreciate older, mature, characters better. People who have lived and found themselves at a crossroads in life and people who have decided to start over. Since I am always saying to my other half that we should move to the country and find...more I had only read one Rosy Thornton book before this one but I enjoyed it so much that, when offered this one by the author, I just couldn't resist. And I am really glad I did so! I find that my reading tastes have changed somehow over the years. Now I seem to appreciate older, mature, characters better. People who have lived and found themselves at a crossroads in life and people who have decided to start over. Since I am always saying to my other half that we should move to the country and find a simpler way of life this story could not have been more appropriate.

Catherine Parkstone is a divorced Englishwoman with grown up children who has decided to pursue her dream of moving to a small French village - St. Julien in Cévennes – and start over. She cooks, plants some of her own food, meets her neighbours and decides to start a tapestry and upholstery business. I did like her a lot. She was cautious and reserved but after meeting her neighbour and seeing how... well... how neighbourly they are she opens up a bit and they develop an interesting relationship. There's a lot of caring and concern for one another as they are mostly older people seeing their village and way of life disappearing.

Among the people that Catherine meets there's Patrick Castagnol, a somewhat mysterious man with whom she enjoys talking. She is getting settled in her new life and developing a tapestry business when her sister Bryony decides to come for a visit. Bryony seemed the total opposite of Catherine and I have to confess I did dislike her a bit. She is a workaholic attorney and although she apparently comes to find some time for herself and enjoy the same things that make Catherine happy, she doesn't even try to get to know the area and its people preferring to spend all her time romancing Castagnol and it seemed clear that a certain rivalry exists between the two.

When Catherine is faced with her mother's death she goes back home and has to deal with all the emotions from that loss and also with the lives of her children, ex-husband and sister. She questions her decision to move to France to pursue an old dream and whether she should be closer to them. Life is not made of easy choices and I did like how the story dealt with family relationships. The story also includes a bit of romance that left me a bit worried for a while.

Although I do not know the Cévennes area, I loved Rosy Thornton's description of the land and its people. I really could imagine how everything looked and it sounded like an area worth exploring. It seemed to suffer from the desertification so common, nowadays, to many European regions. That is unfortunate and I wonder if one day we will look back and realise that the huge mistake that was to let the little villages die by not providing jobs for the younger generation. As it is, I loved reading about St Julien and imagine myself walking down those roads not to mention eating all the food mentioned.

For me this was a lovely read and it definitely left me with a taste to read more of the same. Should anyone have suggestions of books set in the country about new beginnings and getting to know a new culture feel free to send them my way!

One final word for the cover, isn't that just a beautiful cover?

Grade: 4.5/5
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