Heather Barbieri
Author of The Lace Makers of Glenmara
Works by Heather Barbieri
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Barbieri, Heather
- Legal name
- Barbieri, Heather Doran
- Birthdate
- 1963
- Gender
- female
- Awards and honors
- Seattle Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship; Artist Trust/WA State Arts Commission Fellowship; SCBWI work in progress grant; Ian St. James International Short Fiction Prize, etc.
- Agent
- Emma Sweeney
- Short biography
- Heather Barbieri inherited a love of storytelling from the Irish side of her family. After surviving the Great Famine, her paternal ancestors settled in Butte, Montana, where they worked in the mines. Her impecabbly-dress maternal grandmother was a descendent of a lady in waiting to Queen Victoria and instilled an avid interest in fashion and reading in her granddaughters. Before turning to writing fiction full time, Heather was a journalist, magazine editor, and film critic. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three children.
Members
Reviews
The Lacemakers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri
Kate leaves her home town of Seattle to take a trip to Ireland. It was a trip she was going to make with her mother before the latter died quickly from cancer. Kate has also just been dumped by her boyfriend (who has left her for The Model), and her clothing range has barely made a dent anywhere but her pocket.[return][return]After travelling around the country for nearly a month she arrives in Glenmara, almost by accident. It's a costal village on the west of Ireland, where the young are leaving, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the adults to make a living.[return][return]Bernice, a recent widow, gives Kate a room and Kate begins to learn about the village and the people who live there. Without realising it, Kate's arrival gives a boost to the local lace making group, giving them new ideas, and making small but fundemental changes to the small group and their families. Not all feel comfortable with the changes, the local priest in particular as he has not moved forward with his community and has not realised that he needs to support his community in the modern day issues. [return][return]As the story moves on, it turns out that everyone has their own stories and issues, from the worries encountered by fisherman's wives whilst waiting for their husbands to return; through breast cancer; to domestic violence.[return][return]The depiction of the priest was a little stereotypical but he had his commuppence in the end. Not all threads were pulled together and tightly cleaned up - when does real life ever end so cleanly?… (more)
I loved this book....
Correction. I love the first 23 chapters of this book; the last chapter, however, left too many loose threads.
I get leaving some questions unanswered for the reader to further ponder, but it almost feels like the author just said "aw, chuck it" and wrapped it up quickly. When the chapter ended, I honestly had to go back to reread it, thinking I missed something - it was as if we were supposed to know who the child was, etc.
That said, despite the infuriating ending, the rest of the book was wonderful.… (more)
Correction. I love the first 23 chapters of this book; the last chapter, however, left too many loose threads.
I get leaving some questions unanswered for the reader to further ponder, but it almost feels like the author just said "aw, chuck it" and wrapped it up quickly. When the chapter ended, I honestly had to go back to reread it, thinking I missed something - it was as if we were supposed to know who the child was, etc.
That said, despite the infuriating ending, the rest of the book was wonderful.… (more)
26-year-old designer Kate Robinson flees to her ancestral homeland of Ireland after a failed fashion show, the death of her mother, and a relationship breakup. She has a little money and so backpacks around Ireland sleeping rough before arriving on the west coast, in the seaside hamlet of Glenmara. This Gaelic village is quickly going downhill as there are no jobs and no industry to keep people there. Kate stays with a woman called Bernie, alone and still grieving the loss of her husband, and a member of the local lace-making society. Other members include Aileen, mother of a difficult teenage daughter; Moira, a battered wife trying to hide what’s happening at home; Oona, in remission from breast cancer, and Colleen, whose fisherman husband is missing at sea. While ‘almost’ stuck on a rock face, Kate also meets local potter Sullivan Deane, who always has a frown on his face, and the local priest, a man who will not abide change. Kate is taught lace-making by the group and soon comes up with an idea for a line of exquisite lingerie. The group can make the lace and a friend can create a webpage to sell them on, however they need Sullivan Deane’s computer and have to leave the village to get an internet connection. It all sounds good, but the priest is suspicious. A nice read.… (more)
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Statistics
- Works
- 3
- Members
- 772
- Popularity
- #32,960
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 47
- ISBNs
- 24
- Languages
- 2
- Favorited
- 3
