My rating: 5 of 5 stars
We often catch ourselves day-dreaming of that idyllic life up in some quiet countryside, spending our days either by farming in the gardens or reading by the brook- an ideal getaway away from the bustling of the city life! An English author, named, Rosy Thornton, has once again allowed us to think about our guilty pleasure of getting away from our bustling life once and for all. The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton is a poignant combination of happy solitude away in some French countryside up in the mountains to sad, and monotonous life away in England. Also Thornton's magnificent tapestry of silk and love have managed to spin this tale into something rich and highly remarkable.
While reading this book, I was constantly thinking of a house with French windows and terrace up in some hills having a small garden with the pathway leading into the dense forest, which is inhabited by the wild boars and rabbits and sheep.
Synopsis:
Catherine, who is her near 50s, has been divorced for 7 years with a grown-up daughter, Lexie, and a son, Tom, in England. But one fine day, she sells her old life, pack up her belongings and set-away for her new home in a quiet French hillside, Cevennes Mountains. Her neighbors are just like her, simple, kind and helpful, especially, Mr. Bouschet, who helps her settle in her new home. Soon she gets acquainted with her other neighbors, like the dashing and mysterious farmer named, Patrick Castagnol and the good ol' Madame Bouschet. She sets up her business of making tapestries for divans and curtains and eventually her business flourishes, she becomes closer to Patrick, but not for a single moment she stops missing her children or her mother or her sister. But when her sis, Bryony comes to stay with her, things gets heated up between Patrick and Bryony, leaving Catherine feel jealous. But slowly her life takes a different turn and things that were supposed to happen, didn't happen in that way and leaving Catherine on the crossroads of her old life in England or her brave, new life in the Cevennes Mountains.
From bee-keeping to reading a paperback by the stream, Catherine's ideal life is an epitome of solitude as well as peace and freedom. Catherine was worried that she never seen a wild boar in the forest, but when she saw one, she didn't had anyone in her life to tell about it. It was the moment of pure bliss and joy, equally leaving her sad that she had no one currently to share it with- I felt sorry for her, leaving in a perfect and such impressionistic countryside, doesn't always bound to give you all joy freedom, if you are living there all alone, but Catherine is resourceful and brave and determined to lead her life in solitude. From the outside, life was perfect, from the inside, it was lonely and sad. She missed her daughter, Lexie and son, Tom, a lot, especially, her mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Now about her business of creating tapestries for simple things in home, have given us a glimpse of what the French Bureaucracy is capable of, they can only allow to set up agricultural or tourism business up in the hills, and since Catherine's business didn’t fall into that category, she couldn't get a license to her business.
The author's use of simplistic words has made the plot sound so simple, beautiful and enchanting and her vivid description of life had made it more enthralling to read the book. The tale is very French from French culture to language to culinary habits- everything had made the book so delectable. The characters are well-developed, from Catherine's chatty and fickle-minded daughter, Lexie to her intelligent and reserved son, Tom to her career-minded and casual sister, Bryony to her sweet and helpful, ex-husband, Graeme to the very English and very brooding, Patrick- each one of the characters influences the day-to-day characters that we often meet. Life, family, closeness and friendliness and wild boars- everything totally sums up a perfect French read in the afternoons! You might find yourself letting yourself away from the hasty-busty city life to some quiet countryside, while reading this book. This book is a total re-treat away from our daily, monotonous lifestyle and is bound to spellbind you into its enticing descriptions.
Courtesy: Thanks to Rosy Thornton for a paperback copy of The Tapestry of Love, in return for an honest review.
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Author Info:
Rosy Thornton was brought up in a village in Suffolk. Think rural and idyllic. Suffolk still very much has its claws in her; it drags her back every other Saturday to watch Ipswich Town in their annual, unsuccessful battle to secure promotion. Cambridgeshire is her home now, however. In her daily existence she is a lecturer and Fellow in Law at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where she tries to be serious now and again. She teaches and writes on an eclectic mix of topics, including landlord and tenant law, trusts, homelessness, and women and the law. Read More
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