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Chapter Chit Chat
Lace Reader Review

Our book group was divided into three groups in our opinions about The Lace Reader. One or two of the women loved it, one or two hated it and felt they were ripped off by the ending, and the rest mostly just didn’t like it. But we all agreed that it made a great discussion book.

The women who loved the book really loved the setting. Both were familiar with Salem, and felt that the book did a great job describing it. As a group, we agreed that Salem was so integral to the story that it practically became a character of its own. The story had to be set in Salem; it wouldn’t have worked anywhere else.

Those who were angered by the book felt that there were not enough clues to allow you to figure out for yourself what the ending would be. They didn’t feel that it was necessary to ‘solve’ the mystery, but rather that it was not possible to do so. Some also felt that the symptoms of mental illness were not consistent with what was described in the book.

For the majority of the group, the impression was neutral, with reasons and comments ranging from “I couldn’t see why Rafferty would fall for Towner” to “Calvin was so evil it was frightening” to “What happened to Beezer, the brother? He was there early on in the novel and then he disappeared!” to “How did Towner not find the hidden pocket on the pillow?” A couple of women felt that the twist at the end redeemed the plot, while others liked the novel but thought the ending ruined it.

In general, the book itself was not a big hit with our group, but we agreed that we got a good discussion out of it. Beyond the talk about what we liked or disliked, we ended up discussing how the author came up with the story and how she ended up having the book published. We were impressed with the way that came about!

We talked about the religious overtones, comparing the witches to Calvin’s ‘religion.’ We talked about lacemaking (and we were all fans of the blurbs from the Lace Reader’s Guide at the beginning of the chapters). We talked about how it would be if we could read lace. We talked about abuse and the impact of abuse. We discussed mental illness and treatment methods. We discussed co-dependent relationships and whether or not Rafferty and Towner would last.

The final verdict, then, is that the book was not our favorite, but it really led to some great discussion. We have learned over the years that often the best-loved books create the least discussion, while the controversial ones give us so much more to talk about. One of the best things about book club is the opportunity to read books we might not otherwise have chosen personally to read. We are grateful we had the opportunity to read this book!