mommamel11's review against another edition
4.0
Caroline Shelby, aspiring fashion designer, left her small town of Oysterville, to try her fortune on the red carpets of NYC. Tragedy strikes: Caroline loses both her best friend and her reputation. She finds herself with no option but to return home to her family and friends, including her former best friend who is married to her first love. Caroline soon finds a use for her talents, bringing together a community of women to sew for the greater good. This is a satisfying story that considers a difficult issue. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
extraaardvark's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kbranfield's review against another edition
5.0
The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs is a poignant, heartwarming novel that features a meaningful and topical storyline.
Caroline Shelby is on the cusp of attaining her dream of becoming a successful fashion designer when her hopes and dreams are soon dashed by her boss Mick Taylor. She is still reeling from her professional loss when her best friend Angelique Baptiste unexpectedly dies. Caroline is now the guardian of Angelique's two young children, six year Flick and his five year old sister Addie. Soon after, she packs up the children and leaves New York to return to Oysterville, her hometown on the Washington coast. Living with her parents, Caroline hopes to salvage her tattered career but getting used to instant motherhood takes some adjustment. Determined to understand what happened to Angelique, Caroline puts together a domestic violence support group for the women in her area. Growing into her new life, Caroline finds unexpected success with her fledgling design line. But will the opportunity for success slip through her fingers when she decides to confront her past in New York?
Growing up, Caroline is the only one in her family whose future plans did not include working in her family's wildly popular restaurant. She has spent the past several years working hard and barely scraping as she pursues her career goals. Powerless when she is betrayed by someone she trusts, Caroline is frustrated at being forced to start over again. She is also very concerned by her suspicions that Angelique is being abused. After her friend's death, Caroline has no choice but to return home. She is grateful for her family's support but Caroline is troubled by the uncertainty about their future.
Caroline's happiness over reconnecting with Will and Sierra is tempered by her unresolved feelings about her childhood friends. The high point of her childhood summers revolve around Will's yearly visits with his grandparents. They spend every waking minute together and their easy camaraderie results in shared secrets and a deep emotional bond. Fast forward a few years, and Caroline is now best friends with Sierra. But the addition of Sierra to her summers with Will causes unforeseen complications for Caroline. Deciding the best course of action is moving to New York after high school graduation, Caroline tries to forget how she feels about Will. After he and Sierra marry, her friendship with the couple gradually fades away. Which is why Caroline is so stunned to discover she still has feelings for Will. What impact will Sierra's decision to chase her own dreams have on Will and Caroline?
The Oysterville Sewing Circle is a captivating novel of family, redemption and ultimately, love. The narration weaves back and forth in time and provides a touching portrait of Caroline's and Will's magical summers and close friendship. The characters are richly developed with relatable strengths and all too human foibles. The coastal setting is idyllic and quite healing as Caroline, Addie and Flick settle into their new life together. The domestic abuse aspect of the storyline is heart-wrenching and realistically portrayed. Caroline's struggles with her former boss shine a much needed light on how easy it is for powerful men to take advantage of the women who work for them. With a realistic storyline and endearing characters, Susan Wiggs has deftly woven together a multi-layered and deeply affecting novel that will touch readers hearts and linger in their minds long after the last page is turned. I absolutely adored and highly recommend this charming yet sometimes bittersweet novel.
Caroline Shelby is on the cusp of attaining her dream of becoming a successful fashion designer when her hopes and dreams are soon dashed by her boss Mick Taylor. She is still reeling from her professional loss when her best friend Angelique Baptiste unexpectedly dies. Caroline is now the guardian of Angelique's two young children, six year Flick and his five year old sister Addie. Soon after, she packs up the children and leaves New York to return to Oysterville, her hometown on the Washington coast. Living with her parents, Caroline hopes to salvage her tattered career but getting used to instant motherhood takes some adjustment. Determined to understand what happened to Angelique, Caroline puts together a domestic violence support group for the women in her area. Growing into her new life, Caroline finds unexpected success with her fledgling design line. But will the opportunity for success slip through her fingers when she decides to confront her past in New York?
Growing up, Caroline is the only one in her family whose future plans did not include working in her family's wildly popular restaurant. She has spent the past several years working hard and barely scraping as she pursues her career goals. Powerless when she is betrayed by someone she trusts, Caroline is frustrated at being forced to start over again. She is also very concerned by her suspicions that Angelique is being abused. After her friend's death, Caroline has no choice but to return home. She is grateful for her family's support but Caroline is troubled by the uncertainty about their future.
Caroline's happiness over reconnecting with Will and Sierra is tempered by her unresolved feelings about her childhood friends. The high point of her childhood summers revolve around Will's yearly visits with his grandparents. They spend every waking minute together and their easy camaraderie results in shared secrets and a deep emotional bond. Fast forward a few years, and Caroline is now best friends with Sierra. But the addition of Sierra to her summers with Will causes unforeseen complications for Caroline. Deciding the best course of action is moving to New York after high school graduation, Caroline tries to forget how she feels about Will. After he and Sierra marry, her friendship with the couple gradually fades away. Which is why Caroline is so stunned to discover she still has feelings for Will. What impact will Sierra's decision to chase her own dreams have on Will and Caroline?
The Oysterville Sewing Circle is a captivating novel of family, redemption and ultimately, love. The narration weaves back and forth in time and provides a touching portrait of Caroline's and Will's magical summers and close friendship. The characters are richly developed with relatable strengths and all too human foibles. The coastal setting is idyllic and quite healing as Caroline, Addie and Flick settle into their new life together. The domestic abuse aspect of the storyline is heart-wrenching and realistically portrayed. Caroline's struggles with her former boss shine a much needed light on how easy it is for powerful men to take advantage of the women who work for them. With a realistic storyline and endearing characters, Susan Wiggs has deftly woven together a multi-layered and deeply affecting novel that will touch readers hearts and linger in their minds long after the last page is turned. I absolutely adored and highly recommend this charming yet sometimes bittersweet novel.
sd4k's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
aliciagoeser's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
tamaralgage1's review against another edition
4.0
This was an incredibly enjoyable book. First book I have read by this author and will certainly read more. The subject matter regarding domestic abuse, illegal immigration, the fate of children and so much more are intertwined in this tale. Highly recommend...
jen2499's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed reading this book. Wasn’t exactly what I expected but I liked the direction it went in.
attytheresa's review
3.0
I so wanted this to be better, and it easily could have been. At times it delivered, but there were too many sudden story jumps around an unnecessary and loooong flashback that I can't reward it. I did add a half star because the author is sharing a percentage of her royalties to a nonprofit in her home county that provides safe, supportive, longer-term affordable housing for survivors of domestic violence. I borrowed this in ebook from NYPL. I will probably now buy a few copies to give as gifts.
Caroline is a young designer working in the NYC fashion studio of a hugely successful established designer. One of her best friends is supermodel Angelique, the single mother of 2 mixed race children for whom she agrees to stand as guardian if ever needed, and who also Caroline suspects is being physically abused. At the same time her boss is stealing her breakthrough designs and claiming them as his own, Caroline comes home to find Angelique dead from an overdose. Suddenly that casual agreement to be a guardian becomes real.
Having no other real options, Caroline returns home to Oysterville, WA where she reconnect with her family, beginning the process of providing a safe and secure home for the 2 kids and beginning from scratch as a designer. Personally struggling with understanding what happened to Angelique, Caroline atarts the Oysterville Sewing Circle as a safe zone support group for women experiencing, or have survived, domestic abuse.
And these chapters shine. What doesn't shine is the long revisit to Caroline's past relationship with her best friends Will and Sierra. Too much time and detail is spent on this, hurting the rest of the story and detracting from the eventual ending. Several chapters could easily have been summarized in a couple of paragraphs. Fortunately there is a terrific ending, one fitting in the era of #MeToo, that lived up to the initial promise.
Caroline is a young designer working in the NYC fashion studio of a hugely successful established designer. One of her best friends is supermodel Angelique, the single mother of 2 mixed race children for whom she agrees to stand as guardian if ever needed, and who also Caroline suspects is being physically abused. At the same time her boss is stealing her breakthrough designs and claiming them as his own, Caroline comes home to find Angelique dead from an overdose. Suddenly that casual agreement to be a guardian becomes real.
Having no other real options, Caroline returns home to Oysterville, WA where she reconnect with her family, beginning the process of providing a safe and secure home for the 2 kids and beginning from scratch as a designer. Personally struggling with understanding what happened to Angelique, Caroline atarts the Oysterville Sewing Circle as a safe zone support group for women experiencing, or have survived, domestic abuse.
And these chapters shine. What doesn't shine is the long revisit to Caroline's past relationship with her best friends Will and Sierra. Too much time and detail is spent on this, hurting the rest of the story and detracting from the eventual ending. Several chapters could easily have been summarized in a couple of paragraphs. Fortunately there is a terrific ending, one fitting in the era of #MeToo, that lived up to the initial promise.
megan_prairierose's review against another edition
1.0
I can't even. There are better books that deal with domestic violence. Also don't shame a woman for how she dresses or what she chooses to do with her body.