velarin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I have a major bone to pick with this book but I feel like it would be unfair to get to it before mentioning the clear merits and successes of the story and author.
Carole Martinez uses the language masterfully. She’s weaving a beautiful tapestry, her words following thread and needle of our protagonist - Frasquita. Threads of the Heart features some of the most evocative language I have ever had the pleasure to read.
Magical realism of the novel is truly magical. The abstract mingles with the mundane to create a beautiful tale of generational trauma, feminism and humanity.
THAT SAID
Threads of the Heart is a prime example of why every book should feature trigger warnings within the opening pages. I did not expect that I would have to brace a full page of explicit pedophilia. Why would you write that? And why would anyone want to read that? I’ve read my fair share of brutal and cruel stories but I can’t find a reason of why did we need an explicit description of that particular scene.
It’s a story of a journey through an uncaring world with a glimmer of hope personified in some of its (mostly female) inhabitants. It’s brutal and crude at times but I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t for the scene mentioned above. It poisoned my reading and I wasn’t able to enjoy the book past the infamous chapter. A shame.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
ghilimei's review against another edition
5.0
O poveste frumoasă, misterioasă, supranaturală, un fel de 'veac de singurătate' duios și feminin, cu nuanțe magice de poveste în poveste. Patru sute de pagini nu mi-au fost deloc îndestulătoare pentru povestea acestei franțuzoaice cu spirit spaniol.
Câteva din temele și simbolurile întâlnite în cartea asta sunt: magia, misterul feminin, destinul, povestitorul, cuvântul scris versus cuvântul rostit, lumină versus întuneric, soare versus lună, obsesia, nebunia, dragostea, moartea, călătoria, uitarea, singurătatea, căpcăunul...
Ce mi s-a părut cel mai interesant e că mai ales bărbații din această carte par să cadă pradă diverselor forme ale nebuniei, de cele mai multe ori manifestată printr-o obsesie oarbă, consumatoare: obsesia pentru păsări, care naște chiar un copil-pasăre, obsesia pentru cifre dătătoare de insomnie, obsesia fugii, obsesia de a avea o anumită femeie, obsesia revoluționară sau obsesia ce transformă un bărbat în căpcăun. Și mai interesant este că această nebunie pare să nu atingă de la sine femeile, ea este transmisă ca o boală, conturându-le destinul împotriva voinței lor. Ca urmare, singura obsesie de care par să sufere femeile din această lume supranaturală este cea a fugii, a mersului neîntrerupt nici măcar de burta rotunjită din care copilul uită se se nască pentru a nu întrerupe călătoria mamei, preluând apoi în mod tragic această nebunie, exact ca pe o boală transmisibilă de la mamă la făt.
Câteva din temele și simbolurile întâlnite în cartea asta sunt: magia, misterul feminin, destinul, povestitorul, cuvântul scris versus cuvântul rostit, lumină versus întuneric, soare versus lună, obsesia, nebunia, dragostea, moartea, călătoria, uitarea, singurătatea, căpcăunul...
Ce mi s-a părut cel mai interesant e că mai ales bărbații din această carte par să cadă pradă diverselor forme ale nebuniei, de cele mai multe ori manifestată printr-o obsesie oarbă, consumatoare: obsesia pentru păsări, care naște chiar un copil-pasăre, obsesia pentru cifre dătătoare de insomnie, obsesia fugii, obsesia de a avea o anumită femeie, obsesia revoluționară sau obsesia ce transformă un bărbat în căpcăun. Și mai interesant este că această nebunie pare să nu atingă de la sine femeile, ea este transmisă ca o boală, conturându-le destinul împotriva voinței lor. Ca urmare, singura obsesie de care par să sufere femeile din această lume supranaturală este cea a fugii, a mersului neîntrerupt nici măcar de burta rotunjită din care copilul uită se se nască pentru a nu întrerupe călătoria mamei, preluând apoi în mod tragic această nebunie, exact ca pe o boală transmisibilă de la mamă la făt.
hiroto's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 rounded up to 5 because that was a magical little book with a unique quality in its writing.
koszulek's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
digitaldiarymp4's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amelie5m's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
whats_margaret_reading's review against another edition
4.0
I read this one on a plane, so I had the privilege of almost reading it in one sitting. The Threads of the Heart by Carole Martinez (trans. from the French by Howard Curtis) chronicles the life of Frasquita, a Spanish woman given the gift of magical sewing ability by a magic box passed down from mother to daughter in her family. She tries to live a normal life, but the magical elements of the plot, including her husband living in the chicken coop like a chicken for more than a year, get in the way. The novel, narrated by Frasquita's youngest daughter, follows the more and more strange, verging on fantastical, events in Frasquita's life and how she is slowly worn down by her extraordinary powers. In the superstitious Spanish countryside in which Fransquita lives, her extraordinary abilities arouse suspicion and fear from those around her.
While this had a tad too much magical realism for my own taste, the novel was well written and while I had other books I had brought with me, this one captured my attention and proved to be a fantastic and heart-wrenching story of the life of a woman with extraordinary powers.
While this had a tad too much magical realism for my own taste, the novel was well written and while I had other books I had brought with me, this one captured my attention and proved to be a fantastic and heart-wrenching story of the life of a woman with extraordinary powers.
rdebner's review against another edition
4.0
At the very beginning of the book, I doubted whether I was going to like it, but it didn't take long for the story to grab me and not let go. A family saga like no other.
johannalm's review
4.0
The Threads of the Heart, Carole Martinez
Seeped in magic realism, this first novel is quite the read. A family saga set in Southern Spain and North Africa, the novel weaves a tale of a family caught up in small town superstition and mystic lore. The young mother marries, her husband goes a tad crazy, while she has many daughters who inherit the dark secrets of the women of her family. Each child is burdened with something odd or magical and all must learn to survive as they follow their mother on a long walk south. The story is told by the youngest child as she records the trials and tribulations of her family, including the story of her one brother destined to try to fulfill their father's crazy fantasy. Very dreamy descriptive writing, very engaging story, very fine work for a first novel.
Seeped in magic realism, this first novel is quite the read. A family saga set in Southern Spain and North Africa, the novel weaves a tale of a family caught up in small town superstition and mystic lore. The young mother marries, her husband goes a tad crazy, while she has many daughters who inherit the dark secrets of the women of her family. Each child is burdened with something odd or magical and all must learn to survive as they follow their mother on a long walk south. The story is told by the youngest child as she records the trials and tribulations of her family, including the story of her one brother destined to try to fulfill their father's crazy fantasy. Very dreamy descriptive writing, very engaging story, very fine work for a first novel.