Armchair Interviews
June, 2009

A THREAD OF TRUTH

A Thread of Truth, Marie Bostwick’s second novel in the Cobbled Court series, is a winner. The first book is A Single Thread.

Bostwick is a topnotch story teller. Her ability to weave her magic, alternating the point of view between two major characters is amazing. I enjoyed the “touch” of deep faith that is shared in the story. It made a good read just about perfect.

Ivy Peterman fled her home and the abusive husband who made her life a living hell. Once she decided to leave, she didn’t look back. A mistake in direction led her to New Bern, Connecticut where she told a “story” to protect herself and her two children. It was a story that while untrue, saw her safely ensconced in a shelter for battered women. She eventually was able to enter and live at the Stanton Center (an apartment building for domestic violence victims and their families).

Ivy was hired by Evelyn Dixon (a breast cancer survivor) at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop. She finds her new life as safe as life can be with an abusive husband who continues to search for her. She likes New Bern and the people and she’s decided to stick around for awhile. But Ivy’s peaceful new life is turned upside down when she inadvertently appears in a popular quilting show that is taped at her place of business. Ivy must fight for her new life and her children. But for the first time in her life, she won’t fight alone. There are good, strong women willing to “cover her back.”

Buy A Single Thread, follow it up with A Thread of Truth and enjoy hours of storytelling that will warm your heart and help renew your belief that people can be good, if given the chance.

Armchair Interviews says: A Thread of Truth is the perfect beach read.

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Indie Next List
June, 2009

A THREAD OF TRUTH
A THREAD OF TRUTH is an IndieNext Notable title for June 2009. Click here to learn more. 

Library Journal
May, 2009

A THREAD OF TRUTH
Bostwick brings back familiar characters in the second Cobbled Court novel (after A Single Thread), with the focus switching to Ivy Peterman. In fleeing an abusive husband, Ivy ends up in New Bern, CT, where she and her children find refuge at an apartment complex for victims of domestic abuse. When the town benefactor takes an interest in them, Ivy finds a job—and friends—at Cobbled Court Quilts. The companionship of these women proves vital when Ivy’s husband shows up, demanding that she return and, when that fails, accusing her of kidnapping their children. VERDICT A Single Thread focused on breast cancer; here, Bostwick highlights domestic abuse in a story that emphasizes the importance of friendship. Given those themes, as well as the details about quilting, this novel should appeal to fans of women’s fiction, especially those who enjoy needlecrafts. A similar title is Kate Jacobs’s The Friday Night Knitting Club. Highly recommended.— Lesa Holstine, Glendale P.L., AZ

Publishers Weekly
May, 2009

A THREAD OF TRUTH
Stitched into the heartwarming second installment of Bostwick's contemporary New England quilters series (after 2008's A Single Thread) is an unbreakable thread of friendship and faith. Following a pattern similar to her first (in which shop owner Evelyn Dixon fought breast cancer), Bostwick centers the action around a serious struggle: on the run from an abusive husband, Ivy Peterman and her children, Bethany and Bobby, find refuge in the New Bern, Conn., women's shelter. There, Ivy meets philanthropist Abigail Burgess Wynne and through her lands a job at Evelyn's shop, Cobbled Court Quilts. After 18 months of peace, Ivy's appearance in a Quilt Pink Day promotion, draws out her violent husband. When he appears at Evelyn's shop to confront Ivy, newfound friends and perspective give Ivy the strength to stand up to him, begin divorce proceedings and learn that hiding from fears won't resolve them. Bostwick switches effortlessly from Ivy's poignant story to quilting circle updates, keeping fans in the loop and on their toes with a surprising bit of marriage news. (June)

Publishers Weekly
August 18, 2008

Bostwick makes a seamless transition from historical fiction to the contemporary scene in this buoyant novel about the value of friendship among women. When Evelyn Dixon’s marriage ends, she leaves Texas and drives north until New Bern, Conn., captures her heart. There she pursues a dream of opening a quilt shop, and with little money and a lot of determination, she turns a derelict building into a haven for the crafty set. But three women who show up for quilting class end up learning about more than stitching and batting. Chilly, wealthy Abigail Burgess; her angry 19-year-old niece, Liza; and recently laid-off Margot Matthews all have different reasons for being there, but when Evelyn, having just learned she has breast cancer, breaks down, the trio unites to support her. Evelyn’s illness and recovery are the catalysts that force the others to re-examine their own lives, while hints of a possible romance for Evelyn add a complementary thread to the friendship, community and illness story lines. Bostwick’s polished style and command of plot make this story of bonding and sisterhood a tantalizing book club contender. (Nov.)

By the time you finish this book, the women in A SINGLE THEAD will feel like your own girlfriends--emotional, funny, creative and deeply caring. It's a story filled with wit and wisdom. Sit back and enjoy this big-hearted novel, and then pass it on to your best friend.
-New York Times Bestselling author, Susan Wiggs

In A SINGLE THREAD, Marie Bostwick beautifully captures the very essence of women's friendships—-the love, the pain, the trust, the forgiveness--and crafts a seamless and heartfelt novel from them. Evelyn, Abigail, Margot, and Liza are as real and endearing as my own closest friends, and as I turned the last page I felt that sweet, satisfying sorrow in having to say goodbye that marks the work of a writer at the top of her game.
-Kristy Kiernan, author of CATCHING GENIUS and MATTERS OF FAITH

This solid WWII-era romance from Bostwick (Fields of Gold) puts two self-reliant pilots, both of whom nurse childhoods hurts, on the same flight path. Oklahoma-born Morgan Glennon never met his father, a barnstormer who swept his mother off her feet before disappearing back into the sky; after Pearl Harbor, Morgan's dreams of flying take him straight from his freshman year at the University of Oklahoma into enlistment. Georgia Carter, 18, from “the cracker part of Florida, far from the beach” and the daughter of an erratic mother, takes a job at a diner near a Waukegan, Ill., airport, trying to get airtime to quell her flying jones (not easy as a woman). These two lives are very differently affected by WWII, and as the narrative moves back and forth between them, readers will wait for fate to bring them together. Bostwick fills out their destinies satisfyingly and delivers tempting brushes with intimacy at all the right moments before the end-of-war denouement.

In Fields of Gold, Bostwick told the story of Eva Glennon, a young Oklahoma woman. Now her son, Morgan, gets the chance to tell his tale. The other narrator is Georgia Carter. Both characters grew up in the 1920s and 1930s, children of unmarried mothers. Morgan, whose father is a famous aviator he’s never met, is lucky to have an extended family that loves him; despite his background, he becomes a confident young man. Unlike her mother who always searched for the right man to solve her problems, Georgia knows she has to be a realist. Both Morgan and Georgia turn to flying as a refuge and a way to find happiness. When World War II breaks out, Morgan enlists as a pilot. Georgia, who married a flight instructor and learned to fly, finds her own wings through joining up with the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASP). When Morgan returns to the States for retraining, he meets Georgia, and they struggle to find love. The book takes some liberties with Charles Lindbergh’s life, but Bostwick does an excellent job telling the story of the WASP. Since this novel doesn’t need to be read as a sequel, it is recommended for most fiction collections.—Lesa M. Holstine, Glendale P.L., AZ

The Oklahoman
Sunday Metro Section, November 19, 2006

German Teen Adjusts in America 
Marie Bostwick has written an entertaining and readable novel, "River's Edge" (Kensington Books, $14), that elicits an emotional response from the reader's attachment to the first-person narrator and chief character, Elise Braun. 
 
Braun is a teenage German girl sent by her father to live with relatives in America. The novel involves the challenges she must face because of this move, including adjusting to a new family, a new culture, a new language and more. 
 
The element of history during the Adolf Hitler reign is important to the novel, as well. 
Elise's first challenge comes because she was the only child born into a well-to-do German family. Her father is an officer in the German army; her mother a talented pianist. Her family has hired help to see to their every need. 
 
Elise now finds herself with an American family, the Mullers, that includes several children. The oldest child, Junior, is a teenager, a few years her senior; the next child, Cookie, is Elise's age; the youngest child is Curtis, a boy of 5 or 6. Elise learns to live and love in this new environment. 
 
As an only child, Elise never learned any practical skills. Her lack of practical domestic knowledge becomes apparent in her new setting. 
Her friendship with each member of her new family helps her make adjustments. She also receives help and friendship from an old family friend, Ms. Ludwig. Elise is also helped along by her new family as she tries to understand the feelings many Americans have about her country and its leader, Hitler. 
 
Learning a new language is not a major challenge, but when a person thinks in her native language and speaks in another, it takes time to adjust. Also, the nuances in a new language can create some problems for a nonnative speaker. Elise experiences her share of language problems. 

Bostwick adds to Elise's problems by tying into the story the historical events that involved the assassination attempts on Hitler's life by the German Christian resistance known as the Kreisau Circle. The author uses a number of actual names, dates, settings to underscore her use of history. Readers will enjoy this well-written, heartwarming story. 
— Paul Lehman
 
 
RIVER’S EDGE
 
“Lyrical prose and multifaceted characters fill the pages of this uniquely moving novel. The characters face the hardships of wartime in this believable and enthralling read.” 
– RT BOOKreviews 4 star review
 
“RIVER'S EDGE is a superb WWII drama starring real people struggling with difficult personal decisions. Marie Bostwick brings war to the home front with this deep look at the impact on those loved ones left behind.” – Harriet Klausner
 
FIELDS OF GOLD
 
“Captivating and hauntingly beautiful, this debut is a true gem.” 
– RT BOOKclub 4.5½-star review
 
“A gripping, heartwarming story . . . complete with fascinating characters and a page-turning plot.”  – Bestselling author Dorothy Garlock
 "A touching story . . ." – Bestselling author Patricia Gaffney
 "Paints a vivid picture of a bygone era as the backdrop for an elegant and engaging tale." – Connecticut Muse Magazine
 
“A lyrical, lush and lovely novel from a clever and talented new writer.” 
– Bestselling author Jane Green