A Spool of Blue Thread: SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2015

From Terri in the V-60 Book Group, Devon:

Well, this one truly surprised me. I've ready most of Tyler's previous novels, and although I've liked them, more or less, I've never loved them to the degree that other readers do. I've always found her characters so relentlessly quirky that I simply don't *believe* in them...and without belief, it's hard to take them or their lives very seriously. Thus I've tended to think of Tyler's books as "bathtub reading" (as a friend of mine would say): competent and pleasant but forgettable. I'm not sure I would have been in much of a hurry to pick up A Spool of Blue Thread if it weren't on the Bailey Prize short list, and I began the book with few expectations. But damn, she got me with this one!

Tyler's story of three generations in the Whitshank family has a depth and solidity to it that has (to this reader, anyway) been missing from her previous work...and I was completely engaged, even dazzled by it. There's nothing exceptionally innovative about the novel (unlike some of the other books on the Bailey Prize short list), it's a fairly straightforward narrative: skillfully constructed and masterfully told with wit, intelligence, and heart. Several of the other short-listed books take bigger chances with style, structure, genre, or voice -- and that's laudable; but none of them fully, truly *works*, in my opinion. (With the possible exception of A God in Every Stone, which I'm still reading.)

Tyler's novel, on the other hand, succeeds brilliantly...and demonstrates that there is still plenty of life (and art) to be found in the traditional novel form.

Unless A God in Every Stone completely bows me over, this one has my vote for the Bailey Prize. Much to my own surprise.

Bravo, Ms. Tyler.

The second of my three Baileys reads so far having read How To Be Both with Wine Women and Words. I'm a fan of Anne Tyler, Ladder of Years is on my all-time favourite list, and I raved about her to my fellow bookclubbers but this was a little disappointing. Much as I love the observational aspects of her writing, the characters felt a little one-dimensional and the story, for me, didn't really take off. Having said all that, the portrayal of family life with all its simmering sibling tensions was true to form if a little too familiar.

Whilst I acknowledge that the book has many truisms which might make the reader contemplate their own family relationships and the inevitability of growing old, I did not on the whole find this an enjoyable read. The family was just too dysfunctional and I couldn't sympathise with any of the characters or their stories. It has not inspired me to read any other Anne Tyler stories.

Our book group was very fortunate to be selected to shadow the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction and was sent a very exciting box full of copies of this beautiful book along with book plates, bunting, book marks plus a bottle of Baileys! We will be enjoying the Baileys on a Summer picnic so alcohol will in no way be affecting our views on this book!
After a couple of disappointing reads, our group was full of praise and superlatives on Anne Tyler's writing style. It is glorious and really captures the family dynamic of the Whitshanks. It follows the story of three generations of the family and succeeds in celebrating what defines a family, the stories that are passed on and how everyone rallies together and puts aside differences in a crisis. Surely everyone will see at least similarity to their own family experience while reading this book. The problem that we have had had with American novels in the past is that we have found it difficult to engage and relate to unfamiliar surroundings and situations, but A Spool of Blue Thread manages to recreate these locations and characters and be both new and familiar.
The Whitshank family are a colourful bunch. The father Red is a stable part of the family, running his own construction company and providing for this children, offering some of them jobs as adults. Mother Abby is slightly less conventional, collecting a cast of characters to invite to dinner which are branded her 'orphans' by the rest of the family. The book opens with the worry and predictableness of the black sheep child of the family Denny. Despite going awol for several months at a time, he returns to the family when they need him and we all couldn't help but like him. Brother Stem (real name Douglas, but there is a lovely moment when we find out he reason for his adopted name) is the most Whitshank of them all, despite him not being a biological child. His struggles as revelations come to light feel real and his relationship with Denny is a complex one.
Daughters Amanda and Jeannie are always there in the background, visiting their parents with a cacophony of grandchildren and becoming involved in chores. But one of our favourite characters was Stem's wife Nora who takes on her role of moving in with her in-laws with relish - taking over the cooking and household chores and annoying Abby by calling her 'Mother Whitshank'. The main character of the piece though seems to be the family house on Bouton Road and we hear the romantic story in which it first came to be owned by a Whitshank - Red's parents Junior and Linnie Mae, who's real story is not as romantic as we are first led to believe. We go back in time to their story of how they came to live in Baltimore, which is both amusing and a little disconcerting. We soon learn that although the men have the credit, the real orchestrators of the family are the unassuming eccentric women. The colour blue is a recurring theme and the story of the blue swing on the porch is an iconic one. We also loved the description of the annual family holiday, when they are next door to the same family every single year but have never thought to speak to them, instead watching and surmising about them. This encapsulates one of the greatest human joys - people watching!
We agreed that this a story written by a woman for women. Matriarchs across the world will sit up with sudden recognition while reading this book and it is one that I would definitely recommend to older women. However, our young group thoroughly enjoyed it (one read it in a day!) and even the man of the group conceded that although there was not enough action for him, it was brilliantly written and engaging. This is the point of the book. It is a study of family life, one that anyone who has been part of a family can identify with. It is subtle, easy to read, full of glorious descriptions and unforgettable, 'real' characters and for us should be the winner of the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction!

“A Spool of Blue Thread” – I love the way this author writes. She has created a family of wonderfully flawed characters. You feel like you’re out for coffee with the author and she’s telling you about a family that she knows. - Jenny

“A Spool of Blue Thread” centred around three generations of a dysfunctional family. I think there was only one chapter which captivated my attention, all the others were a bit drab. In fact, I found the book a bit dysfunctional. The constant time shift narrative was an annoyance and I didn’t empathise with any of the characters. All in all a mediocre read. - Alan

Houghton Reading Group