**Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2015** **Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2015** **Sunday Times bestseller** `It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon...' This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she and Red fell in love that day in July 1959. The whole family on the porch, relaxed, half-listening as their mother tells the same tale they have heard so many times before. And yet this gathering is different. Abby and Red are getting older, and decisions must be ...
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**Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2015** **Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2015** **Sunday Times bestseller** `It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon...' This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she and Red fell in love that day in July 1959. The whole family on the porch, relaxed, half-listening as their mother tells the same tale they have heard so many times before. And yet this gathering is different. Abby and Red are getting older, and decisions must be made about how best to look after them and their beloved family home. They've all come, even Denny, who can usually be relied on only to please himself. From that porch we spool back through three generations of the Whitshanks, witnessing the events, secrets and unguarded moments that have come to define who and what they are. And while all families like to believe they are special, round that kitchen table over all those years we also see played out our own hopes and fears, rivalries and tensions - the essential nature of family life. OVER A MILLION ANNE TYLER BOOKS SOLD
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Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $6.60, fair condition, Sold by Bestsellers Returns rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hereford, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Vintage.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $6.72, very good condition, Sold by Bestsellers Returns rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hereford, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Vintage.
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Very good. Creased Spine. Mark to cover where a sticker has been removed Tanning to edge of pages No.1 BESTSELLERS-great prices, friendly customer service-usually dispatched within 24 hrs.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $13.99, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2016 by Vintage.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 368 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $19.04, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2016 by Vintage.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 368 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $4.35, good condition, Sold by Phatpocket Limited rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham Abbey, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Chatto & Windus.
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Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Shows some signs of wear but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $4.91, very good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Chatto & Windus.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $4.92, very good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Vintage.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Vintage.
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Chatto & Windus.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of A Spool of Blue Thread to cart. $4.99, good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
A large old-fashioned house in Baltimore is both the scene of and a primary character in "A Spool of Blue Thread" (2015) the 20th novel of Anne Tyler. The novel follows the course of the house from its construction by the Whitshank family, a family of builders and contractors. The Whitshanks soon acquire the house from its original owners and occupy it for decades. Age ultimately catches up with all. With the death of the family matriarch, Abby, and the growing infirmity of her husband, Red, the family is forced to leave the house as the family members go their ways.
It is a broad but simple story and shares much with Tyler's earlier novels. The book focuses on family life and on family members as well as on the old house as a unifying force. The book flips back and forth in time between the 1920s and the early 21st Century. The book consists of four parts, with the first and far the longest part set in contemporary Baltimore, the second and third parts going back in time to the courtships of the two primary Whitshank couples, and the brief final part returning to contemporary life.
Most of the focus is on the present generation of Whitshanks, with the mother, Abby, and the father, Red, and their family of four children, two boys and two girls. Three of the children have married with families of their own while the fourth, Denny, is the odd and most intriguing character. He has never fit in, wanders away from the family, quarrels, and has difficulty finding work. He has also been his mother's favorite. Denny and Abby receive most of the attention in this book. Denny in his aloneness resembles many men in other Tyler novels such as Ezra Tull in "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" and Barnaby Gitlin in "A Patchwork Planet" as well as the wayward son Jack Boughton in the "Gilead" novels of Marilynne Robinson. For all of the book's emphasis on family, the wayward, solitary, Denny is clearly the character that most captures Tyler's heart.
The book develops the long story of family tensions and heartbreaks and of moments of togetherness and attempt to find unity. Tyler portrays each of the characters as individuals. The book moves slowly and includes some large communal family scenes, especially long dinners. The old age of Abby and Red is the glue that brings the family together as each of the children and their own families return to the old house to help their parents and to return to the tensions of old among them.
The earlier generation of Whitshanks, Junior and Linne, also play crucial roles in the story. They had met when young and got back together later. both under less than ideal circumstances. Their reunion takes place in Depression-Era Baltimore with the scenes of that time beautifully described. Junior establishes himself in the construction business and builds and maintains the old house, only to purchase it from its original owners as the family home. Much of the book shows the difference in classes between working people such as the Whitshanks and the more educated community where the old house is situated. The Whitshanks never fit in with their surroundings and become convinced of their own uniqueness.
"What a world, what a world" the title of Part two of the novel aptly describes the book and its story of the everyday. ."A Spool of Blue Thread" is a moving story of family and people, although it moves slowly in places. It is longer and more spacious than most of Tyler's novels. It took time, but I was drawn into the story and into the family. Tyler understands people and human frailty well. The book offers its moments of humor together with a clearsighted, view of people with their faults -- told without anger or criticism. Individuals, such as Denny, still must struggle to find their way. "What a world, what a world", indeed.
