The Thread Collectors

Jacob and William have become fast friends.  They are standing in the middle of camp, talking music and preparing for their performance that night for the Union officers.  Music and a belief that all men should be free brought them together, but it’s the women they left behind that would connect their lives forever.  These women who prayed for their safety and used the few skills they have to produce gifts for the men and lead them back to safety.  Stella and Lily are resourceful where other women are willing to just stand by and let the world dictate their future.  These women provide for their families and keep advancing in the face of adversity for the men they love.

The Thread Collectors is a poignant tale of life during the American Civil War from usually unheard points of view – an enslaved concubine to a Confederate officer whose beloved runs away to fight for the Union, and a Jewish woman left behind in Union territory while her husband fights against the Confederacy.  Shaunna J Edwards and Alyson Richman were friends before forming their writing partnership for this novel but utilize their own unique perspectives in this storyline.  Loosely based on relatives and connections, the authors focused on the diversity of their four main characters, but also the similarities and the threads that bind a society together across so much hardship.  This is a story about staying true to who you are and looking past skin color to what really matters.

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I give The Thread Collectors 4 out of 5 stars.  I was surprised at the point of view taken in this novel and the honest look at what life would have been like on both sides of the equation – concubine slave and privileged white woman. Most historical fiction for this era focuses on the white women left behind on the plantations like Gone With the Wind or the white generals fighting on both sides of the war.  I did note a few challenges with the historical timeline – certain restaurants or foods described in the novel were not introduced to New Orleans until after the war from all documentation I was able to find.  These errors did make me question other historical mentions like battles and cities, but I found no other errors.  While this was a “shout it from the rooftops” book for me, it was a great read and I appreciate the difference in perspective more than anything.

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I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the Civil War or Antebellum period.  While widely known, the role of slave concubines and human trafficking markets aren’t usually described in the detail or relevance shown in this novel.  I would also recommend this for anyone interested in the history of New Orleans and the area surrounding the city.  The authors include references to real places and battles that may be interesting to some readers.  With mentions of slavery, concubines, death, and war, this book would be best directed to more mature audiences over 13.

I chose The Thread Collectors for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “Set in New Orleans”.  The majority of this book is spent in the Louisiana and Mississippi area, but one of the main characters is in the New Orleans area – it’s the portion of the book that most gripped my heart and had me interested in this storyline.  We are reading books set in The Crescent City because Mardi Gras is coming up on the 13^th!  Get your good books, some beignets or king cake, and celebrate with us!

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
• Current audio book: Stiltsville, Susanna Daniel
• Book I’m most looking forward to: Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert