International Women's Fiction Festival to Recognize American Author

Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader (Find this book in our catalog), has won the 2009 Baccante literary prize and will receive it September 26 during the sixth annual International Women's Fiction Festival, located in Matera, Italy. Each year, the Women's Fiction Festival awards its literary prize, the Baccante award, to someone who has made major contributions to women's fiction. Read more...

The prize judges called the book "an amazing journey through the world of publishing, a debut that turned a self-published story into a massive global success. . . . It's the story of a wounded woman, a symbol of women readers everywhere, who seeks to understand and interpret the world around her by delving deep inside herself. . . . The Lace Reader is a richly evocative book guaranteed to sweep the reader along in a headlong rush of events, against the brilliantly-described backdrop of modern-day Salem, Massachussetts and with a fascinating cast of characters, guaranteed to keep readers captivated all the way to the shocking ending."

If you like The Lace Reader, you may also like:
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane : a novel by Katherine Howe (Find this book in our catalog)
"While cleaning out her grandmother's house near Salem in the summer of 1991, Connie discovers an old key along with a fragment of paper bearing only the words Deliverance Dane. At the urging of her adviser, Connie embarks upon a frenzy of research in local archives. Evidence mounts that Deliverance was a local herbalist and wise woman who became a victim of the witch trials. Finding Deliverance's "physick book" of recipes becomes a priority for Connie, particularly when she realizes that it may hold the key to curing her new boyfriend of his mysterious ailment" (catalog notes)
The Heretic's Daughter : a novel by Kathleen Kent (Find this book in our catalog)
"Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft..." (cataolg notes)

McFaul Center Book Group found Lace Reader too convoluted

The McFaul Center book group read The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (Find this book in our catalog) for the month of April. This is what the group facilitator reported about their discussion:

"Not many of us liked it and several didn't even finish it. Just as lace can do, I found that the book completely unraveled at the end and left loose threads that made me feel that it wasn't worth the time that I spent reading it. Instead of being mysterious, I found it convoluted. I have no idea how the author managed a 2 million dollar sale of this book (along with book 2 whatever it may be). All of us were just shaking our head."

Check the Harford County Public Library catalog entry for this book to see a couple of magazine reviews. Why not check out the book and see what you think?

More Readers' Reviews from the Winter Reading Program

The Lace Reader: a Novel by Brunonia Barry Find this book in our catalog

Reader's review: " 'My name is Towner Whitney. No, that's not exactly true. My real name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time.'

From her opening revelation to a surprising plot twist at the end, join Towner in the atmospheric setting of Salem, Massachussetts as she attempts to unravel the complicated story of her past. With the ability to read the future in patterns of lace, the Whitney women have harbored secrets for generations. Now it is Towner, compelled to find the truth about the disappearance of two women, who must separate fact from fiction in an effort to rebuild her life."