phyllish
Written on Apr 13, 2019
Willie assumed Laurel was rich because of the manner of her dress and because he saw her travel in a carriage.
Laurel assumed that Langdon could make her happy because he was rich.
Langdon assumed Quincy was lazy because of his skin color.
A Silken Thread is a multi-faceted story of Atlanta at the end of the nineteenth century. Revolving around the International Cotton Exposition, it examines issues of prejudice thirty years after the Civil War through the eyes of four young adults who worked at this event. Each of the four had sections of the story devoted to their perspective and each of those sections had a completely unique voice, almost to the point that you could tell who was being spoken of by the language used.
The hero, Willie, had such sacrificial love for his father. When his father had a stroke, Willie took on the responsibility of working and caring for him. And better still, he didn’t even consider it a sacrifice – it is simply what you do for your family.
Laurel is an interesting woman. Being the youngest by far in a large family, she had grown up with domineering siblings and was used to taking orders and not standing up for herself. She had insecurities and desired to please her family. She was a bit naive, maybe even more than a bit, but I didn’t find her annoying. Yes, I did want to shake some sense into her in a few places but, fortunately, she had a great brother, Eugene, who cared for her enough that I knew she would be okay.
My feelings about Quincy vacillated between liking him and not. His temper, while some would say was justified, was born from a life of feeling insignificant and even demeaned. I loved how his “mam” was such a wise woman and her way of bringing the scriptures to light for him. I did feel that he was written in a way to make him look quite ignorant, though, and that bothered me. I understood that he wouldn’t have been well educated, but the ignorance and almost naivety he displayed felt like a stereotype.
I especially loved the way the author’s heart came through in the story. It is so evident that she loves the Lord and desires her readers to embrace the spiritual truths that she shares here. They were clear and not twisted to fit the story.
While there was romance, A Silken Thread has an element of mystery and danger. The romance appeared to be secondary to the story itself and while the friendship was established well, how it blossomed into romance was not expounded on and almost felt like it was tacked on at the end. The themes of integrity, surrendering to God, and seeking the Lord for wisdom were paramount.
In addition to liking the main characters, I especially loved Langdon’s dad and respected him so much! And loved the pastor of Willie’s church. Rusty the cat and the relationship he had with Willie’s pa was so very sweet!
There were some matters that lacked resolution. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say the heightened danger Willie was concerned about seemed to just be forgotten after the frame-up and it was never revealed who was responsible for the incident that resulted in said frame-up.
Readers who enjoy seeing a slice of life from another time and being challenged spiritually should consider this story.
Read my full review with a Preview at Among the Reads
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
