A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

A Spool of Blue Thread

by Anne Tyler

"It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon." This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she fell in love with Red that day in July 1959. The whole family -- their two daughters and two sons, their grandchildren, even their faithful old dog -- is on the porch, listening contentedly as Abby tells the tale they have heard so many times before. And yet this gathering is different too: Abby and Red are growing older, and decisions must be made about how best to look after them, and the fate of the house so lovingly built by Red's father. Brimming with the luminous insight, humor, and compassion that are Anne Tyler's hallmarks, this capacious novel takes us across three generations of the Whitshanks, their shared stories and long-held secrets, all the unguarded and richly lived moments that combine to define who and what they are as a family.

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

Share
I chose to listen to A Spool of Blue Thread and I am delighted that I did. Kimberly Farr the narrator beautifully captured the characters and I loved listening to the lilt in her voice. I would say that this was more of a reading as voice changes for characters were subtle.

The tale takes place in Baltimore and centers on the Whitshanks family home. The book takes us back and forth through time sharing moments with the four generations who grew up within the walls of their home. We meet Junior and Linnie, their son Red and his wife Abby along with their four children and grandchildren. Taylor shares secrets, how they met, rearing the children and even dips into social standing, prejudices and family dynamics from the avoider to the nurturer.

A Spool of Blue Thread is character focused and has a Sunday afternoon lazy pace filled with conversations, stories and daily life. These conversations and stories kept me picking up the audio repeatedly. While there was nothing to get me anxious or have me holding my breath, I was rather like a fly on the wall eager to dissect this family, and to witness what made them tick and explore how their different personalities messed. I could see members of my own family and what roles we take. I laughed aloud watching the siblings interact as Dad zoned out and Mom was ever so careful to not say the wrong thing all while driving home her opinion. Repeatedly. :snort:  It tackles obstacles like illness, friendship, work, neighbors and economics.
“You’re only ever as happy as your least happy child?"

The tale was quirky and fascinating even the home itself became a character. What made this wonderful was how realistic it was. It offered a rare glimpse behind the walls of your presumably perfect neighbors and makes your realize they are just as crazy as you and your family. The only issue I had and it may be that I listened on audio, ( if you have read it let me know if you experienced this) I didn’t always know what period we were in and had to sometimes stop and rewind a bit to determine who we were talking about and what generation.

“The disappointments seemed to escape the family’s notice, though. That was another of their quirks: they had a talent for pretending that everything was fine. Or maybe it wasn’t a quirk at all. Maybe it was just further proof that the Whitshanks were not remarkable in any way whatsoever.”

A Spool of Thread was a fun listen for me, and those looking for an interest character based read will enjoy this literary fiction.

Audio received from publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 24 March, 2015: Finished reading
  • 24 March, 2015: Reviewed