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Vendor
Liepman Literary Agency
Marc Koralnik
Original language
English

THE THREAD COLLECTORS

Alyson Richman Shaunna J. Edwards

For fans of Martha Hall Kelly's Sunflower Sisters and Sadeqa Johnson's Yellow Wife, and loosely inspired by the authors' own family histories, a rich historical novel set during the Civil War about two women—one Black and yearning for freedom in New Orleans, the other a Jewish abolitionist in New York—whose resourceful sewing to support their communities leads them on unexpected, dangerous journeys as they fight to bring their beloveds home from the front.
1863: In a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician.

Meanwhile, in New York City, a Jewish woman stitches a quilt for her husband, who is stationed in Louisiana with the Union Army. Between abolitionist meetings, Lily rolls bandages and crafts quilts with her sewing circle for other soldiers, too, hoping for their safe return home. But when months go by without word from her husband, Lily resolves to make the perilous journey South to search for him.

As these two women risk everything for love and freedom during the brutal Civil War, their paths converge in New Orleans, where an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us. Loosely inspired by the authors' family histories, this stunning novel will stay with readers for a long time.
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Published 2022-08-01 by Graydon House

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Cappelen Damm

Planeta

From BOOKLIST Issue: June 1, 2022 The Thread Collectors. By Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman Aug. 2022. 384p. Graydon, paper, $16.99 (9781525899782); e-book, $12.99 (9780369717870) Veteran writer Richman partners with debut author Edwards in a Civil War–era novel about the converging paths of two families. In New Orleans, Stella, a Black woman, says goodbye to her beloved, William, as he leaves to join the Union army. In New York City, Lily, a Jewish woman, contributes to the abolitionist movement and pens letters to her husband, Jacob, a Union army musician. While serving, William and Jacob form a friendship over music, and the lives of all four are then drawn together. The Thread Collectors pushes back against simple Civil War narratives and spotlights historical realities, including the abysmal treatment of Black Union soldiers, Southern antisemitism, and Northern racism. While William and Jacob fight these injustices on the ground, Stella and Lily cleverly use thread as their own means of fighting back with quiet but powerful courage. This book, with its distinct prose, quick chapters, and dynamic characters, provides a stirring narrative and much-needed perspective in Civil War fiction. — Samantha Randolph