Anne's Reviews > The Lacemaker

I kinda feel bad for giving this beautiful book such a low rating (given that I was really hoping it'd be a 5-star book for me), but unfortunately I found it very underwhelming, and did not derive much pleasure in reading the last half or so.

But let's begin with the positive.

What makes The Lacemaker a good book:

* I don't care how many times I hear the "don't judge a book by its cover", I 100% do and a beautiful cover is always an incentive for me to pick up the book. Which is exactly what happened while I was browsing the library shelves one last time before quarantine, and chanced upon this loveliness when I checked the Laura Frantz section. This cover is GORGEOUS. I WANT THAT SLEEVE. I LOVE IT.

* The setting is quite simply amazing. When you read this book, you ARE in 1775 Virginia. Laura Frantz is reputedly one of the best Christian historical fiction authors out there for a reason. Because her books actually feel historical. In-depth research is evident, and the pre-Revolution atmosphere is perfectly captured, from brewing tension to outright raids. So yes. A far as history goes, this was great.

* Likewise, the attention to detail is astounding. Clothing descriptions are accurate and carefully sprinkled throughout for nice visuals, and the author also does an excellent job with surroundings and daily life happenings. I loved all the little details like the Welsh bread and the Independence Tea and the lack of dressmaking pins (the horror!). Everything was so well put together, and I love learning a thing or two after finishing a book. This novel had substance, and I appreciated that.

* There was good characterization, if we remove the characters from the plot, which I shall address in a second. Noble Rynallt, master of the great Ty Mawr, perfectly captured the essence of the tall-dark-handsome hero devoted to a Good Cause, and Liberty (Lady Elisabeth) encapsulated the beautiful, slender and flower-looking heroine who ends up having more backbone than it might seem. Sure, they were cliché, but they were done well. I liked them.

* This book had a lot of Poldark feels to it (kind of), which is one of my favourite TV shows, so I really enjoyed that.

Unfortunately, my list of good things pretty much stops here.

What Was Utterly Disappointing about The Lacemaker:

* Okay. You cannot, you absolutely CANNOT give me a book with a title like The Lacemaker AND NOT TALK ABOUT LACEMAKING. THIS WAS MY BIGGEST INCENTIVE TO READ THIS BOOK. I thought the heroine would, you know, ACTIVELY be making lace throughout the book, and that we'd get charming details of how it's made and used, etc. And right, to be fair, there obviously IS lacemaking in this book, to a certain extent. There are references now and again to bits of lace on sleeves or on cushions, and the heroine does try to take up lacemaking as a living for a hot minute in the middle of the plot, but that's pretty much it. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH LACE TO CALL A BOOK "THE LACEMAKER". *she says with her nose high in the air*

* The romance. Oh, my word. I have never witnessed a breathtakingly blooming romance plummet so dramatically into lukewarm waters IN MY LIFE. The beginning is SO DARN GOOD. You have the elegant Liberty (then Lady Elisabeth), a picture of perfection in her tightly-laced stays and rich gowns, playing the part of the poised and controlled Daughter of the House, and you have the dashing, ruggedly-handsome Independence man Rynallt, trying his best to make up for his cousin's neglect of his fiancée (being Lady Elisabeth). Amidst candlelit ballroom scenes, swishing skirts and powdered wigs, they slowly get to know each other, and the beginnings of the romance are deliciously slow and carefully measured.

BUT THEN. All of a sudden, with no warning whatsoever, all the chemistry, all the steam just evaporate like a neglected cup of tea. Pretty much every single romantic scene gets dampened by other pressing concerns that, granted, are important to consider in the grand scheme of the plot, but that so effectively interrupted the romance that it just...wasn't romantic anymore. I lost count of how many times Noble and Liberty would be in the middle of a cute scene before it was broken off with thoughts of impeding war, or important paperwork. I understand that your paperwork is important man, BUT STOP KILLING THE ROMANCE. This was all so disappointing after such a promising beginning.

* Likewise, the main plot. SO good in the beginning, so well thought-out, so much building tension. Historical characters are introduced, there is talk of spies and treason and prisoners and it promises to be so exciting. It's not. I'm still unsure of what actually should/did happen in this book. There are so many little random threads here and there. This was especially disappointing considering how good the setting was.

*There is SUCH a fuss made about Liberty's mother in the first half: when she's going to come back, what she'll do, etc, etc. And no sooner does she finally arrive than she LEAVES AGAIN.

*Lady Elisabeth's change of name to Liberty is rather very random, and quite unnecessary. You don't have to be named "Liberty" in order to believe in liberty.

*A lot of the secondary characters were rather flat and I did not understand some of their purposes. Several are mentioned and then never seen/heard of again.

*I can't begin to describe how utterly anti-climactic the last quarter of the book is. JUST WHAT. The main characters lost my sympathies because everything just felt so disconnected. I KNOW this author is capable of writing epic scenes and enthralling battles. Where were they? Every major plot point in this book happens off-stage. WHY. IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD. I was cheering for a happy ending so that we'd be spared further character musings and bemoaning of hard times and impeding war. Things still feel very unresolved by the end.

I just...I just don't know. I really wanted to love it, but between the romance deflating like a balloon with every passing chapter, and the plot that never seemed to progress, I slowly lost my enjoyment of this book and the story now feels very unmemorable to me. It's really too bad, because it had high potential, and Laura Frantz is a really gifted writer, but sadly this one just didn't quite work for me.