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Book Summary and Reviews of The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs

The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs

The Oysterville Sewing Circle

by Susan Wiggs

  • Critics' Consensus (1):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Aug 2019, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The #1 New York Times bestselling author brings us her most ambitious and provocative work yet - a searing and timely novel that explores the most volatile issue of our time - domestic violence.

At the break of dawn, Caroline Shelby rolls into Oysterville, Washington, a tiny hamlet at the edge of the raging Pacific.

She's come home.

Home to a place she thought she'd left forever, home of her heart and memories, but not her future. Ten years ago, Caroline launched a career in the glamorous fashion world of Manhattan. But her success in New York imploded on a wave of scandal and tragedy, forcing her to flee to the only safe place she knows.

And in the backseat of Caroline's car are two children who were orphaned in a single chilling moment—five-year-old Addie and six-year-old Flick. She's now their legal guardian—a role she's not sure she's ready for.

But the Oysterville she left behind has changed. Her siblings have their own complicated lives and her aging parents are hoping to pass on their thriving seafood restaurant to the next generation. And there's Will Jensen, a decorated Navy SEAL who's also returned home after being wounded overseas. Will and Caroline were forever friends as children, with the promise of something more...until he fell in love with Sierra, Caroline's best friend and the most beautiful girl in town. With her modeling jobs drying up, Sierra, too, is on the cusp of reinventing herself.

Caroline returns to her favorite place: the sewing shop owned by Mrs. Lindy Bloom, the woman who inspired her and taught her to sew. There she discovers that even in an idyllic beach town, there are women living with the deepest of secrets. Thus begins the Oysterville Sewing Circle—where women can join forces to support each other through the troubles they keep hidden.

Yet just as Caroline regains her creativity and fighting spirit, and the children begin to heal from their loss, an unexpected challenge tests her courage and her heart. This time, though, Caroline is not going to run away. She's going to stand and fight for everything—and everyone—she loves.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"A lovely read—entertaining, poignant, and meaningful." - Kirkus Reviews

"Wiggs's characters are believable not only because of their complexity, but because of their ability to deal with their faults. This story about discovering strength from friends and within is a winner." - Publishers Weekly

"Stitched together with love, this is a story just waiting for your favorite reading chair. With her signature style and skill, Susan Wiggs delivers an intricate patchwork of old wounds and new beginnings, romance and the healing power of friendship, wrapped in a lovely little community that's hiding a few secrets of its own." - Lisa Wingate, New York Times Bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

"The Oysterville Sewing Circle is sure to be a book club favorite! You will be swept into Caroline's world, as secrets are revealed and she reinvents her life after loss. This is a rich, satisfying story of a lifelong friendship, forgiveness and the power of love. The great Susan Wiggs writes with grace, insight and wisdom about the things that matter." - Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Tony's Wife

"Infused with Susan Wiggs's signature warmth and poignancy, The Oysterville Sewing Circle is a moving, romantic, unforgettable story of accidental families, rediscovered love, and the strength of sisterhood." - Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

This information about The Oysterville Sewing Circle was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

A Must Read
Caroline never thought she would be returning to her childhood home of Oysterville and definitely not with two children that weren't her own.

Caroline had wanted to leave as badly as any young person and head to New York City. Caroline did make it big in New York until a famous designer stole her clothing line.

Her loss and the death of her friend had Caroline returning with her friend's two children because Caroline had no idea how to take care of a child let alone two.

Caroline had a loving, supportive family to help her and ideas on how to help women of domestic abuse since that is what took her friend who left her the two children.

We get a glimpse into Caroline’s life as a teenager as well as her life now. Her teenage years were just as full of love as her adult life with her family.

THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE was a sweet, beautiful read with lovable characters and a setting you will want to make your own.

If you enjoy sewing, the fashion world, being on a beach setting, learning about running a restaurant, being with loving characters, and seeing women helping other women, THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE will be a wonderful addition to your reading stack.

A truly cozy, heartwarming read for readers of women’s fiction.

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Author Information

Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and in good weather, she commutes to her writers' group in a 21-foot motorboat. She's been featured in the national media, including NPR, PRI, and USA Today, has given programs for the US Embassies in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and is a popular speaker locally, nationally, internationally, and on the high seas.

From the very start, her writings have illuminated the everyday dramas of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her books celebrate the power of love, the timeless bonds of family and the fascinating nuances of human nature. Today, she is an international best-selling, award-winning author, with millions of copies of her books in print in numerous countries and languages. According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable."

Her novels have appeared in the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, and have captured readers' hearts around the globe with translations into more than 20 languages and 30 countries. She is a three-time winner of the RITA Award. Her recent novel, The Apple Orchard, is currently being made into a film, and The Lakeshore Chronicles has been optioned for adaptation into a series.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. She lives on an island in Puget Sound, where she divides her time between sleeping and waking.

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