Judith Barrow’s Golden Chapter

Following my review of A Hundred Tiny Threads, Jena decided to delve into the opening chapter.  Sitting beside the fire in Ohio, she visited Judith Barrow’s family saga and discovered another Golden Chapter.  Come inside and discover Bill and Winifred’s stories.  Get your handbag ready for another delicious read with Jena C Henry.

Ah, a cheery fire, a dog by my side, and plenty of time to lose myself in a good book. What shall I read? I know, I’ll visit Jessie Cahalin’s Handbag Gallery. I reach into my golden handbag and find A Hundred Tiny Threads by Judith Barrow. Perfect! What could be better to savor than the promise of a rollicking family saga?

I can’t wait to get started. I begin with Prologue-1911, and I’m immediately immersed in the action. I hear drips of water, faint groans, a shifting of props holding up the roof…and then a scream, echoing along the tunnel. Someone is in dire circumstances.

Bill Howarth is the man who is trembling and trapped, in what I imagine must be a mine shaft. Unable to move, all Bill can do is think about what is happening. He surmises that dynamite was set incorrectly which caused the blast.

With his life in peril, he pictures his family and wishes he hadn’t quarreled with them that morning. But things aren’t what I think they are. The Prologue ends when “the comfort of the dark washes over him.” Will I meet up with Bill again? I eagerly move on to the first chapter.

Chapter 1 February 1911  Winifred

The knocker-upper man is going down the street rattling on the window with his peashooter and Winifred is waking up to another day of hard work. As she and her parents start their day, I learn that Winifred seems to have a close bond with her father. However, both of them are subject to the harsh tongue of the wife and mother of the house, Ethel.

Winifred begins her daily work in the family store, and she has an angry encounter with her mother about Granny. Winifred thinks a rebellious thought, similar to what Bill Howarth had considered.

The chapter ends with me feeling that Winifred, every bit as trapped in her life as Bill Howarth, may be ready to spread her wings.

The Prologue and First Chapter of A Hundred Tiny Threads introduces us to two characters who are young, and eager.  Both of them appear quite capable of carrying this saga forward. The author gives us details of ordinary life of working people in 1911, with corsets, carbolic soap, and iron heeled boots and the description of the family store. Just the way an engaging family saga should begin!

On the cover of the book, the tagline is, “it takes more than just love to make a marriage”. Now that evokes interesting possibilities, doesn’t it?

Happily for readers of this genre, I read the golden beginning of a book that is part of a larger series by the author. I love a golden book series, filled with family problems and secrets.

Thanks for reading this First Chapter review and my golden introduction to A Hundred Tiny Threads by Judith Barrow. If you have read this book, please share your thoughts and your review of it in the comments. To get our golden discussion started, here are some questions:

1. Do you think Bill and Winifred will meet?
2. Are there secrets that involve Granny and Winifred’s mother, Ethel?
3. Do you like family sagas? I do!

I love family sagas.  I adore Judith’s writing and her real characters.  You could easily lose yourself in Judith’s family saga for the entire festive season.  Here is my review of One Hundred Tiny Threads.

Please see all Jena’s Golden Chapters and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.