The Thread Collectors (Original)
"A brilliant story brimming with unexpected friendships and family ties. Historically sound and beautifully stitched, The Thread Collectors will stay with you long after the last page is turned." --Sadeqa Johnson, international bestselling author of Yellow Wife
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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Become an affiliateShaunna J. Edwards is the debut novelist of THE THREAD COLLECTORS, co-authored with bestselling novelist, Alyson Richman. THE THREAD COLLECTORS will be released in August 2022. A native Louisianian, Shaunna majored in Literature at Harvard College before attending NYU School of Law. A former corporate lawyer, she now works in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She lives in Harlem with her husband. Find her on Instagram - @shaunnajedwards
Alyson Richman is the #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels, including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Her novels have been published in twenty-five languages. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and lives on Long Island with her husband and two children. Find her on Instagram, @alysonrichman.
--Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star "The Thread Collectors is a brilliant story brimming with unexpected friendships and family ties that fed my soul. Historically sound and beautifully stitched, it is a story that will stay with you long after the last page is turned."
--Sadeqa Johnson, international bestselling author of Yellow Wife "The Thread Collectors is a gift--not only for lovers of historical fiction, but for readers everywhere who search for hidden truths behind the facts we think we know. Like the fearless, sensitive, and resourceful women they write about, Edwards and Richman have stitched together a glorious tapestry of resilience, survival, friendship, and love. This is a Civil War story unlike any other--a story readers will treasure from the very first page."
--Lynda Cohen Loigman, USA Today bestselling author of The Two-Family House and The Wartime Sisters "In their transfixing novel, Edwards and Richman offer a vibrant tapestry of characters whose lives have been shattered by slavery and Civil War, yet find a tenuous connection in scraps of fabric that symbolize hope, love, even escape. Both heartbreaking and thrilling, I dare you to put this novel down as it hurtles toward its riveting conclusion."
--Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue "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.....This book, with its distinct prose, quick chapters, and dynamic characters, provides a stirring narrative and much-needed perspective in Civil War fiction."
--Booklist