Threads

Oh, what a miraculous book this is: parochial, weird and inconclusive in a way that few books dare to be these days, and illustrated so generously, with something beautiful or interesting on every other page. Buy it, and let it take you out to sea, no sou’wester required. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *
Wonderful… I lay down her book without knowing the cause of the “mental stupors” that defined Craske’s life, or understanding his relationship to his complicated family, but feeling I had inhaled the cold salt of the East Anglian coastline from which he sailed when he was well, and run my fingers across the bright wool of the embroideries he made when he was not. -- Helen Brown, 5 stars * Daily Telegraph *
I believe I have already found my book of the year. Blackburn’s “biography”… almost defies the category… But it is so beautifully and hypnotically done that each page leaves you spellbound. Rarely can such an unusual telling so thoroughly, and so movingly, reflect the nature of the life being told. -- Lesley McDowell * Herald *
I wish I could quote something from every page as that would convince you to read this book… This is a book to remind you that wonders lie scattered like jewels in the most ordinary places. -- Rachel Campbell-Johnston * The Times *
It is hard to pin down what it is that makes Threads such a warmly attractive book… Julia Blackburn is an odd, sometimes even disconcerting writer, but she is an amazingly good one, too. The words she puts on paper do what written words should do: they make things real… She leaves her reader feeling grateful and happy. * Literary Review *
A cleverly crafted book that is far more than the obvious sum of its parts… [A] truly delightful book. -- Honor Clerk * Spectator *
[An] extraordinary book. -- Chloe Colchester * Oldie *
A beautifully illustrated, wry, emphatic and deeply moving triumph. -- Dan Brotzel * Lady *
A poignant meditation on creativity and grief. -- Dan Brotzel * Press *
Subtle and absorbing book. -- 4 stars * UK Press Syndication *
The book sounds like a haphazard collection of anecdotes, but is in fact a richly satisfying whole tied together by the autobiographical component. This is a book to be read slowly and savoured for the quality of Blackburn’s vision and her subtle, unadorned yet poetic prose. -- Vanessa Berridge, 5 stars * Sunday Express *
[A] wonderfully eccentric biography. -- Peter Carty * Independent *
A poignant meditation on creativity and grief. -- Kate Whiting * UK Press Syndication *
Charming and unusual book. * Four Shires *
Strange, engrossing…superbly illustrated. -- Caroline Jackson * Country Life *
Craske remains as private a man as before…but Blackburn’s eloquent appreciation of his work and her sympathy with his sorrows make this remarkable book the best tribute he could have received. -- Claire Harman * Guardian *
Her most glittering book to date. -- Ian Collins * Eastern Daily Press *
This is biography with a difference. * Dovegreyreader Scribbles *
Compelling and beautifully written. * Country & Town House *
My favourite book of the year. -- Rachel Joyce * Observer *