The Crimson Thread

 Natalia Elise Panfichi Sanborn

This book, written by Suzanne Weyn and published in 2008, follows the basic plot of Rumpelstiltskin but sets the story in New York City in 1880. The main character is a 17 year old irish girl called Bridget “Bertie” O'Malley Miller, who works as a seamstress until one day her dad Paddy starts boasting that she can turn straw into gold. This is obviously an impossible task for her, but the owner of the factory overhears her father and orders her to make a thousand dresses with gold thread in less than a week.  She manages to do it by striking up a deal with her neighbor Rey Stalls; he makes the dresses for her but in return she has to give him her child when she becomes a mother.  She agrees thinking he's joking, but we all know he's not.  Eventually she finds out that the only way to break the contract is finding “Rey”'s real name. 

Most members of the protagonist's Irish immigrant family are obsessed with the “American Dream” and hope that it comes true as soon as they leave the boat.  The exception is her brother Finn, who is the cynic/realist of the group and constantly tries to keep them grounded. 

Main characters:

Bertie is the stereotypical Irishwoman;  a fierce, independent and wild redhead (technically she's a ginger) who dreams of becoming a rich lady in order to support her family. 

Ray Stalls: he is a tall mysterious young man with dark eyes and even darker hair who first meets Bertie when she tries drinking water from a dirty fountain in her tenement.   (word meaning apartment). He tells her at one point that the real reason he agreed to help her was because he loves her and gives  her a crimson thread. She accepts the gift and the help but rejects him because he looks ugly and dirty.

Ray works as a tailor/acrobat and doesn't like staying in one place for too long.  Also his dressmaking skills are so great that he can turn random junk into fashion in a single day.  Another thing about him is that he uses his acrobatic side to come and go in and out of places really fast.

J.P. Willington is the owner of the factory where the protagonist works. He agrees to have Bertie marry his son James if she sells all the gold dresses. His personality is that of a greedy snob because he fires anybody who doesn't look or act like he thinks they should and cares about money and his own reputation above anything else.

Paddy is Bertie´s father and is described as a good man who is unfortunately a bit of a dreamer and a compulsive liar because he lives in his own fantasyland which means he's constantly getting into trouble.

James Willington is a handsome and rich gentleman who serves as Bertie's love interest. He is not very smart but the protagonist  likes him because he is charming and elegant. The only flaw with his personality is that since he comes from an upper class family he’s incapable of taking responsibilities and that makes him look like a man-child. 

My opinion: 

I like this book because the descriptions of the time period are interesting, the main character is relatable even though she's the typical hard working immigrant, and the cover is gorgeous. Also “Rey”, unlike his original counterpart, isn't evil, just a bit desperate for attention. This book, despite having a great plot, still has some stereotypes and cliches, like for example all rich people are selfish snobs and there are happy endings for everybody who is nice. 

I first read this book three weeks ago and recommend it for people 13 and up because there are a lot of descriptions of things, some mention of magic and lots of big words.

This book is so awesome!

Information about the book and author.

goodreads.com/book/show/1932042.The_Crimson_Thread.

bibliophilesupportgroup.blogspot.com/2010/05/crimson-thread.html.

suzanneweynbooks.com/about.html.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Weyn.

She is from Long Island , New York.