Fraying Skeins
Escape In Paradise Evasion
1870 Scotland
Fleeing from Peterhead, Margaret Law makes Aberdeen her refuge. Menial jobs keep her and her toddler son fed– till an unusual tutoring task boosts her finances, and self-worth. Letters to best friend Jessie contain the absolute truth, especially when Johnny Fraser re-enters her life. Is he the man for Margaret to grow old with? When better employment emerges in St. Andrews, Margaret is torn. Will the move mean losing Johnny?
When Johnny follows Margaret to St. Andrews, their life together is idyllic. But when menacing secrets unfold, will Johnny’s past indiscretions be their undoing? Will he lose the cherished family he is establishing with Margaret?
Praise for Fraying Skeins:
"Jardine has once again brought nineteenth-century Scotland vividly to life while keeping Margaret and the people around her firmly at the heart of the story. Watching the determined little girl I first met in Novice Threads grow into this resourceful and courageous woman has been immensely rewarding, and there are more than enough intriguing threads left to make me eager to continue Margaret’s journey in the next instalment."
~ The Coffee Pot Book Club 5* Editorial Review
Genre: Historical Saga / Women’s Fiction / Historical Fiction / Scottish Saga
Margaret Law has reached a point in her life where standing still simply isn't an option. Widowed and responsible for her young son, Jamie, she needs work, security and somewhere they can begin again. What she has in her favour is an extraordinary ability to adapt. Margaret can sew, teach, run a household and somehow keep going when circumstances seem determined to knock her back down.
What I loved about Margaret was her curiosity. She has been denied so many opportunities simply because of the circumstances she was born into, and yet she has never stopped wanting to learn. Books are precious to her, knowledge excites her, and she has taught herself things that a formal education never gave her the chance to discover. There is something incredibly frustrating about watching such an intelligent woman continually come up against restrictions that have absolutely nothing to do with her ability.
The historical details within this novel are fascinating, but one that really caught my attention was Christmas. I hadn't realised quite how little Christmas was observed in Scotland at this point in the nineteenth century. Margaret talks about Prince Albert and the Christmas customs he brought with him, including the decorated tree, and those listening are fascinated by something that seems perfectly ordinary to us now. Hogmanay and Ne'erday, on the other hand, are entirely familiar. It was one of those wonderful historical-fiction moments that had me wanting to put the book down for five minutes and go and look something up.
There is also something rather lovely about seeing Margaret's abilities begin to be noticed. She has spent so much of her life doing whatever work is available, but when others recognise how good she is at teaching, it feels important. She isn't teaching university subjects themselves, but helping students organise their thoughts and present their work more effectively, and the improvement is noticed by their masters. I found myself feeling ridiculously pleased for her.
And then there is Johnny Fraser. Johnny brings a completely different energy to the novel. He is charming, amusing and not always quite as easy to read as Margaret might like. There is an attraction between them, but there is also genuine friendship, and I enjoyed that enormously. Their relationship doesn't exist separately from the rest of their lives; work, Jamie, money and past experiences are all still there, complicating matters.
There is a lot of warmth within Fraying Skeins, but it isn't a story where everything suddenly becomes easy. Margaret may be building a new future, but the past hasn't conveniently disappeared simply because she would quite like it to. That gave the story an underlying uncertainty that kept me wondering whether the happiness she was finding could possibly last.
I also loved the smaller historical details scattered throughout. Margaret’s excitement at finally having access to a good library particularly stayed with me, especially because she has to rely on Mr Berrige allowing her to use his library ticket. It is such a small thing, but it says an enormous amount about the world she lives in.
Fraying Skeins is one of those historical novels where I finished feeling as though I had genuinely spent time with the characters rather than simply read about them. Margaret is intelligent, determined, occasionally uncertain and incredibly easy to root for.
If you enjoy historical fiction filled with everyday history, strong characters, friendship, romance and a heroine determined to make the very most of the hand she has been dealt, Fraying Skeins is absolutely worth picking up.
Nancy Jardine writes historical adventure fiction, historical saga, time travel historical adventure and contemporary mysteries. Research gobbles up lots of time but it’s a delight, and never a chore. Her garden wouldn’t win any prizes but tending it is a great way to unwind and gives her some lovely plants to post on Instagram!
When not creating her novels, or promoting her writing, she loves to interact with readers at Book and Craft Fairs where she signs/sells paperback versions of her novels. Recently she’s taken part in author panels at Book Festivals.
Memberships include: Historical Novel Society; Society of Authors; Scottish Association of Writers; Federation of Writers Scotland; Romantic Novelists’ Association; and Alliance of Independent Authors. She’s self-published with Ocelot Press.
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