The Threads of the Heart
Passed down from mother to daughter, a simple wooden box contains the unknown legacy of generations of women in Frasquita’s family. When it is her turn to unearth the chest from its hiding place beneath gnarled olive trees, Frasquita discovers mere needles and threads, but these will be enough to cast her spell and seal the fate of herself and her children. A saint’s heart, a feathered wedding dress, the coat of a local landowner: all will be enriched by Frasquita’s mythical talents as she weaves an otherworldly wisdom and protection into the meager bits of fabric before her. Though men and beasts will be healed by her prowess, her skills may not be enough to protect her son and daughters as they travel from the mountains of war-torn Spain to the deserts of North Africa. Rich in seductive energy and teeming with lush imagery, Martinez’s epic fable of misunderstood women struggling to survive in misguided societies is an evocative but cautionary tale of hubris and humility. --Carol Haggas