2006 novel by Brunonia Barry
The Lace Reader  First edition |
| Author | Brunonia Barry |
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| Language | English |
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| Genre | Fiction, Novel |
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| Publisher | Flap Jacket Press |
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Publication date | 2006 |
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| Publication place | United States |
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| Media type | Print |
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| ISBN | 9780979159305 |
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The Lace Reader (2006) is a novel by Brunonia Barry. The novel is set in Salem, Massachusetts, the American town famous for the Salem witch trials. A crucial plot device is the Ipswich lace that the protagonist's family would make.
The novel came to be well known for its unusual route to mainstream publishing. Originally self-published by the author[1] it became a local success story, got rave reviews in many places[2] including Publishers Weekly, and was eventually picked up by the US branch of HarperCollins in a multimillion-dollar
deal.[3]
It soon became a New York Times bestseller.
When asked about her inspiration for the book, Barry said, as reported on her blog:
For quite some time, I have been fascinated by the Hero’s Journey or the monomyth. Most stories that follow this pattern have a decidedly male orientation: a lone individual acts heroically and saves the day. I wondered if there might be an alternate form, a feminine Hero’s Journey. So I began to look at stories that featured female protagonists to see if they offered something different. What I found surprised me. Most of these women were either killed off or were ultimately rescued from their plight by male heros. Unsatisfied, I wondered if I could write a Hero’s Journey for women where the strong but wounded heroine must find a way to save herself.[4]
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