Official Review: Of My Own Hand's Weaving

Ellie Gatillo · Post by **Ellie Gatillo** » 10 Mar 2017, 11:06

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Of My Own Hand's Weaving" by Mary Boscoletta.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Of My Own Hand’s Weaving by Mary Boscoletta is not your usual ‘love conquers all’ romantic fiction. Rather, it is a story of life and relationships, whether it is romantic or not, with a little touch of magic. It raises moral questions on a person’s fidelity and familial duties.

Set in the 1960s, the story centers Jeannie, an attractive woman from England. Because of her troubled past, Jeannie has sworn off men for life. Ever since she broke up with her sadistic boyfriend, she stayed with Gretchen, her friend. Now twenty-seven and still living in Gretch’s attic, Jeannie thought her life was going on as she planned. It was not until Colombo “Col” Borgia came to her life that Jeannie knew she was in trouble again. She was attracted to him, yes, but she could not do what her heart wants. Before Jeannie could get any delusions of having any future with Col, she must first escape her past and face her present head on.

Col has a strong belief in destiny, fidelity, and family. The moment he saw Jeannie, he knew they were destined for each other. He knew Jeannie has hesitations, so he intended to woo her patiently. Yet, when his brother heard of their closeness, Col became more aggressive. He knew that LeoLuca wanted everything that belonged to him, including women. If Col wanted Jeannie for himself, he must first sort things out with his family in Sicily.

What I loved about the book was that it had a unique story line. It followed the boy meets girl path at first, but as the story progressed, it deviated to another path. The addition of magical twist was quite impressive, too. Col once assisted a witch and he learned some tricks that one would not expect from a macho hairstylist. He used magic to help Jeannie many times, even to the point of endangering himself.

The secondary characters were also given substantial backstories. I sympathized with Frank when Gretch left him for another man. I could somehow relate to Peta, Jeannie’s neighbor, when she complained about her uncertainties in life.

Throughout the book, there were scattered Sicilian words and phrases that Col uttered. It was quite hard to understand at first, but the author did a great job in supplying the English translation of such words. There was also an insight on how Sicilians feel about family and marriage in general. Col’s beliefs were crystal clear the moment he was introduced in the book.

There are, however, some points I would like to point out. First, the book was written in Jeannie’s perspective, but there were times that it shifted to Col’s point-of-view without warning. It confused me whenever the shift happens. Secondly, some parts of the book were too fast. Marta’s death, Col and Jean’s stay in the hotel, and Jeannie and LeoLuca’s first meeting were all puzzling to me. I had to read these sections a couple of times before I realized what had actually happened. Lastly, I could not connect with the main characters. There were times when Col seemed to be too good to be true. Jeannie also had experiences that I could not relate to. This was difficult for me because I could not get in their shoes and figure out what their reasons were for their hasty actions.

For these reasons, I give Of My Own Hand’s Weaving 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend this to readers of romantic fiction. Be warned that this book has some mature content, so it may not be suitable for young readers.

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Of My Own Hand's Weaving
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MarisaRose · Post by **MarisaRose** » 25 Mar 2017, 12:56

The setting and concept of this one sounds really interesting, but I think the sudden change in narrative perspective would be confusing and off putting. Interesting review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 25 Mar 2017, 19:57

I've read books with the sudden change in perspective. It is difficult to follow. This one's not for me. Thanks though.

Shreyoshi Sen · Post by **Shreyoshi Sen** » 26 Mar 2017, 05:38

I don't really read love stories unless they are strikingly different. I liked the review very much. Thanks.

Ellie Gatillo · Post by **Ellie Gatillo** » 26 Mar 2017, 06:16

MarisaRose wrote:The setting and concept of this one sounds really interesting, but I think the sudden change in narrative perspective would be confusing and off putting. Interesting review!

Thank you, MarisaRose!

-- March 26th, 2017, 7:17 pm --

Shreyoshi Sen wrote:I don't really read love stories unless they are strikingly different. I liked the review very much. Thanks.

Thank you, Shreyoshi Sen! If you liked the review, you might like the book as well.

Camogirl217 · Post by **Camogirl217** » 31 Mar 2017, 16:11

While the plot does sound unique, it seems like this book has too much drama. Good review, by the way!

Ellie Gatillo · Post by **Ellie Gatillo** » 31 Mar 2017, 21:19

Camogirl217 wrote:While the plot does sound unique, it seems like this book has too much drama. Good review, by the way!

You can put it that way. I have to disagree, though. I think there is enough obstacle presented in the book.

Peterpanreads · Post by **Peterpanreads** » 15 Apr 2017, 10:18

Nice review! I have tried reading this book before, but I ended up not finishing it. I did not connect with any of the characters either, so it does not really bother me that I have no idea how the story ended.

Ellie Gatillo · Post by **Ellie Gatillo** » 16 Apr 2017, 10:12

Thank you, Peterpanreads! It's sad to know you were not able to finish reading this book. However, I hoped you enjoyed reading it somehow.

michelonline29 · Post by **michelonline29** » 28 Apr 2017, 00:24

Based on the cover itself, it looks like a very interesting book to read. The sudden change of point of view is really confusing, especially if there's no notification. Congrats on a well-written review!

Ellie Gatillo · Post by **Ellie Gatillo** » 29 Apr 2017, 18:49

Thank you, michelonline29! I did not enjoy this book that much, but maybe you would! The cover is indeed beautiful, and it says a lot about the book.

dbrooks8109 · Post by **dbrooks8109** » 17 May 2017, 15:05

Wonderful review! I had a very hard time getting through this book though, because like you, I could not connect with the characters enough to get through it fast. I also felt like the book was very disjointed and hard to follow.

Ellie Gatillo · Post by **Ellie Gatillo** » 17 May 2017, 19:57

dbrooks8109 wrote:Wonderful review! I had a very hard time getting through this book though, because like you, I could not connect with the characters enough to get through it fast. I also felt like the book was very disjointed and hard to follow.

Thank you, dbrooks8109! It seems that I am not the only one having this problem after all. I wanted to Connect to Col or Jeannie but it was very difficult.