Veena’s review of The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman
Women’s Fiction published by Thomas Dunne Books 29 Mar 15
This is a debut novel from a man who choses his grandmother’s name to honor the woman whose charm bracelet and family stories inspired him to write this novel as a tribute to her as well as to all elders. “Lolly,” in the early stages of dementia, relates the stories tied to the various charms on her bracelet to her daughter Arden and granddaughter Lauren, giving them a unique insight into her life and the events that shaped her. I really enjoyed how the bracelet is such a visible symbol as well as a living memory of a rich family history that spans multiple generations being passed from mother to daughter, celebrating key events and victories in their lives. I am so inspired by this story that I want to create a similar tradition in my own family, except I need daughters and granddaughters.
The story starts with a first generation Irish immigrant who leaves everything familiar to pursue a new life in America. Upon arrival in New York, she needs to labor in order to earn enough money to move to the Mid West where the rest of her immigrant family lives. As she gets ready to leave, at the sewing shop where she’s worked an older woman, herself an immigrant, gives her the first charm: a sewing machine given to her by the woman’s own mother. Now she’s bequeathing the sentiment and the wishes for another young woman’s success.
As each successive woman makes a happy life for herself, charms are added to the bracelet. that are meaningful to each woman and the bracelet moves from mother to daughter. We first meet Lolly as a young girl who enjoys new birthday charms every year with her mother, except that year will be the last since her mother is dying of cancer.
Fast forward to Lolly, now herself aging and in the early stages of dementia, living a life in the midst of a small community who cares for her, even as her daughter and granddaughter live in the city and never visit. Lolly is thrilled when she gets an unexpected visit from them. During the week leading up to the Memorial Day holiday that they spend together, she relates the stories behind various charms on her bracelet, which bring alive not just Lolly’s life but also the lives of the women in her family tree, tracing the lineage all the way back to the Irish-American woman who founded the tree in America.
During the telling of the stories and the living of the simple everyday life that Lolly leads, both Arden and Lauren go on their own journey of discovery of what’s important to them and open up to each other in a meaningful way. It’s very moving to see the relationships between the three women change as they reflect on their own lives and open themselves up to living their dreams, instead of living a life that they feel is right for the wrong reasons.
Kudos to the author who has created a story that is inspirational in its own merit but also highlights the plight of the elderly and their special needs.
Grade: A
Summary:
Through an heirloom charm bracelet, three women will rediscover the importance of family and a passion for living as each charm changes their lives.
On her birthday each year, Lolly’s mother gave her a charm, along with the advice that there is nothing more important than keeping family memories alive, and so Lolly’s charm bracelet would be a constant reminder of that love.
Now seventy and starting to forget things, Lolly knows time is running out to reconnect with a daughter and granddaughter whose lives have become too busy for Lolly or her family stories.
But when Arden, Lolly’s daughter, receives an unexpected phone call about her mother, she and granddaughter Lauren rush home. Over the course of their visit, Lolly reveals the story behind each charm on her bracelet, and one by one the family stories help Lolly, Arden, and Lauren reconnect in a way that brings each woman closer to finding joy, love, and faith.
A compelling story of three women and a beautiful reminder of the preciousness of family, Viola Shipman’s The Charm Bracelet is a keepsake you’ll cherish long after the final page.
No excerpt available.
