Three chances to talk with acclaimed author Heather Barbieri

Heather Barbieri follows The Lace Makers of Glenmara, her acclaimed Gaelic-tinged drama, with The Cottage at Glass Beach, the resonant tale of a woman who, in the wake of scandal, flees to a remote Maine island to reconnect with her past—and to come to terms with the childhood tragedy that has haunted her for a lifetime. Set on the rugged New England coast, Barbieri's The Cottage at Glass Beach infuses a potent and unforgettable love story with characters that will remain with you long after the final chapter.

The Cottage at Glass Beach

Nora Cunningham is a picture-perfect political wife and a devoted mother. But her carefully constructed life falls to pieces when she, along with the rest of the world, learns of her husband's infidelity.

Nora packs up her seven- and twelve-year-old daughters and takes refuge on Burke's Island, off the coast of Maine. Nora spent her first five years on the island but has not been back for decades—not since that long ago summer when her mother disappeared at sea.

Just as Nora begins to regain her balance, her daughters embark on a reckless odyssey of their own—a journey that will force Nora to find the courage to chart her own course and finally face the truth about her marriage, her mother, and her long-buried past.

"A wonderful, subtle, transporting story." — Booklist (starred review)

"In the enchanting world of Maine's Burke's Island, fanciful stories—of captured selkies becoming dutiful wives and tears cried in the sea beckoning lovers to shore—are gracefully woven into modern reality." — Publisher's Weekly

"The Cottage at Glass Beach is part seaside fairy tale, part sensitive exploration of very real-world tensions: those between mother and daughter, husband and wife, past and present. Let yourself be transported along with Nora and her children to Burke's island, a salt-tinged place steeped in legends of selkies and shipwrecks, but also full of bruised and hopeful people making their wayward, human ways toward happiness." — Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Falling Together

The Lace Makers of Glenmara

(An INDIENEXT PICK and MORE MAGAZINE SUMMER READING SELECTION)

"You can always start again," Kate Robinson's mother once told her, "all it takes is a new thread." Overwhelmed by heartbreak and loss, the struggling twenty-six-year-old fashion designer follows her mother's advice and flees to Ireland, hoping to break free of old patterns and reinvent herself.

In the village of Glenmara, she finds the inspiration that has eluded her, and she and a group of the lace makers create a line of exquisite lingerie—and gain the strength to face long-denied desires and fears. But not everyone welcomes Kate, and a series of unexpected events threatens to unravel everything the women have worked so hard for....

"Devastating loss gives way to new life in Heather Barbieri's charming novel The Lace Makers of Glenmara, about a heartbroken American designer who discovers inspiration, comfort, and friendship in an intimate circle of lace makers from a quaint Irish village." — Parade Magazine

"The novel is steeped in folklore and tradition, and Barbieri writes with a sweet, lilting tone that serves the subject matter well. . . . This hopeful, comforting novel is a testament to the power of taking changes and starting fresh and a reminder that life can bring joy after sorrow." — The Miami Herald

"Barbieri weaves together stories on life, love, friendship and family to create a multifaceted novel, where personal histories define her characters and influence their decisions. In her affinity for literary patchwork, [she] has created an entertaining novel by blending a thoughtful story with a light read, perfect for this summer's vacation." — BookPage

"The author . . . paints a vivid picture of Ireland in her immensely readable novel...Heather is note-perfect in her depictions of Irish people and places in the book." — Irish News

About the Author

International prizewinner Heather Barbieri is the acclaimed author of Snow in July, The Lace Makers of Glenmara, and The Cottage at Glass Beach. Writing, Barbieri says, "has been and will be a life-long apprenticeship. No scrap of paper is safe — cocktail napkins, dry cleaning receipts, sports release forms (causing my daughter to wail, 'Mom, don't write dialogue on that; I need it for soccer!')" Barbieri says she writes "to connect with what makes us most human." She lives with her husband and three children in Seattle, WA. Learn more at http://www.heatherbarbieri.com

Buy a SIGNED copy of The Cottage at Glass Beach - $24.99

Buy a SIGNED copy of The Lace Makers of Glenmara - $14.99