The Lace Reader

Not the book I expected. I was excited to see that this was based in Salem, Mass. and expected the lace reading to be a big part of the plot. Instead I encountered a weak willed mental patient who never develops into anything else and avoids lace reading. The explanation for her avoidance is sketchy, only sparing a few details and a journal entry of a tragic event, but never telling us what the reading included. The plot also tends to jump around, barely holding onto consistency with Towner's point of view. As I have said with many bestsellers, I'm not sure how this became one.