In this fascinating historical fiction novel, readers follow Tillie from her early teen years through her marriage and adult life in a rapidly transforming New York City. Unable to continue her education, she chooses marriage and a life in the city to life with her farming community in upstate New York. Faced with the dirt, disease, and squalor of tenement life, Tillie and her neighbor Sadie turn their intelligence to working with their husbands’ businesses and their own ready-to-make garment company against anti-Semitic and sexist Victorian values. However, her life is hard, and marriage and motherhood are challenging and bring new struggles and hardships into her life, but Tillie must persevere in the face of everything which tries to slow her down. With a long chronological reach, the novel follows Tillie over much of her life, and Rubin does a fantastic job bringing the personal and external changes of Tillie’s life in late nineteenth century New York City to life in incredible historical detail. The relationships in Tillie’s life are incredibly important and shape her character in many ways, and these other characters have fantastic personalities and complex development over the course of this exciting, complex, and brilliantly written novel.

Jane Loeb Rubin, Threadbare, A Gilded City Series, Level Best Books Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Members’ Titles, May 2024.

Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Jane Loeb Rubin has taken the incomplete information she has about her great-grandmother and, together with meticulous and sensitive research, has written a captivating story with a heroine who earns affection and admiration. Tillie Isaacson’s story is told in four parts: October 1879 to August 1882; October 1882 to February 1883; January 1890 to August 1890; September 1890 to February 1892. Over this period she accompanies her mother to hospital, Bellevue, rather than Mount Sinai, the latter being for those who could afford it; grows to maturity and marries; accomplishes a creative and productive business; cares for a family while conducting her business; succeeds through the depression as well as thwarting unprincipled business associates; survives ill health; and sees her younger sister into the beginnings of a profession.

Tillie’s story is that of a woman dealing with sexism and racism, with these issues woven deftly into a history of the garment industry in New York; the development of the city, from the hardship suffered in tenements to city boundaries moving with farming communities making way for factories and business premises; the educational and cultural opportunities that were fostered or thwarted; and personal and public political attitudes. Tillie is a complex character, with her aspirations that conflict with the domestic role considered suitable for women at the time and her demands that she be seen and heard, together with a humility she sometimes fosters to achieve her aims. Beginning the story when she is young shows her having to combine ambition with a harsh reality and her often selfish responses make Tillie a girl and woman with whom it is easy to commiserate, and as she achieves her aims, to rejoice.

Many of the other characters are also complex. Tillie’s father and husband combine a desire to maintain traditional sex roles with an understanding that Tillie’s demand for an independent future which exceeds these has merit. Tillie’s associates demonstrate women’s ability to combine commitments to their families as well as business enterprises; women whose professions are outside the law but are sympathetic to women’s health needs; and women who are resentful of others’ success.

Events such as the tuberculosis epidemic highlights the role of poverty and inadequate housing and the medical treatments available at the time. When a young woman close to Tillie’s family dies from the disease, infected because of her hidden love affair, a public event and personal involvement is woven together. This is but one example of how characters other than Tillie are treated to move the historical events and their impact forward. When Tillie is ill she can attend Mount Sinai hospital, unlike her mother. Combining a familiar teenage theme with the epidemic and its impact, and the change in Tillie’s family’s economic circumstances in this way is typical of the way in which history becomes such successful storytelling. This is another of her books that I have enjoyed, and I look forward to more of Jane Loeb Rubin’s writing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a wonderful historical tale of NYC in the early 1800s that follows a jewish woman's life over many decades and the birth of the garment district. Tillie and her family immigrate to NYC from Germany before Hitler has a chance to exterminate them. The family begins as kosher chicken farmers until tragedy strikes with the mother dying of breast cancer. As the progress of immigration and development moves north, Tillie makes a courageous decision to marry a widower and move to the tenements instead of continuing farming. Despite poverty, death, and disease, Tillie begins building a button business with her husband and a garment business with her friend, Sadie.

This is such a well researched and written story of the history of the NYC garment district. The characters are very likable and believable. The plot works well. Also, it was nice to read a historic tale of a jewish family that did not focus on Hitler.

I have not read the other book in this series but I have just downloaded it and plan to do so.

HIghly recommend!!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a breath of fresh air to read an historical fiction book about a Jewish family that did not take place during the Holocaust. It especially touched me because, besides being Jewish, I am also an avid sewer and for many years used Butterick patterns (somewhat hidden in the name of the company that was used in the story). The story covers many decades and follows the main character from her young years, through tragedy, marriage, children and success.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved the FMC and the story/suspense was great. Historical fiction can be done really well or poorly and it was done spectacularly in this novel! Loved this read and will recommend

I am sure this is an excellent book. However, it is apparently from a series which I had no familiarity with before I started reading it. As a result, I felt that there were many holes, which probably would have been filled had I read the other book(s) in the series, while on its own, it does not really hold up. My only piece of advice is this: if you want to read Jane Loeb Rubin's 'Threadbare,' be sure to read her previous book, 'The Hands of Women,' first!

Well written and wonderfully emotional. Shows the struggles that ladies went through. Even to try holding onto a shred of independence was a freedom that many women couldn’t even dream of.

A nice easy novel ! It reflects what New York looked and felt like particularly for the immigrants living in poverty. The story also focuses on how women are considered when they try to get their own business whether by their husbands or society at large. Rather interesting.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

Set in Victorian New York this novel is an absolute delight. Following the story of a young Jewish girls upbringing and marriage to a man 10 years senior, it is not what you expect. I was completely enthralled, a best seller in the making.

Thank you NetGalley and author Jane Loeb Rubin For the copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

"Threadbare recounts the story of an innocent but tenacious young girl who chooses marriage to Abe, a lonely widower, rather than follow her farming community north as urban development transforms rural Harlem. Convinced Abe will help her attend high school on the Lower East Side, she faces a rude awakening to the filth and disease of the tenements. Through the following decades, Tillie turns her energy and intelligence to partnering with Abe as he builds a thriving button business while she and her neighbor Sadie launch a unique garment company. Pushing back against anti-Semitic Victorian values dominating the time, she acquires wealth only to have her life upended by a devastating, unforeseen challenge."

It is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that seamlessly blends high-stakes drama with richly drawn characters and lush descriptions of New York City’s elite. It explores the complexities of human relationships, highlighting the sacrifices we make in pursuit of our dreams and the consequences of our choices.