The Sewing Machine

A wonderful story from the UK highlighting history of Singer sewing machines. I highly recommend for anyone who loves sewing or wants you get as gift for someone who sews.

I read the Kindle version of 'The Sewing Machine' and chose it as the first selection for the Book Club that I hosted on my live shows (Sew Sweetness). It was probably in the top 5 books that I have ever read, and I was so glad that it was the first book for the Book Club because each person that read it raved about it, and more and more people in my group saw that and even more people got a copy (either purchased it or got it from their local library). There were so many Easter egg surprises of things going on and how people were connected. I'm looking forward to getting an audio version as well. A+, if you love sewing or even just family stories, you will love this book.

I loved the idea. I had my grandmother's Singer for 35 years. Had learned to sew on it, eventually passed it on to the 4th generation. The book made me think of the legacy of our family Singer, and all the stories that went with it. The little bit that was about the Singer Company and its labor practices was really interesting. Meanwhile the jumping backward and forward in time made it a chore to read (whatever happened to chronological order?)....I needed a syllabus that didn't exist on who was who. Just about the time I was really getting interested in a character, they disappeared and we jumped forward or backward 50 years, sometimes into a different family. It was pretty much torture to read, only sheer determination got me through it. .....but it made me think about the story of our own family machine, and its journey, and how common that story must be in so many families. Great idea for a topic...only a so so book.

I love this book for the story/value that my Mother, Grandmother and myself--we each sewed on an old treadle type Singer sewing machine. One of them sits in my home. A great gift for an older woman/man or for anyone who sees. This novel is a novel I am enjoying, and have gifted to a friend.

If you enjoy historical fiction and sew as a hobby, this book is for you. It focuses on the Singer Featherweight sewing machines, which are quite popular today, and how their production was affected by the war efforts and beyond -- with the history of a machine travelling through time and family to the current era. This story ties modern hobby sewers to our foremothers who used the same sewing machines for survival.

The book arrived at my PO box in excellent condition. Thank you.

I adored this book! It drew me in and kept me wanting more even after the last page. In today's disposable society it was wonderful to read of things surviving across generations! If you love to sew this will touch your heart! Highly recommended!

Mostly, I found this book irritating. Lots of characters with only first names. I presume that was to have the relationships be part of the 'great mystery' of this book. But It bounced between characters with mostly short little chapters that were sort of like 'clues' (?) to keep us interested? It was confusing and at the end I was happy for the main character (Fred) having his sewing machine fixed and the fact that he learned to sew. It was a very limp attempt to teach some sewing machine history (the strike at the big Singer plant). I finally sat down and made out a chart to be able to establish the family lines. This book had so much potential to be a great read, but it was only frustrating. And vintage sewing machine collectors will be probably be highly incensed that 'girlfriend' of Fred tears old sewing machines down to nothing in the name of 'art'. Natalie, get an editor that will help you put a good book together better.

The Sewing Machine - Natalie Fergie.This book is in complete contrast to my normal reads of crime, thriller and horror. I simply could not resist the positive reviews on all the book social media I am a member of. Which brought me to my second problem with the read, hyped books rarely live up to their reputation. I am pleased to announce this is not the case with this book. It is simple wonderful. This is a character driven novel. You can relate to all the characters, the quality of the writing was so good. In a clever twist one of the characters writes his own blog giving us another layer of writing as you hear the direct voice of one of the characters. The book is simply wonderful and the ending is perfect. This is an amazing debut novel and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I just loved this book based in my two favourite cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. My first sewing machine, bought second hand was a 1956 Singer built in the Clydebank factory featured in the story so the story touched my heart. Anyone interested in sewing, domestic life in Scotland in the 20th/21st centuries and a great story, will enjoy this too.

A truly wonderful book, have read it twice now! I was drawn in immediately...loved the gentle writing and really got to know the characters, and loved it that as the book went on untangling the links between them over the generations. So enjoyed the Edinburgh references too. An all round ab fab book, full of historical detail and joy, a must read for everyone!

A beautifully crafted book which weaves together history, creativity and human stories . It manages to avoid sentimentality whilst engaging the reader in the day to day lives of the different protagonists. I was particularly interested to learn of Natalie Fergie's own involvement in dyeing and also in the way in which the book was funded. I shall certainly be recommending it widely.

This book was bought for my wife. Since reading the first page she has been unable to put it down. I've heard all about the characters and their individual histories spanning over one hundred years. This a book which will be kept to be read over and again. Thoroughly recommended .