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Summary: Lives pieced together into a masterpiece
Review: I have to fully agree with Shirley Leib's assessment of this wonderful book. I just finished it, and I too, could not put it down. There are few books written so passionatley that they have reduced me to tears. This book, however, brings the reader right to the heart of its characters. Let's just say, more than one tissue was required in the final chapters of this story.I am anxious to get to the library on Monday so I can check out another of Jennifer Chiaverini's books. I can think of several people who will be getting this book from me at Christmas!
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Summary: The best book I have read in a long time!
Review: I literally could not put this book down! As an avid quilter and mystery lover with an interest in history, this book was perfect! I really enjoyed reading about Sylvia Bergstrom's ancestors and how they founded Elm Creek Manor. (I wish the quilt camp really existed, I would love to attend!) I found the part of the book that was Gerda's story to be fascinating, and being from Pennsylvania, I enjoyed reading about PA's role in the underground railroad. This is the first Elm Creek Quilts book I have read, and I can't wait to read the rest! I can't remember when I have gotten so drawn into a book, and enjoyed it so thouroughly!
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Summary: Wonderful story and I couldn't put the book down!
Review: I loved the blending of the contemporary story with that of the Underground Railroad. It speaks to a deep truth about how sometimes people have to take a stand against injustice, even at the risk of their own lives. I found the friendship between Gerda and Joanna and their commitment to their cause to be truly inspiring. I highly reccommend this book.
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Summary: A great historical novel
Review: I loved this book. It has everything - history, genealogy, mystery, romance, adventure. Ms. Chiaverini transported me with her to the Elm Creek of both past and present. This is the first of her books I've read. Now to read the others...
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Summary: My favorite in the series
Review: I loved this story even more than the three previous books. The descriptions of the antique quilts combined with the historical fiction of the journal were so intriguing that I hardly put the book down. Now I wonder how long I'll have to wait for the next one, since Chiaverini is expecting baby #2 in December! I know how hard it is to get anything done with two children to care for, so I am trying to be patient. When book 5 comes out I will be waiting.
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Summary: A Wonderful Novel!
Review: I've been a fan of Jennifer's since The Quilter's Apprentice, but this is definitely the best book yet in the series! A fantastically engrossing story will keep you reading all night. Very entertaining for anyone who like a great story -- not just quilters and Civil War enthusiasts.
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Summary: very interesting
Review: In a time we are all into family trees ,finding an ancestor's diary is like a dream come true.....The story of this family interloks with the story of quilts and quilting in a beautifull way,you just want it to go on.
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Summary: Slow beginning, but worth it in the end.
Review: It was a wonderful story line involving the healing of bitterness of Silvia and her family history and the underground railroad. Although it never resolves the issues of why certain quilts were used or if they were used for the underground railroad, it left the reader satisfied with the conclusion. A worthwhile read especially if you've read her other books.
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Summary: Wonderful story!
Review: Janet Chiaverini's series, The Elm Creek Quilts Novels, get better with each book. In this latest one of the series, Sylvia meets a woman named Margaret who has a quilt which her family calls the Elm Creek Quilt. Thinking that they may be related in some way, Sylvia and Margaret look at the quilt and discuss their ancestors, hoping for a connection. When they cannot find one, Sylvia returns to her home on Elm Creek and begins looking in the attic for more clues. She uncovers some quilts and a journal, which she has never seen before. As she reads the journal, many of Sylvia's questions about her ancestors are answered, but some more remain. The story of how quilts may have played a part in the Underground Railroad is a fascinating one, and the journal tells a story which keeps the reader, and Sylvia spellbound to the end. This book is highly recommended!
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Summary: Stitching Together a Family's History
Review: Jennifer Chiaverini has written the best yet in her now four-part Elm Creek Quilts novel. Sylvia Bergstrom and her friends have experienced the astounding growth of their recently-founded quilter's retreat at beautiful Elm Creek Manor. Sylvia is thrown for a loop, however, when Margaret Alden, a Southern woman, shows her a quilt she believes was made by one of her ancestors, or one of their slaves, in a pattern called Elm Creek. The quilt unmistakeably details her manor, but it throws her understanding of her family history into turmoil. Sylvia had always been lead to believe that the Bergstrom family were participants in the underground railroad - could they really have been slave owners? If not, how could a quilt that so clearly resembles her home have come to be part of the family history of a slaveowning family? Sylvia decides to look for some family quilts of her own, to help her piece together the mystery. She finds a trunk in her attic filled with what are precious treasures to her - a birds of the air quilt, and a log cabin quilt with a black center square. Family lore had always held that a log cabin with a black center square was a signal to fugitive slaves that they could find safe respite in a home. To Sylvia's surprise, wrapped in the quilts was a diary, that of Gerda Bergstrom, the sister to Hans and Anneke Bergstrom, the founders of the Bergstrom empire. Gerda's diary details her family history -- throwing some shocking loops to Sylvia along the way. This is a beautifully written book, and very entertaining. The book shows how women's work, even during the Civil War era, was not confined exclusively to the domestic sphere, and how women were able to create family treasures that endured. The Runaway Quilt, with its novelization of Civil War history, is likely to interest a far broader audience than the earlier Elm Creek Quilts novel, while keeping Chiaverini's fans hoping that the series will continue.
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