Review: Not exciting...too slow for me.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2013
I will start out right off the bat by saying this is not the type of book I enjoy.  That said, it was a well written if some what boring book, again not my type,  It is a sweet book, along the lines of a Christian teen romance.  It was clean, without offensive language or behavior.  I would hand it to my teen without a qualm to read and enjoy.The references to quilting causes me to believe that Mona has done some quilting in her day.  The old fashioned quilting bees that she describes in detail feel familiar even though I have never been to one.  That I think is the best way to describe this book, it is comfortable and familiar, rather like an old worn house slipper, you know you are safe when you are reading it from any loose nails in the form of "progressive"thinking, a simple story of love and companionship, friendship and support in the quilting circle of life.The story takes place just after the ending of the United States Civil War.  Soldiers are returning home,  but not all of them.  Wives, mothers and girlfriends are waiting and wondering if theirs will come home or will they be receiving a letter from the war department.But.... Life goes on,  young people fall in love, get married, babies are born, the colors in the quilts of life are formed in the pages of the story. There will be dark spots where sadness and heartache have been,  there will be brightness and color where the happy days, months and years have been.  The color of our lives are varied and the author tries to show the different fabrics that the lives of her characters are made of.There is sturdy Mrs Bratenburg, the mother and friend that the younger women depend on for love and support.  The German girl, Emilie, soft and sweet on the outside but made of strong fabric on the inside.  Emilie's friend Maren, in love and ready for the brightness of a wedding veil.  Their  friend Caroline, not willing to give up the slender thread of hope she holds that her young husband is coming home.The  conflict between the Irish and just about everyone else is also touched upon.  Love, in all its beauty and complexity, all combine to form the fabric and quilt stories of the lives of the folks in this tight knit community.I think perhaps the author,  was born with a paint bush of words in her hand as her descriptions of St Charles, Missouri after the war are vivid and easy to imagine, truly a quilt of colorful and intricate design.If you want a book that is fast to read, easy to understand, clean,  free of offensive language, has light romance, and not much excitement, this is the book for you.  The author has left this book open to a sequel without any problem.Thanks Eileen for this review.