Review: Book one needs book two and three to flesh out the characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2014
Mona Hodgson writes a heartwarming tale where community means giving each other a helping hand when needed. The setting for this book is a small town in Missouri just a few months after the end of the Civil War. Nearly every family in the area was touched by the war in some way. Some had lost family members; some had family return either wounded physically or emotionally.Maren Jensen had been a mail order bride, traveling from Denmark, who had been rejected once she arrived in America. Her eyesight was failing. The kindly Dry Goods and Grocery store owner directed her to Mrs. Brantenberg, a widow who owned a farm and was rearing a granddaughter on her own after the death of her daughter. Maren, Gabi, and the widow settled down into a contented little family unit until one day Gabi's father returned from the war. This first novella of The Quilted Heart trilogy is Maren and Wooly's story.The story also introduces the reader to the other members of the quilting circle which met every Thursday, hosted by Mrs. Brantenberg in her home. The club was the social event for women in the area to get together and share news and gossip. It also doubled as a Bible study where hearts that were raw and bruised found solace in the widow's kindness and spiritual wisdom. The members supported and prayed for one another.Besides being a lovely romance, this book showcases the author's skill in creating a feeling of community and closeness. I found it easy to care for its members. The relationships were warm and realistic. I could easily imagine them as friends. If you enjoy a cozy read where friendship is a central theme, then I think you will love this novella.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Blogging for Books on behalf of Waterbrook Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”