I’m so glad I discovered this series. It scratches a couple of itches for me: reading and quilting. I find them to be well-written, but more than anything else, I feel Jennifer Chiaverini understands character. Her characters are real, and they react in ways that don’t feel like fiction. Dan Brown could learn a thing or two.
Round Robin (Elm Creek Quilts, #2) by Jennifer Chiaverini Series: Elm Creek Quilts #2
Published by Plume on April 4, 2000
Genres: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
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Goodreads
Round Robin reunites readers with the Elm Creek Quilters in this poignant and heartwarming follow-up to The Quilter's Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini's acclaimed debut novel. "She chose green and blue for the colors of Elm Creek Manor. She chose blue for truth and green for new beginnings . . ."
The Elm Creek Quilters have begun a round robin...a quilt created by sewing concentric patchwork to a central block as it is passed around a circle of friends. Led by Sarah McClure, who came to Waterford, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Matt, a few years ago, the project is to be their gift to their beloved fellow quilter Sylvia Compson. But like the most delicate cross-stitch, their lives are held together by the most tenuous threads of happiness...and they can unravel.
As each woman confronts a personal crisis, a painful truth, or a life-changing choice, the quilt serves as a symbol of the complex and enduring bonds between mothers and daughters, sisters and friends. In weaving together the harmonious, disparate pieces of their crazy-quilt lives, the Elm Creek Quilters come to realize that friendship is one of the most precious gifts we can give each other, and that love can strengthen understanding, lead to new beginnings, and illuminate our lives.
One thing I liked about this particular book was the camaraderie of the Elm Creek Quilters. Chiaverini shares the personal stories of many of the quilters. I enjoyed seeing their personal stories fleshed out a bit more.
The Cross-Country Quilters (Elm Creek Quilts, #3) by Jennifer Chiaverini Series: Elm Creek Quilts #3
Published by Plume on 2002
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
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Goodreads
Julia, Megan, Donna, Grace, and Vinnie are cross-country friends who are about to begin work on a challenge quilt. A piece of fabric is divided among the women, with the understanding that the following year they will all meet at the Elm Creek Quilt Camp to sew the sections together into a single quilt. But the friends have set themselves a special challenge: no one can start working on her block until she has taken steps to solve her problems and achieve her personal goals.
Although they share a common creative objective, the Cross-Country Quilters find their friendship tested by the demands of everyday life. Yet despite differences in age, race, and background, the women's love of quilting and affection for one another unite them. The quilt they create becomes a symbol of the threads that hold their lives together-a glorious patchwork of caring and loyalty that brings home an enduring truth: Friends may be separated by great distance, but the strength of their bond can transcend any obstacle.
This one might be my favorite in the series so far. I really liked the characters, and it was fun to get a glimpse into what going to “quilt camp” might be like. I enjoyed the friendship these women developed, and I really hope to meet them again in the series.