Sarah's Patchwork

I loved this book. It was the first in the Keepsake Legacy Series and from this I purchased the second, Karyn's Memory Box, and the third, Norah's Ribbon Memories all written by Stephanie Grace Whitson. These are the first I have read by this author, but they are wonderful. I love the early Plains stories of hardships women went through, showing what strenghs they had and all they endured. Also about the Quilting. They are wonderful stories I will cherish in my quilting library. I will probably purchase other books by this author. She is amazing. Iola Moore

If you read Walks the Fire, Soaring Eagle and Red Bird, you probably wondered what ever happened to Sarah Biddle. Sarah's Patchwork is Sarah Biddle's story. Prairie Winds readers will notice some overlap between the first part of this book and the other three books, seeing things -- for the first time -- from Sarah's point of view.Sarah, her little brother Tom, and their baby sister Emma were left parentless when their mother died and their father, either unwilling or unable to care for them, dropped them off at an orphanage. After promising that all of the children would be kept together, the orphanage administrator allowed baby Emma to be adopted by a wealthy family. When Sarah was told, she decided that she would never trust anyone again -- and she held on tightly to her crippled brother Tom, lest he be taken away from her as well.On a trip out west to find parents willing to adopt the children, Sarah and Tom escape and find themselves in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Hathaway House Hotel. Over a period of time, and with the help of Joseph Freeman and Jesse King, Sarah learns that some people can be trusted. But she still doesn't trust God.After falling in love and losing in love over and over again, she wonders if she can ever trust God to bless her with someone to love -- someone who will STAY. How can she trust God when everyone she loves always seems to be taken away from her?Through it all, Sarah realizes that when God's answer is NO, it's always because he is preparing something better for us. Through a lot of sadness and loss, Sarah's story does have a happy (although unexpected) ending.

Sarah was orphaned as a child, but her love for her crippled brother Tom kept her from taking the easy way out. Her tenacity paid off and she was finally loved! Although she grew up much too quickly, she did so with lots of guidance and proper care. This book takes place several decades after Stephanie Whitson's 3 book series "Prairie Winds" which introduced me to Sarah and Tom. I felt more a part of her life and this current book was more special to me since I already knew a little about the people she so eloquently describes in detail in each exciting chapter...woven into the book by way of various and interesting fabrics. I felt the book was exceptionally done in an extraordinary manner.

I confess, I'm a big Stephanie Whitson fan, so I love every book she's ever done. But, truly, truly this is my favorite. An antique quilt is used as the story device in this one and the story is warm and realistic and the characters are vivid and live with you long after you've finished the book.