The Fortune Quilt

Oh, boy. This is going to be another one of those books I can't write about because I liked it too much. Television producer Carly McKay is pretty comfortable in her life. Until she interviews psychic quiltmaker Brandywine Seaver. Carly's disbelieving, but that doesn't stop Brandy from giving Carly a quilt that she "knows" is hers and giving her a reading: * her career is in upheaval * something about South America * her emotional center is jagged * pay attention to the paintbrushes * return the frog * accept the book with the amber spine * take the cab * Mary isn't dead Carly's shaken by the last pronouncement--Mary is her mother who disappeared when Carly was twelve. But she writes it off until one by one, the predictions start coming true. She loses her job, her mother returns, and her best friend Christopher suddenly announces he wants more from their relationship. So Carly returns to the quiltmaker's small town to... well, to escape from the upheaval, but she tells herself it's to make Brandy remove the curse and take the quilt back, and she ends up renting a cabin from Brandy and starting a new life, including a romance with her fellow tenant Will, an ex-boyfriend of Carly's older sister. It's a very emotional story, but at the same time, it's not sappy or maudlin. Most importantly for me, Carly is not a saint. One of the main reasons why I shy away from women's fiction is that when it comes to things like her mother returning after disappearing 17 years ago, the main characters tend to be saints--they forgive immediately. In fact, most women's fiction heroines seem to put up with anything from their mothers, and simultaneously divorce their husbands at the first hint of anything other than fairy tale bliss. Heh. Maybe I've read the wrong women's fiction. Anyway, that is not this book. Carly's younger sister Five (there's a story behind this name, but you'll have to read the book to find out), and her older sister Ella welcome their mother back with open arms, as does their father, though his reaction is more complex, understandably. But Carly, who'd ended up with all the responsibility when Mary left, is angry and hurt. I very much appreciated that about her. It seemed an honest reaction, and the way it was settled in the end was very satisfying and believable. The romantic relationships in this book are also a large part of it, though I should warn you that it's not a romance. I didn't really know until the end who Carly would end up with, and I was pleased with her choice. And there's community. The small town where Brandywine lives is full of artists, making for a lot of interesting characters. Even though they're unusual, they're still believable, and there are some nice sub-plots involving them. It's a town I can imagine being able to visit. Okay, that's probably enough rambling. I loved the book. It made me laugh aloud, and made me cry. I have all of Lani's book

NOT EVEN SURE WHY I BOUGHT THIS BOOK, BUT IT WAS A VERY PLEASANT SURPRISE WHEN I PULLED IT FROM THE STACKS IN MY LIVING ROOM AND BEGAN READING IT LATE LAST NIGHT. FINISHED THE ENTIRE STORY IN ONE SITTING. REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK ALOT! LIKED THE CHARACTERS AND FLOW OF THE STORY. JUST ENOUGH MYSTICAL INFLUENCE TO KEEP IT INTERESTING WITHOUT GOING OVERBOARD.

Some reviewers compared Rich to Jennifer Crusie, there are definite similarities, from the quirky characters in a Gilmore Girls-like small town, to the effervescent romance, to the subtle messages about life that were strewn throughout the book. I really liked the heroine, Carly, who's of course 29 (most popular age for chicklit protagonists) and about to endure one crisis after another. Carly's rude awakening was brought to her by a "fortune-telling quilt," think of it as a tarot card spread, but in fabric. After the mandatory denial and breakdown period, Carly goes off reimagining herself in an artists' retreat community where everyone is nice, or will turn out to be. She ends up being neighbors with her sister's ex and gets to know him a lot better. Of course, she still has her old life to haunt her and past conflicts to resolve. Super-enjoyable read.

Lani Diane Rich has a way of writing chick lit so that it isn't cheesy and fluffy but meaningful, romantic and fun. She has written all of the characters so well that they seem like real people with real problems. I absolutely loved this book and I wont hesitate to buy her next release. Keep up the great writing!

The Fortune Quilt, when I first heard the title, didn't appeal to me because I thought there was a quilting theme, which really doesn't interest me. But, I had always heard great things about Lani's books, so I did a bit more investigation when it came closer to release date. I'm so glad I didn't just pass this one by based on a misconception of the story. The Fortune Quilt had everthing I'm looking for in a chic lit/women's fiction book. It had great characters who, in spite of the length of the story, had depth and were well developed. It had humor, romance, angst, strong family connections, and a fantasy/paranormal element that didn't seem unrealistic. I laughed hysterically and cried all within a couple of pages of each other. I did have only one real issue with the story, although not enough to rate it only 4 stars. It was not long enough, and I only say this because I loved the story and the characters and just wanted more. I gravitate towards series books because If I love the characters I don't like to let them go. I was also worried that Carly working in the art supply store was just going to be an obvious plot device to get her and Will together, but it turned out that it wasn't used in that way, which I was glad of. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading women's fiction books that invoke many different emotions. I can't wait to start reading Lani's other books!