The Quilter's Homecoming: An ELM Creek Quilts Novel

Well what to say. I have loved majority of the books in this series, but this one was just okay for me. I wasn't a big fan of the main character. She did get better as the book went on, but I just didn't really connect with her. I didn't understand alot of her choices or behavior. I liked hearing about the rest of the family and knowing what happened to her, but it was just okay for me.

This book is about Sylvia's cousin, Elizabeth, who marries an heir to Three Bears Farm (neighbors to Elm Creek Manor) and moves to California. Henry announces that he has purchased a cattle ranch called Triumph Ranch in southern California, and he proposes to Elizabeth on the condition that she move with him to start a new life with land of their own. A parallel plot line traces the Diaz family's roots to a ranch in southern California years earlier. The two families' paths cross and much is learned about the history of the land and its inhabitants. Both story lines, which take place in the late 1800s and early 1900s, are intriguing in their own right and link us back to Elm Creek Manor through quilting. The quilt patterns shown in the inside of the front and back covers of the book are taken from the book's plot and their meanings are explained well to the reader. This is an enjoyable book providing some insight into the late 19th and early 20th centuries when times were more trying than they are today. It is a book about love (both lost and gained) and the ties that bind a family.

Once again we follow Chiaverini's lead as her Elm Creek series temporarily leaves central Pennsylvania. But don't despair! This installment provides historical background so that we can piece together (!) the ancestry of some of our favorite characters. Half of the two-part plot focuses on Elizabeth, Sylvia's cousin, as she accompanies her new husband to California in 1925. Together the newlyweds plan to get into the ranching business in the verdant Arboles Valley, north of Los Angeles. Things don't quite work out as planned, but Elizabeth and Henry Nelson are strong enough to make the most of their situation. Will they really ride out their difficulties in California? Or will Henry send Elizabeth back to Pennsylvania and the Bergstrom family? The other half of the story belongs to Isabel Rodriguez, whom we first join in 1875. Much of the land of the Arboles Valley, including its signature apricot orchards, belonged to Isabel's family for generations. But drought and development prey on their ancestral lands, and eventually a Norwegian family named Jorgensen takes over the property. That day marks the beginning of seemingly bad times for the Rodriguezes, and then the Diazes, and for Isabel and her family in particular. When her daughter Rosa is courted by two men -- one of them, Lars Jorgensen -- the right choice to make seems clear. But is it? And once made, how can a woman at the turn of the last century deal with an abusive relationship? This tale-told-in-tandem is simply mesmerizing, as we switch scenes from Elizabeth to Isabel / Rosa, slightly off-kilter because of the time discrepancy. But of course we know full well that the threads will come together at some point. The quilts in these women's lives provide part of the connection. And in this effort, we are NOT disappointed! I can honestly say that this book offers the most satisfying conclusion of any book I have read in recent years. Chiaverini is an expert storyteller who knows exactly how much to reveal to her readers. A must-read, even if you haven't opened the other books in the series.

In a world where anyone who wants a quilt can go to a department store and for less than $100.00 walk away with a "handmade"item, a book set in an era where such an heirloom as a quilt sewn by hand with the recipient in mind may seem out of place. Unless, of course, you consider the hundreds of thousands of women all over the world who welcome more women (and men) to their ranks each year to do exactly that. Yes, the mechanics have changed from needle, thread and scissors to sewing machines, long arm quilting machines and rotary cutters, but the connecting threads are still the same. Making a quilt is a labor of love and each choice of fabric and pattern reflect the quilt maker and her hopes and dreams for the recipient. "The Quilter's Homecoming" is the story of Sylvia Compson's dear elder cousin Elizabeth who is a young bride adventurously setting off from Pennsylvania to California with her new husband to find her fortune. Taking with her the legacy of quilting, hard work, and common sense, she represents well the Bergstrom women who showed her by example what it took to make a marriage work. Readers looking for more of the characters in "Circle of Quilters" had best not look to "The Quilter's Homecoming" to satisfy their appetites. Readers who enjoyed "The Runaway Quilt" and "The Sugar Camp Quilt" are sure to relish yet another story set in the past, this time in the dawning of the twentieth century. Jennifer Chiaverini's stories, to me, are like quilts. Each one is different but beautiful in a unique way. She doesn't write the same story again and again, simply changing the characters and settings; just like I don't make the same log cabin or nine patch quilt again and again simply changing the colors. Don't let me persuade you that the books are too different from each other that you wouldn't know they were penned by the same author though. "The Quilter's Homecoming" carries the same unmistakable message of hope, perseverance, and love as the stories we already know and love. Readers who are thirsty for a story about how letting go of enmity and pride can heal hearts and families will not be disappointed by this book. No quilter would be disappointed to receive this book, either!

I am so excited to read this new novel in Ms. Chiaverini's series! Her books appeal to so many! Her writing style is wonderfully non-offensive, clean and honest...you just FEEL like everything is really true, (I want to go to Sylvia Compson's quilting retreat!) and that you are a part of the family! I'm waiting with "baited breath" to read about Elizabeth's journey. Great concept! Just a WONDERFUL READ for all!

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series and hope there will be more. They are interestingly written, contain non-offensive language, and are excellent studies of human personalities.