marilynmalloy's review against another edition
3.0
I did not like this one as much as the previous ones. Oh well. Now on to the New Years Quilt... and hopefully the next one (4TH BOOK) will be ready at the library soon!
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
The Christmas Quilt is one of many in the Elm Creek quilt series by Jeniffer Chiaverini. Even though it is part of a series though, this book can definitely be read as a stand alone. In fact, even though it rehashes things from previous books, Chiaverini describes all incidences within the book well enough that no reference from the firs seven are needed.
The story takes place further back in the time line than some of the other books. It occurs about one year after the first book took place. The scene is Christmas and Sylvia Compton, owner of Elm Creek Manor and the associated quilter's retreat, is thinking back on past Christmases with both fond and sad memories. When Sarah, her helper, brings down the Christmas decorations and an old unfinished Christmas quilt, she can hold back the reminisces about the past. She starts thinking about the different Christmases from when she was a little girl, on up to when she was first married. Similar in every story was the choosing of a Christmas tree, a special star, and a fabulously delicious strudel.
Also on her mind though is the rift between Sarah and her mother. She wanted desperately for the two to see each other this Christmas but Sarah was not as enthusiastic. Sarah and her mother do not get along very well and she doesn't wish to see her. Instead she wants to finish the Christmas quilt found in the attic which had been worked on by so many women before her.
While I was glad to see some of the regular characters returned in this novel, it still lacked a large part of them and I just didn't find the story as engaging. While some of it was interesting, a lot of it was almost copied word for word out of her other books. Naturally these were more of the scenes in the past, but still there were enough and I remembered them well enough that I knew they were directly copied. One other point was that the Christmas quilt that could never get finished, I think that might have remained that way in this story as I cannot remember them mentioning it at the end or what state it was in.
Chiaverini is a very easy writer to read. She's not offensive in any way and gives a decent amount of description when describing her characters and the scenery around. She does however lack a bit in the description department when it comes to describing the quilt in this novel though.
Overall I would say its a nice short read, good for a rainy or snowy afternoon. I wasn't as terribly impressed as I have been with some of her other works, but it fits in the series nicely.
The Christmas Quilt
Copyright 2005
225 pages
The story takes place further back in the time line than some of the other books. It occurs about one year after the first book took place. The scene is Christmas and Sylvia Compton, owner of Elm Creek Manor and the associated quilter's retreat, is thinking back on past Christmases with both fond and sad memories. When Sarah, her helper, brings down the Christmas decorations and an old unfinished Christmas quilt, she can hold back the reminisces about the past. She starts thinking about the different Christmases from when she was a little girl, on up to when she was first married. Similar in every story was the choosing of a Christmas tree, a special star, and a fabulously delicious strudel.
Also on her mind though is the rift between Sarah and her mother. She wanted desperately for the two to see each other this Christmas but Sarah was not as enthusiastic. Sarah and her mother do not get along very well and she doesn't wish to see her. Instead she wants to finish the Christmas quilt found in the attic which had been worked on by so many women before her.
While I was glad to see some of the regular characters returned in this novel, it still lacked a large part of them and I just didn't find the story as engaging. While some of it was interesting, a lot of it was almost copied word for word out of her other books. Naturally these were more of the scenes in the past, but still there were enough and I remembered them well enough that I knew they were directly copied. One other point was that the Christmas quilt that could never get finished, I think that might have remained that way in this story as I cannot remember them mentioning it at the end or what state it was in.
Chiaverini is a very easy writer to read. She's not offensive in any way and gives a decent amount of description when describing her characters and the scenery around. She does however lack a bit in the description department when it comes to describing the quilt in this novel though.
Overall I would say its a nice short read, good for a rainy or snowy afternoon. I wasn't as terribly impressed as I have been with some of her other works, but it fits in the series nicely.
The Christmas Quilt
Copyright 2005
225 pages
ktlyndvs's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hkeeney7398's review against another edition
4.0
Once again I loved the history of the family and of the quilts and the love intertwined. I'm borrowing the next one right away.
deannareads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Last year I read Jennifer Chiaverini’s novel Christmas Bells and enjoyed it so much. I saw this little book at the library and picked it up with the expectation I would enjoy it just as much.
This is a story about family history and art. Generations of Bergstrom women have sewed quilts, bonded over this time spent together and created traditions for their families. The book follows Sylvia, one of the last living Bergstrom quilters, and her young friend Sarah. Together they discuss family as they prepare to celebrate Christmas and finish a quilt Sylvia’s aunt and mother never finished.
The writing in this little book is well done but for just over 200 pages it felt very slow to me. Though it was cozy and the characters were easy to care for, the story lacked that something I need to keep me invested. I found myself putting it down a lot to do other things.
3/5 ⭐️ I liked it.
This is a story about family history and art. Generations of Bergstrom women have sewed quilts, bonded over this time spent together and created traditions for their families. The book follows Sylvia, one of the last living Bergstrom quilters, and her young friend Sarah. Together they discuss family as they prepare to celebrate Christmas and finish a quilt Sylvia’s aunt and mother never finished.
The writing in this little book is well done but for just over 200 pages it felt very slow to me. Though it was cozy and the characters were easy to care for, the story lacked that something I need to keep me invested. I found myself putting it down a lot to do other things.
3/5 ⭐️ I liked it.
gwalt118's review against another edition
2.0
The premise of this book sounded lovely - a woman reminiscing about past Christmases based on aspects of a hidden-away and never-finished quilt. But, it missed the mark for me. Towards the end of the book, I realized that this was the eighth installment in a series. That makes me think I needed more context for the characters. I never really connected to either Sylvia or Sarah or anyone in Sylvia's past. It was somewhat pleasant to hear Sylvia's memories of past Christmases and it did help me get into the Christmas spirit somewhat. But, overall, very much of a meh book.
lisadee's review against another edition
5.0
I had forgotten the pure joy that reading an Elm Creek quilts novel could bring. The mixture of sorrow and happiness which many generations of one family endure is the foundation of this and other elm creek novels. If you add a modern story with frequent reminisces of those who walked the halls of Bergstrom manor then you get this colorful plot to a story that keeps you engrossed through many books. This novel tells the story of many Christmas seasons from the first generation who migrated from Germany through the Great Depression and to present day when the only living Bergstrom has returned to Elm Creek. This is the perfect story to remind you of what is most important in life and the true meaning of Christmas.
amythebookbat's review
4.0
The book had very long chapters (chapter 3 was almost 70 pages), and it was hard to find stopping points. The story was good. An older woman named Sylvia runs a quilt camp with a woman named Sarah. Sylvia spends the novel trying to get Sarah to reconcile with her mother while reminiscing on Christmases past. The Christmas quilt is a project that was started by Sylvia's great-aunt, but never finished. Sylvia's mother and sister also worked on the quilt at times and Sylvia contributed to it as well. However, it is Sarah, a non-relative, that finally puts the pieces together into the whole. There are some sad parts, but also some beautiful parts. I especially liked the scene with the outdoor Christmas tree and the wild animals.