For today’s Fiber Arts Fiction Friday we’re returning to the quaint Connecticut town of New Bern and the Cobbled Court Quilters! A Thread of Truth is the second book in Marie Bostwick’s Cobbled Court Quilt series, and it picks up shortly after where the first book (A Single Thread) left off.
Synopsis (Story Details Below, But No Major Spoilers)
Evelyn Dixon has grown quite fond of New Bern, Connecticut. Now a resident for several years, her quilt store (Cobbled Court Quilts) is on the verge of showing a profit for the very first time! Her son Garrett, as well as her friends Abigail, Margot, and Liza have each continued to help support the quilt shop in their own unique way.
As part of her agreement with Abigail (who owns the building) to keep the rent low, Evelyn has also been teaching quilting classes at the local women’s domestic violence shelter. One of these residents is Ivy Peterman, who is now working at the quilt store itself! Throughout the book we learn more about Ivy’s tragic past, including how she rescued her two children and escaped from her abusive husband.
As Cobbled Court Quilts continues to grow, Mary Dell Templeton and her son Howard swoop in and throw Evelyn for a loop! Mary Dell is Evelyn’s quilting friend from Texas, and now hosts her very own quilting television show: Quintessential Quilting. Mary Dell talks her producers into featuring the annual Quilt Pink breast cancer charity event on the show. Small town politics ensue, but eventually a successful event is had and broadcast to quilters everywhere!
In the meantime, Ivy’s past catches up with her, leading to a few darker moments in the book. She finally realizes that she must stand her ground instead of running away again, discovering an inner strength that she didn’t realize she had. As always, the women of the Cobbled Court Quilters Circle rally together to support one of their own in need, leading to individual growth for each of them along the way.
My Review
This second book does a great job picking up a few short years after the first book left off. The reader gets to see how Cobbled Court Quilts (and all of New Bern) has grown and changed during that time, but you don’t have the feeling that you missed out on anything during the intervening years.
This book again alternates the point of view chapter by chapter, this time featuring Ivy’s voice opposite of Evelyn’s. Ivy’s sad story will resonate with many readers, especially women, many of whom have been touched by domestic violence in some way over the course of their lives. Ivy’s story is a good reminder that we are all stronger than we could ever imagine, and that we all have things that will inspire us to keep going even when life feels impossible.
Final Thoughts
I wish I had a group of friends like the women of Cobbled Court! These women have a beautiful friendship that builds over time as they help one another through life’s never ending challenges. I felt proud of the women as I read this book, as they know they are stronger as a team than any one individual person could ever be. As always, I also highly recommend signing up for Marie Bostwick’s newsletter for lots of fun quilting, life, and writing stories, plus recipes!
Want to grab a copy (and you really should)? Find it on Amazon here!
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
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