This week we’re once again heading back to the small New England town of New Bern, where our friends from the Cobbled Court Quilt circle await! Today we’re reviewing book four, Threading the Needle, from Marie Bostwick’s Cobbled Court Quilt series.
Synopsis (Story Details Below, But No Major Spoilers)
The economy is down, and no one is feeling it harder than New Bern resident Tessa Woodruff. Although she grew up in New Bern, she never thought she would return after she moved away when she finished high school. She and her husband have followed their dreams, giving up secure corporate jobs to open a small farm and apothecary shop in New Bern. Despite their best efforts, the shop is on the verge of closing and their marriage is suffering from all of the stress.
Meanwhile, another former New Bern resident has returned to the town and is suffering from an economic downturn of her own. Madelyn Beecher dropped out of high school and eventually married a very rich man who has just been convicted of running a ponzi scheme. The federal agents took almost everything the couple owned, leaving Madelyn with a very small bank account and the dilapidated cottage in New Bern left to her by her late grandmother. As she takes stock of her new life situation, she realizes that she needs to dig in and find her own way forward in life, despite her disappointing circumstances.
Madelyn and Tessa were best friends in childhood, but grew apart as they went into high school. Both women regret some of the decisions that they made, including the way they treated each other during their teenage years. As commonly happens in a small town, they unexpectedly run into each other in the local coffee shop. Madelyn runs out of the cafe, leaving behind a quilt that she was taking into the Cobbled Court Quilt shop for repair. Tessa rescues the quilt, and goes to the quilt shop to learn how to repair it herself.
Despite their rocky history, Madelyn and Tess work towards rebuilding their relationship. They’re helped along the way by their new friends from Cobbled Court Quilts. Surprising opportunites present themselves to both women, both in terms of their friendships with the Cobbled Court Quilt circle and their floundering businesses.
My Review
This book introduced us to two new citizens of New Bern! Although the Cobbled Court Quilt shop and the women associated with it (Evelyn, Virginia, Margot, Abigail and Ivy) play an important role in the story, it’s really about the new characters of Madelyn and Tessa. I really enjoyed reading about this expanded group, and how the quilt from Madelyn’s childhood served as the catalyst to begin rebuilding her relationship with Tessa.
As always with the Cobbled Court Quilt books, this book was told from two different points of view: Tessa and Madelyn. This was the first time that Evelyn Dixon, owner of Cobbled Court Quilts, wasn’t one of the points of view. At first I was worried that this change might mean not enough quilting would be in the book, but that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, it was a nice change that makes me want there to be a hundred more books about the people of New Bern.
Final Thoughts
As with all of the books in the Cobbled Court Quilt series, this book highlights the important role that friends can play in helping each other through the ups and downs of life. It’s also a good reminder that everyone’s life has its high and low points, no matter if you’re rich or poor, young or old.
Want to grab your own copy of Threading the Needle? 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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