Welcome to another Fiber Arts Fiction Friday! This week we return to Jennifer Chiaverini’s Elm Creek Manor for the fifth book in the Elm Creek Quilt Series with The Quilter’s Legacy.
Synopsis (Story Details Below, But No Major Spoilers)
Sylvia Compson has climbed up into the attic at Elm Creek Quilt manor to find the quilts that her mother made before her early death. She’s discovered so much of the Bergstrom family history tucked away in the attic and is sure that she’ll locate these precious quilts. This time, however, the attic fails her and she is dismayed to learn that her older sister Claudia sold off all of their mother’s quilts during a time of financial difficulties.
While Sylvia fears that these quilts are lost forever, one of her younger business partners comes to the rescue with an internet site devoted to reuniting people with their lost quilts. Summer posts the descriptions of the missing quilts and responses start to pour in. She also learns from her sister-in-law Agnes that some of the quilts may have been sold in town. With all of this new information, Sylvia and her beau Andrew set off to look for the quilts both in Waterford and across the country.
Sylvia and Andrew have some success with locating the missing quilts, but they also have just as many dead ends and disappointing outcomes. Sylvia is forced to reconsider both her memories of these quilts, as well as what they mean for her and her family’s legacy. She also reflects on her own relationship with her mother and regrets the years they never got to experience given her mother’s death at a young age.
Traveling together in the RV, Sylvia and Andrew also have time to grow their newly rekindled relationship. Thai includes hard conversations with Andrew’s children, who are struggling to see their father romantically involved with someone who is not their (deceased) mother. Andrew and Sylvia must think about what they want their future to look like, and to remember that “families” can be created from all different kinds of relationships.
My Review
This quilting novel allowed us to again return to Sylvia’s past and learn more about the Bergstrom family. Sylvia’s self-contemplation drives the story forward as she stitches together different memories she has of her mother and the quilts.
It was also a reminder that we never know where our quilts and other fabric creations will end up in the future, despite our best intentions to ensure they are loved and cherished by future generations. All we can do is to enjoy this craft, hobby and art that we love and be sure to label our quilts!
Final Thoughts
This was an enjoyable novel, with an extra contemplative view of Elm Creek manors and Sylvia’s own childhood relationship with her mother. I have loved learning more about the fictional Bergstrom family throughout the Elm Creek Quilts series, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series: The Master Quilter.
Ready to dive into The Quilter’s Legacy? Find your copy 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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