The Healing Quilt [Paperback]

Lauraine Snelling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2002

After her Aunt Teza’s test results turn out to be inconclusive, Dot Cooper resolves to raise money for a new mammogram machine, through the creation and auction of a magnificent, king-sized quilt to be sewn by the women of Jefferson City.

Dot’s efforts quickly draw the support of disparate members of the community, including newcomer Beth Donnelly, married to a local pastor, Elaine Giovanni, the stylish wife of a local surgeon; and an ailing Aunt Teza. But as the four different generations work the squares of the quilt, they are also confronted with ragged pieces of their own lives.

Though the women could not be more different on the surface, they hold in common quiet suffering triggered by painful circumstances: the death of children, the abandonment of husbands, the loneliness of depression. Yet their struggles will bring them closer together than they ever could have anticipated, and their lives will be dramatically changed, as together they experience the curative powers of The Healing Quilt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Quilting has been a template for more than one novel, and Snelling uses this device fairly adeptly as she tells the story of women who fall into friendship while making a quilt to raise money for a new hospital mammogram machine. The quilt is set up at Kit Cooper's mostly empty house-her young daughter, Amber, has recently died of cancer, and Kit's husband, Mark, has been away on business for months, avoiding the pain of their loss. Kit now fears that her beloved Aunt Teza, another quilter and her confidant, will be the next cancer victim. As she stitches her fabric, Beth Donnelly shares with her friends that she desperately wants a baby after her miscarriage, but she also hangs on to a terrible secret. Rich, middle-aged Elaine Giovanni is used to taking charge in quilting and in life, but finds her litigation-happy neighbor is causing things to careen out of control. There are plenty of dogs, kids and marital troubles woven into the story to keep it realistic and grounded, and some lovely descriptive writing. However, while Snelling knows how to turn a good phrase, there are far too many of them-the novel is too long, and the second half lacks punch. Nevertheless, Snelling's treatment of loss mitigated with humor, wit and faith should help this novel have wide appeal in the CBA.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

After her Aunt Teza?s test results turn out to be inconclusive, Dot Cooper resolves to raise money for a new mammogram machine, through the creation and auction of a magnificent, king-sized quilt to be sewn by the women of Jefferson City.

Dot?s efforts quickly draw the support of disparate members of the community, including newcomer Beth Donnelly, married to a local pastor, Elaine Giovanni, the stylish wife of a local surgeon; and an ailing Aunt Teza. But as the four different generations work the squares of the quilt, they are also confronted with ragged pieces of their own lives.

Though the women could not be more different on the surface, they hold in common quiet suffering triggered by painful circumstances: the death of children, the abandonment of husbands, the loneliness of depression. Yet their struggles will bring them closer together than they ever could have anticipated, and their lives will be dramatically changed, as together they experience the curative powers of The Healing Quilt.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (July 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578565383
• ISBN-13: 978-1578565382
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lauraine Snelling, an award-winning author of fifty-plus books with sales of over 2 million copies, also writes for a wide range of magazines and teaches at writers' conferences across the country. She and her husband make their home in Tehachapi, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sensitive book, July 31, 2002

By 

Carmen Leal (Kailua, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Healing Quilt (Paperback)

What a lovely book! Lauraine Snelling knows how to tell a story and I
enjoyed each and every character. The Healing Quilt has real characters
with real problems. I've never lost a child, but I can only imagine how
difficult it must have been for Lauraine to write this book. While it
wasn't a biography, or even based on her own loss, each word she typed
must have brought back memories of her own daughter. Thank you, Lauraine
for writing what I know is a book destined to help many people.

I love how she included Aunt Teza's cancer journey along with Beth's
struggles in coming to terms with her abortion years before. These are
real-life issues and Lauraine dealt with them in a real way. Her
dialogue is fresh and the range of emotions the characters experience
are honest.

This is a book I can't wait to share with friends who have or are
experiencing something similar, or even those who want to support
someone else.

Lauraine is a wonderful writer and I look forward to reading many more
of her stories.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MAKES YOU THINK, October 19, 2002

By 

Darlene Franklin "Writing at the Crossroads o... (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Healing Quilt (Paperback)

Ever since meeting Lauraine Snelling at a writers conference a few years ago, I look forward to an opportunity to read one of her books. I just finished The Healing Quilt. It's a powerful story. My daughter is 18, and the possibility of someone so young going through breast cancer had never occured to me.

Perhaps because of my daughter's age, I strongly identified with Kit's struggle with the loss of her daughter. The synergy of the quilting group brings each woman through her loss to healing. I might not make the same decisions--but the growth reflects the characters we come to know in the book. It made me long for a simpler lifestyle, where I could volunteer for community events and spend time with friends.

Read The Healing Quilt. You will meet yourself in one or more of the women.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the most moving and compelling novel ever written, November 29, 2003

By 

frannygrl2000 (Royal Oak, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Healing Quilt (Paperback)

I finished reading this book in 3 hours. It was the most moving and compelling novel I have ever read. While amazed at how strong this group of women was, they were each struggling with a battle of their own. This book shows you how you can lean on friends in your time of need, and they will always be there for you. It also shows how everyone deals with their own pains and struggles in their own way, but it doesn't mean they love you any less. This novel is a must read for everyone.