Customer Reviews

The Master Quilter (Elm Creek Quilts Series #6)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series has drawn readers in for five books now, and the sixth, THE MASTER QUILTER, will be no different.

The beloved characters from the previous books are back. This time, the Elm Creek Quilters are trying to arrange a wedding quilt as a surprise present for newlyweds Sylvia and Andrew. To help make the quilt, the Elm Creek Quilters contact various minor characters from earlier books to have them contribute quilt blocks.

Meanwhile, Sarah's ability to keep a secret is tested, especially by her husband, Matthew. But both she and Sylvia seem to have minor roles in this book compared to some of the other characters. Bonnie is having financial problems with Grandma's Attic and, even worse, marital difficulties. Diane is feeling unappreciated by her fellow quilters and suspects that her son has begun his bad ways again. Gwen is trying to deal with her peers at the college who tell her that quilting is not a serious academic subject; she feels pressured to stop studying what she loves and concentrate on what is "in." Summer, Gwen's daughter, is moving in with her boyfriend without telling her mother, and she's juggling career choices as well.

Agnes is there for Bonnie, but her role is minor. She's her usual self: helpful, loyal and a good friend. When she does some investigation work to help out Bonnie, we see a different side of the usually reserved Agnes.

The prose here is wonderful, much like the images of quilts throughout the book. The characters are more fleshed out in this latest installment; it is interesting to see them struggling with decisions that any person could face in real life. The history among the characters is respected, which adds to the power of the story. Past relationships are brought in; the nicest was the hostility between Diane and her neighbor Mary Beth, the President of the other quilting club. The messages of friendship and loyalty are still there, and the fact that, six books later, these characters are still interesting is a testament to Chiaverini's writing abilities.

This is a series that can continue for the foreseeable future, and that is a good thing. These characters have a lot of stories left in them, and Chiaverini is bringing them to life in a wonderful way.

--- Reviewed by Melissa A. Palmer (melissaenglish72@yahoo.com)

The Elm Creek Quilters have decided to secretly craft a special quilt to honor their hostess and leader. They've asked each one of Sylvia's friends and former campers to stitch a patchwork block that somehow celebrates her inspiration to others. The contributions will be pieced together and presented as a belated wedding present to Sylvia and her new husband, Andrew. This book would be interesting enough if it merely reproduced all of the resulting letters with their stories and creative choices. But no: the local women have lives too, and they can be just as complex and frustrating as our own. Their own dramas wrap around the central theme in the same way that the incoming squares reveal portions of Sylvia's life. And they're told in block fashion as well, with each chapter focusing on one individual until the finale is devoted to the Master Quilter herself. While newbies to this series might be overwhelmed by the number of characters involved, they shouldn't let that bog down their reading. They've got plenty of time to catch up on the previous installments later, and then "the whole story" will be understood.

I loved Jennifer Chiaverini's latest Elm Creek Quilts novel. The book tells the story of the same several month time period from the view of different characters. Each chapter is another character's experience. It was very interesting to read what each person was thinking at the time and how the actions of others, which seemed unusual, were explained when the next chapter was told in their voice. Once again, Chiaverini has wrapped her readers in the warm storyquilt of friendship that trancends age and geography. Some characters are moving on to different places in their lives, and I look forward to the new characters that will fill their places at Elm Creek Quilts and the stories they will bring with them.
On a side note: Oooohhhh! I hate that man! Bonnie Markham's husband Craig is one of the biggest turd's I've ever read in a novel! Just wait, you'll hate him too.

I whipped through this book in a weekend. Initially I found the writing style interesting, but it go to the point where it was just annoying. The author writes well and the approach is interesting. The plot revolves around six women who are members of a quilting group called the Elm Creek Quilters. The main action in the story is the attempt by five of the six women to make a bridal quilt for the head of the group, who has recently married. The story is written from the perspective of one of the characters first and it then is re-told from the perspective of the other members of the group. Seeing how the same events can be interpreted in different ways by different people was at first iteresting, but cycling through the same chain of events six times became repetitive and boring. I finally started skimming through the last two characters' stories because I was sick of the repetition and wanted to get to a point of closure for the story. This book was charming in its own way, but the approach to telling the story finally became the major detraction from the story. It made for a pleasant weekend read overall.

I have been a fan of Jennifer Chiaverini's work since the first book and each one has been full and rich. My expectations for her new book were high, I admit. Unfortunately, with this book she seems to have run out of steam. Many of the chapters are repetitious as she is telling the story from the different characters perspectives and though that is a writing technique that can be very effective, it just seemed a way to fill the pages. The only reason I gave this three stars instead of 2, was the book definitely got better towards the end and had an interesting twist which made it worth reading.

I'm somewhat new to the Elm Creek Quilter's novels and this is the third one I've read. The first book I read was "The Quilter's Legacy" which was wonderful and I would highly reccomend that one. It doesn't matter if you read them out of order, they each stand on their own.
This story was not as good as the others for two reasons, one of which was already stated. It gets repetitive. I agree that at first it was interesting to read the story from different viewpoints but after having the same events related SIX times, it gets annoying. Some of the conversations are repeated and I just wanted to get on with the story.
The other reason was that I felt that it was being politcally correct for that sole purpose. We have the, now grown, hippie flower child, Gwen, who doesn't want her daughter to surrender her independence for a man. Gwen also happens to be a female professor who has hit the "glass-ceiling". The so-called liberal male who has "turned Republican" because Gwen did not get selected as department chair. We also have the stay-at-home dad, the Vietnamese immigrant community, and the Hanukkah gift that Summer gives her boyfriend.
I know that you want to make characters broad and different, but these things seemed too forced to just be a natural part of the story. I didn't notice either of these things in the other two that I read: "The Quilter's Legacy" and "The Cross-Country Quilters".
I wouldn't judge this series based on this one novel because I enjoyed the other two immensely and the plot was good, it just was repeated too many times.
I am going to start at the beginning. If you are new to this series, I would start with one of the other ones first. This is not her best.

This is the 6th book in the series. I have read the first five, and enjoyed them all. I didn't care for this one as much as the others. The Author (Jannifer Chiaverini) has said that this was planned to be the last in the series. But she did very well with this book (high sales) and so the series continues past this.
However you can tell that she made some attempt to wrap-up some stories. What I didn't like about this book was that if felt VERY negative. Bad divorce... also very unbelieveable story about the wife being locked out of the condo... Bad real-estate development deal... Slimy and made you feel like you needed to take a shower and get clean after it.... NASTY neighbor who never learns her lesson, and is raising a mean-hateful son... Distruction of property with silly insurance problem... Hip, cool Mom who acts like in idiot when FULLY grown daughter moves in with boy-friend. Really... it went on and on. (Don't even get me started on the bad husband or the college chairmanship.)
If I had it to do over again, I would read this series HOWEVER I would skip this one.
On the good side, nice to hear about the wedding quilt and what each person picked to express their feelings for Sylvia and Andrew.

NO SPOILERS.... Another great book with all of our favorite characters. Jennifer just gets better and better. There are so many layers to the stories, and threads that you thought might have been dropped are picked up, so you can catch up with familar characters.
Now I will admit that some of the books have dragged but this one and Quilters Legacy put this series right on the top on my must read list. Unfortunately I finish them just too fast. If only the author could keep up with the speed I read them. I'll just have to be satisfied with making up my own continuations of the story lines, until we hear from Jennifer agian.
I can't wait!!!

The Master Quilter

I'm sure I skipped ahead with this book, since Sylvia is now married and I didn't see it coming. I still enjoyed jumping into this story. Quilt Camp has been established at Elm Creek Manor. Each of the quilters, from the Tangled Web Quilters, takes part in teaching classes on different aspects of quilting. Sylvia Compson, the owner of the manor, is able to share her vast knowledge of quilting, with both new and experienced quilters. Sarah and Matt McClure live year-round at the manor. Sarah is the bookkeeper, while Matt is the groundskeeper.

This story is woven in with the lives of the quilters. Sylvia got married to Andrew, and the Elm Creek Quilters want to make her and her husband a wedding quilt. Sarah sends out letters to Sylvia's friends and those who have attended quilt camp at the Elm Creek Manor, so they can make a special square for the quilt. Each camper writes a story along with the square, to tell what Sylvia means to them.

In this story, Gwen Sulluvan, the hippie mom, is passed over for a position at the college, where she works, for a younger colleague. Her daughter, Summer, has moved in with her boyfriend, Jeremy, without even telling her mother. Judy, who is from Viet Nam, and also a professor, is given an opportunity to teach at a larger college, but she is hesitant to let anyone in on her secret.

Diane, who is sometimes mouthy, and her neighbor, Mary Beth, who is the head of the Quilter's Guild, are feuding, but their boys are best friends. The feud has gone too far, and now the boys are involved.

Bonnie's quilt shop, Grandma's Attic, is losing money. Bonnie she is trying to keep the business going, when her husband, Craig, secretly meets with a realtor to sell the business. Bonnie is ashamed to let her friends know her business is in trouble, not to mention her marriage.

Agnes and Sylvia, who are sisters-in-law, have been estranged for many years. They are able to pick up the thread of friendship and become better friends than ever before.

Will the Elm Creek Quilt Camp survive the changes in the lives of these friends? Will Bonnie ever be able to recoup her losses from Grandma's Attic and get her life back on track? Will Sarah be able to get enough squares to finish Sylvia's wedding quilt? Will the ladies be able to remain friends, with Judy moving away?

Reading about the love and friendships of the Elm Creek Quilters is as cozy as a warm quilt, on a cold winters night.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author: Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

This book was obviously not the first in the series, but this is where I decided to jump in. I am hooked! Women and friendships, plus a bit of mystery, I couldn't put it down, even when my eyes were trying to shut on me.

It was a bit confusing at the beginning when it reads back and forth, but I soon caught on and it had me hook, line and sinker. I love the books without foul language, sex etc.

It starts out, Sylvia gets married without telling anyone, and so the ladies decide to have everyone make a quilt piece for a quilt for the newlyweds. Someone breaks into the quilt shop, destroys a dream and takes all the made quilt pieces. Who was it? Why did they do it? Will friendships be torn apart with so many secrets? Read this and find out!