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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Elm Creek trail leads to California, May 23, 2007
Once again we follow Chiaverini's lead as her Elm Creek series temporarily leaves central Pennsylvania. But don't despair! This installment provides historical background so that we can piece together (!) the ancestry of some of our favorite characters.
Half of the two-part plot focuses on Elizabeth, Sylvia's cousin, as she accompanies her new husband to California in 1925. Together the newlyweds plan to get into the ranching business in the verdant Arboles Valley, north of Los Angeles. Things don't quite work out as planned, but Elizabeth and Henry Nelson are strong enough to make the most of their situation. Will they really ride out their difficulties in California? Or will Henry send Elizabeth back to Pennsylvania and the Bergstrom family?
The other half of the story belongs to Isabel Rodriguez, whom we first join in 1875. Much of the land of the Arboles Valley, including its signature apricot orchards, belonged to Isabel's family for generations. But drought and development prey on their ancestral lands, and eventually a Norwegian family named Jorgensen takes over the property. That day marks the beginning of seemingly bad times for the Rodriguezes, and then the Diazes, and for Isabel and her family in particular. When her daughter Rosa is courted by two men -- one of them, Lars Jorgensen -- the right choice to make seems clear. But is it? And once made, how can a woman at the turn of the last century deal with an abusive relationship?
This tale-told-in-tandem is simply mesmerizing, as we switch scenes from Elizabeth to Isabel / Rosa, slightly off-kilter because of the time discrepancy. But of course we know full well that the threads will come together at some point. The quilts in these women's lives provide part of the connection. And in this effort, we are NOT disappointed! I can honestly say that this book offers the most satisfying conclusion of any book I have read in recent years. Chiaverini is an expert storyteller who knows exactly how much to reveal to her readers. A must-read, even if you haven't opened the other books in the series.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elm Creek readers will be fans of the newest addition, April 11, 2007
In a world where anyone who wants a quilt can go to a department store and for less than $100.00 walk away with a "handmade"item, a book set in an era where such an heirloom as a quilt sewn by hand with the recipient in mind may seem out of place. Unless, of course, you consider the hundreds of thousands of women all over the world who welcome more women (and men) to their ranks each year to do exactly that. Yes, the mechanics have changed from needle, thread and scissors to sewing machines, long arm quilting machines and rotary cutters, but the connecting threads are still the same. Making a quilt is a labor of love and each choice of fabric and pattern reflect the quilt maker and her hopes and dreams for the recipient.
"The Quilter's Homecoming" is the story of Sylvia Compson's dear elder cousin Elizabeth who is a young bride adventurously setting off from Pennsylvania to California with her new husband to find her fortune. Taking with her the legacy of quilting, hard work, and common sense, she represents well the Bergstrom women who showed her by example what it took to make a marriage work.
Readers looking for more of the characters in "Circle of Quilters" had best not look to "The Quilter's Homecoming" to satisfy their appetites. Readers who enjoyed "The Runaway Quilt" and "The Sugar Camp Quilt" are sure to relish yet another story set in the past, this time in the dawning of the twentieth century.
Jennifer Chiaverini's stories, to me, are like quilts. Each one is different but beautiful in a unique way. She doesn't write the same story again and again, simply changing the characters and settings; just like I don't make the same log cabin or nine patch quilt again and again simply changing the colors. Don't let me persuade you that the books are too different from each other that you wouldn't know they were penned by the same author though. "The Quilter's Homecoming" carries the same unmistakable message of hope, perseverance, and love as the stories we already know and love. Readers who are thirsty for a story about how letting go of enmity and pride can heal hearts and families will not be disappointed by this book. No quilter would be disappointed to receive this book, either!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoy this book, June 10, 2007
Another of Chiaverini's quilting books -- it's always amazing to see how she will work quilting into the plot. Two stories here do eventually converge, though you begin by wondering why there are two stories being told. This one is about Elizabeth, Sylvia's beloved elder cousin who married, moved off to California, and never came back. It's a good read.
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