The Union Quilters: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Plume
Published by The Penguin Group
An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
17th in the series
Paperback Edition Available February 7, 2012
In 1862 Water’s Ford, Pennsylvania is a busy place. Most of the men are off to war to fight for the Union. The woman are rallying to support the cause. They are holding fundraisers, sending bandages, food and supplies. They are using their needles to make quilts to send to hospitals. The also create a very special quilt that will reach out well beyond Water’s Ford.
Gerda Bergstrom takes on Southern sympathizers in the pages of the local newspaper. Anneke Bergstrom deals with her husband pacifist beliefs and does her best to hide her shame. Constance Wright supports her husband as he tries to enter the war effort despite the color of his skin.
The quilters anxiously await letters from their husbands, sons, and brothers which they share with each other at their circle meetings. The community is drawn together as they hope and pray the war will end soon and their men will return home soon. The woman are gaining a new independence that will “alter the patchwork of life in the Elm Creek Valley”.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
An incredible personal look at the Civil War through the eyes of the soldiers and women who wait at home. These gripping individual stories brought together through this powerful piece of fiction give us a very relate-able picture about how the war effected those in a fight to save the Union.
I truly enjoy when the author steps back into the past to give us the history of the Elm Creek Valley. The battle scenes were captivating to show the real rugged truth of battle. The men took on more of a roll in this story while the women also really emerged even stronger than in previous stories. I especially liked the part of the story about the quilt that went to the battlefield.
Chiaverini is a strong storyteller whether writing historical or contemporary fiction. If her name in on the cover you know you are assured to read a treasure.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”