Title: The New Year's Quilt
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publish Date: Nov 13, 2007
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb:
As each holiday season approaches, some revel in welcoming the New Year ahead; others quietly mourn the passing of time gone by. "We can't hold on to the past," says Master Quilter Sylvia Compson, "but we can keep the best part of 'Auld Lang Syne' in our hearts and in our memories, and we can look forward to the future with hope and resolve." As Sylvia, a late-in-life newlywed, has discovered, love can enter our lives at any age. Yet before she can truly delight in her present happiness, she must face the sorrow hidden in her past -- her own role in the tragic circumstances that left her estranged from her sister, Claudia, until it was too late to make amends. Vowing not to repeat the mistake with her new daughter-in-law, Amy, who opposed Sylvia's marriage to her father, Andrew, Sylvia must convince Amy that family is more precious than pride. As Sylvia takes up a quilt for the season, begun and abandoned over six years, she recalls the New Year's Eve festivities of her youth at Elm Creek Manor as a member of the Bergstrom family. She titles the quilt "New Year's Reflections," after her belief that year-end reflections precede resolutions. The quilt blocks she chooses commemorate the wisdom that no one can ever be truly alone if she keeps the memory of those she loved and those who loved her alive in her heart. The New Year's Quilt is a novel to enjoy today and to treasure anew each holiday season.
Sylvia has married again, late in life, and her new husband's family doesn't approve of the match. At first, I thought this story was going to revolve around Andrew's family, particularly the daughter that isn't all for the match, but it wasn't. That conflict really only happened in the last 30 pages.
What this story really chronicled were the years after the death of Sylvia's first husband, as well as parts of her life when she was a girl.
In this book, we learned a bit more about Sylvia's mother, who died when she was a young girl. I really love the scenes from Sylvia's past in these books. She is such a remarkable character, wonderful and full of flaws, just like everyone. She's stubborn but sweet, full of love and regrets.
As we get to know Sylvia, we also get to know her sister Claudia. With each book, I long for Jennifer to write a book from Claudia's point of view. I'd love to learn her side of the story.
Like all the other Elm Creek novels, this book is a bit fluffy, but it is good fluff, the kind of fluff that makes you feel good.
I highly recommend this series to anyone that likes family sagas and heartwarming stories.
Rating: 5 flowers
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