Book Review: The Giving Quilt, by Jennifer Chiaverini

I recently had a giveaway provided by Plume Books, publishers of the Jennifer Chiaverini Elm Creek Quilts series.  I have given away The Giving Quilt to our winner Linda James, but they sent me an extra copy of the novel for a review.  Here is the review, and then the extra copy of the novel will go to Karen L for entering the drawing.

The Giving Quilt, by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Giving Quilt is the latest in the series of books about the quilters of Elm Creek Manor, an old estate that is the setting for weeklong quilt retreats.  The books in the series are always best-sellers.  This particular novel takes place during "Quiltsgiving" Week at the Manor.  The regular staff offer a week free of charge to quilters who will make quilts for Project Linus during their stay at the manor.  Let me just say, that offer sounds too good to be true.  Three fabulous meals a day, a free room, quilting supplies including sewing machines and a longarm!  I would take up that opportunity in a heartbeat!

My usual novels of choice are thrillers and mysteries, so I thought this novel began rather slowly.  I did not really need to hear about how they set up their registration materials on the tables, you know?  But the novel really becomes intriguing when you hear the stories of the participants in the quilt retreat.  There are chapters devoted to several of the quilters, and each has a compelling background story that is very related to today's societal issues.  Unemployment, budget cuts, death in the family, unfairness, even the typical frustrations of dealing with difficult members of a quilting group are all interwoven into the plot.  I enjoyed hearing how each quilter resolved their challenges and issues.

The Elm Creek Quilters offered a lesson in making a quilt top.  Instructions for the quilt are provided in narrative format as the quilters attend the daily lessons.  I personally would have liked for the quilt instructions and a photograph to be included, perhaps as an appendix at the end of the book. I only saw the paperback edition, so perhaps they are included in the hardcover edition.

If you enjoy quilting and enjoy Chiaverini's well-developed characters, you will like The Giving Quilt.

Blog Give-Away: The Giving Quilt novel by Jennifer Chiaverini

Sometimes I am contacted by publishers of quilt-related books to do book reviews or give-aways for my readers.  Today I have a chance for you to win a copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's latest Elm Creek Quilts novel.

 

Here is the information sent by the publisher.

 

 

Thanksgiving inspires generosity once a year, but what happens to the spirit of giving on the other 363 days?  In THE GIVING QUILT, now available from Plume, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini offers an affecting novel that imagines what good could come from practicing the holiday spirit year round

 

With numerous New York Times bestsellers, Chiaverini is undoubtedly one  of the masters of both modern and historical women's fiction.  In the last year alone, her Elm Creek Quilts novels have graced the bestseller list twice, first with The Wedding Quilt, a twenty-first century celebration of a treasured romantic tradition, and again with Sonoma Rose, a prohibition-era novel about one woman's courageous fight to save her family.

 

Year after year, Chiaverini takes a page from her own life to deliver an emotional and poignant story very close to her heart.  As a long-time member and advocate of Project Linus, an organization dedicated to providing handmade quilts and blankets to children in need, Jennifer decided to donate a very unique and special gift- a prime spot in one of her bestselling novels.

 

At Elm Creek Manor, the circle of quilters is hard a t work preparing for "Quiltsgiving."  Held annually the week after Thanksgiving, expert and novice quilters from near and far gather for a special winter session of quilt camp to make pieces for Project Linus.  As the week unfolds, the quilters respond to the question, "Why do you give?"  in ways as varied s the life experiences that drew them to Elm Creek Manor.  Each of the quilters, including a librarian, a teacher, a college student, and a quilt shop clerk, uses her unique talents to teach, inspire, and give back to her fellow campers.

 

Once a gain Chiaverini delivers the complex characters and rich descriptions of setting and mood that fans and critics have come to expect.  Featuring not only well-loved characters but intriguing newcomers, THE GIVING QUILT will remind us all that it is truly better to give than to receive.

 

And now for the give-away:

 

Leave a comment on this post telling about any charity quilts or blankets that you or your quilt group have made.  Do you participate in Project Linus?  Leave your comment (and be sure to include your e-mail) by Monday,  May 20 at 9:00 PM. 

 

The winner will receive a brand-new paperback copy of THE GIVING QUILT, along with three quilt pins symbolizing three of the Elm Creek Quilts novels.

 

 

 

I have some extra quilt pins to give away, too, so if you enter the drawing you might win a lovely quilt pin.

 

I am currently reading the novel, and will post a review within the next few days.

 

Good luck if you enter the drawing!