Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book for free from the publisher through the Litfuse Publicity Group book blogger campaign and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”
About the Book: (Information taken directly from LitFuse Publicity's Promotions page.)
Maybelle In Stitches | A Quilts of Love book.
Maybelle Kazinzki can’t sew. She was after all, the only girl in the seventh grade Home Economics class to sew the zipper in the neck hole of the A-Line dress they were supposed to make. But when she finds an unfinished quilt in the attic of her mother’s house she gets the crazy idea to finish it—somehow, come heck or high water. She thinks it will help fill the lonely nights while her husband, Holden, is serving overseas during World War II.
Her recently departed mother’s quilt is made from scraps of material Maybelle traces back to her mother’s childhood, her grandmother’s childhood and her own childhood. She tries to add one of Holden’s stripes to it but the sewing is not going well and neither is her life. After receiving some harsh news, Maybelle’s faith falters and she puts the quilt away and stops trusting God. But God is faithful- no matter what. And it’ll take a group of neighborhood women armed with quilting needles to help Maybelle believe that.
Learn more about this book and the series at the Quilts of Love website.
Joyce Magnin is the author of the Bright’s Pond novels, including the award-winning The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow. A member of the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Fellowship, Joyce is a frequent workshop leader and the organizer of the StoryCrafters fiction group. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Find out more about Joyce at:
About Quilts of Love: Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women's fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.
Format: trade paperback
Source: Litfuse Publicity Group book blogger campaign
Published: Abingdon Press / $13.99 / 2014 / ISBN:978-1-4267-5280-3
Stalk the Author: Website / Facebook / Twitter
Buy the Book: Abingdon Press / Christianbook / Quilts Of Love site
Why I Read this Book: I've read two other books in the Quilts of Love series (Scraps of Evidence and A Sky Without Stars) and really enjoyed their heart-warming and endearing stories. I figured it would be safe to assume that Maybelle in Stitches would follow suit-and I was right!
What I Liked: I enjoyed that the setting of the book was during World War II, when the men were off fighting for our country, patriotism was still alive and well, and the women were "doing their part to help the war effort" by welding and working in the ship yards.
I also enjoyed the characters and their distinctive personalities: Doris-with her "can-do" attitude and Maybelle who is still struggling to find her way in the world. Roger was a doll having to put up with all of the women around him, and the other women in the book helped to add comic relief and a touch of camaraderie when things were tough.
I enjoyed the friendship of the quilting group and the stories that they shared with one another about their lives, hopes, fears, and dreams.
What I Didn't Like: I hated the sad parts of the story. Although I know they were a sad reality of the time period, I wasn't expecting some of them and I was blubbering on the couch like an idiot. (You'll just have to read the book to find out what I'm referring to in the story.)
Overall Impression: If you're wanting something to make you feel nostalgic for a time period in which communities banded together to help one another in times of need, then Maybelle and her quilting partners will share their stories with you--as long as you grab a needle and thread. I really loved this book and would like to read more by Joyce Magnin.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Let me know what you think! Happy Reading!
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