The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini

Alright, I have to say that although this book was reasonably well written, it was not even close to being one of the enjoyable ones of the Elm Creek Quilts series. No worries, if you haven't read the other ones this one won't be too hard to read, it diverges from the others more than any other of the books and would be easy to read on its own, with only a few little details being missed.

The Civil War is upon them and Anneke, Gerda, and the other ladies must watch as those they love enlist and join the war to end slavery. As their husbands are gone, they rally and organize trying to raise money for the troops and carry on life at home. Gerda makes an enterprise of writing newspaper articles under a penname while the other women makes quilts for the soldiers on the front-line and also to fund-raise. But as with most wars, happy endings are far and few between.

None of the characters were particularly charming in this book. I sympathized with Charlotte a bit, just because Gerda really was a horrible person in regards to her treatment of her. But beyond that I couldn't express any sympathy for any of them. They just seemed rather flat and not the well developed characters I'm used to seeing from Chiaverini. Some of the other characters at least did good deeds, but that was all that we really saw from them. I do have to say that the character of Abel had some decent convictions and wasn't afraid to act on them.

This is definitely a history type of book rather than a quilting book. I'm not a big reader of history so I can't comment much on its accuracy, but it would seem that Chiaverini must have done some research. And there were some gory battle scenes described; actually a lot of battle scenes, more than the quilting itself. And therein lies my problem with this novel. If it is going to be branded as part of the Elm Creek Quilts series it should contain a fair portion of quilting and be more focused on the women, rather than the history. Had this book been labeled as part of a different series I might have accepted it a little better (or chosen not to read it)but you come to expect something from a particular series and there's no shame in an author running a second series.

I do prefer the more modern Elm Creek Quilt novels and as said before, wish Chiaverini would separate her two storylines into two different series. I think it would just flow better and be easier to keep the characters straight. And then too, readers could read whatever series they wanted without feeling like they were missing something if they skipped a book.

The Union Quilters
Copyright 2011
342 pages

The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Chaiverini's Elm Creek Quilt novels.  That being said, if you haven't read much of the series (or any) this review is probably not going to be that helpful for you.  You could probably read them as stand-alones in a pinch, but having the background on all of the characters really helps.  Especially for this book, where the backstory of the main character is especially relevant.

Bonnie is still reeling from her pending divorce and the infidelities her husband Craig has been having for a long time.  At the invitation of a friend, she heads to Hawaii to help her start up a quilting camp on one of the islands there.  In Hawaii she really appreciates the beauty of the islands and sets herself to developing a great camp and learning the Hawaiian method of quilting.  Problems start arising with her ex and the splitting of assets though, and his rage terrifies her. 

Bonnie is a decent character.  A little judgemental at times, and easy to anger, but I suppose going through divorce proceedings wouldn't be the nicest thing to experience.  Her friend Claire, who invited her to Hawaii I wasn't as fond of.  I found her just a little too headstrong and abrasive.  The ex-husband, Craig, was a little over the top.  But in being so he made a great antagonist in the book.  I did miss the original characters of the Elm Creek novels a little, but at least they were mentioned here and there and Bonnie was a part of everything.

I love the thought of a quilt camp in Hawaii.  Well, I even just love the thought of Hawaii.  But I do have to say, it just seems so unrealistic that that would be where Bonnie got to escape to.  Or maybe that's just jealousy on my part.  This book involved a lot of quilting too, which I was appreciative of as it's not always like that in these books.  It really made me want to try to do a Hawaiian quilt of my own, although I don't think my skills are at that level yet.  Regardless, it was a fun read and I couldn't put the book down until I had read it cover to cover.

As always, I look forward to more of Chiaverini's work.  Good thing I have the next book in my to-read pile!

The Aloha Quilt
Copyright 2010
321 pages