Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Runaway Quilt - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

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     The Runaway Quilt is one of my favorite stories in Jennifer Chiaverini's "Elm Creek Quilts" series. If you enjoy family history, if you're curious about the Civil War (and the underground railroad), if you're a quilter, or if you like to read about friendships between women, you'll like this book too. The story takes place in present day but goes back into the past as the main character, Sylvia, reads an ancestor's diary, written during the Civil War.
     The Runaway Quilt is the fourth book in this series, but it stands alone. However, as with most series, you'll get to know the characters better if you start with the first book (The Quilter's Apprentice).

Book Beginning:
     When her sister, Claudia, died childless at the age of seventy-seven, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson became the last living descendant of Hans and Anneke Bergstrom and the sole heir to what remained of their fortune. Or so she had thought. She had certainly searched long and hard enough for someone else who could assume responsibility of Elm Creek Manor, for as difficult as it was to believe now, at the time she had thought the estate in rural central Pennsylvania too full of unhappy memories to become her home again. Her lawyer had told her she was the sole heir, an opinion corroborated by her private detective.
     Now she wondered if they had overlooked something, a familial connection lost to memory but documented in a thread-bare antique quilt.

The Friday 56 (This excerpt is from Page 156 in the trade paperback edition):
One of those seats had a block with a black center square, and if pushed in just the right way, the wooden slats folded into a hidden recess beneath the bench like a rolltop desk, revealing a hiding place beneath the gazebo. According to family lore, fugitive slaves would conceal themselves in the hiding place until nightfall, when one of the Bergstroms would escort them into the safety of the manor.

Genre: Women's Fiction / Mystery / Crafts & Hobbies
Length: 329 Pages (trade paperback)
Amazon Link: The Runaway Quilt
Author's Website: Jennifer Chiaverini

Synopsis: In the fourth novel of the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series, Sylvia Compson searches for evidence of her ancestors' courageous involvement in the Underground Railroad.

                 

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
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Twitter: @SandyNachlinger
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26 comments:

  1. I am fairly sure that I have seen this book at my library, now I will be more purposeful looking for it. Do you have read the other books in the series first? My Friday Quotes

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    1. Although this book stands alone, I'd suggest you read The Quilter's Apprentice first, just to get to know how the whole Elm Creek Quilts series started.

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  2. Interesting quote.
    My Friday 56
    http://totallyaddictedtoreading.blogspot.com/2015/06/friday-56-5.html

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  3. I LOVE to quilt and a gazebo is what I want! I'm getting this book, for sure. Great post!

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    1. I've read several books in this series and intend to read them all eventually.

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  4. I recently won 5 paperback books in this series. Haven't had a chance to start them yet as my mother is tearing through them. She's loving them and I can't wait for my turn.

    My 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/06/26/the-friday-56-67-shadow-of-danger-by-kristine-mason/

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    1. The author's website gives the sequence of the Elm Creek books (under the FAQ tab). I think you'll enjoy them more if you read them in order, especially if you read The Quilter's Apprentice first.

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  5. This one sounds like a fun book! Love the sound of the quilts and the Underground Railroad....thanks for sharing. And thanks for visiting my blog.

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  6. Sounds like a interesting mystery. I have never read the series but I can tell I would like it.

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    1. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.

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  7. I haven't heard of this series but it is one that I'll be looking for now. You can see my posts at #27 and #28 on Freda's linky. Happy reading!

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  8. This sounds interesting! I've always been fascinated by the language of quilts so I'll have to look for this series. Thanksf or sharing!

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    1. The history behind quilt patterns and their names fascinates me--another reason why I've enjoyed this series.

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  9. How interesting and it sounds like it has a nice blend of history and present day material. Happy reading!

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  10. Love this author, but I haven't read any of these books.

    THANKS for sharing.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Beginnings

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  11. I've read all of these books. I liked how she kept the quilters going even though the books started to be about other people.

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  12. What a clever idea for an historical series, to have it surrounding quilts and quilters.

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  13. I enjoy Civil War era books so I will have to check this series out!

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    1. I hope I didn't imply that the whole series is based in the Civil War! That's only in this one book and only in the diary entries. All the other books are centered around the Elm Creek Quilters.

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  14. I have a couple of this author's books which I haven't read but a friend of mine just loves her books. The beginning jumps right into the story and grabs you, I like. :)

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  15. I've heard alot about this author. She's on my TBR.

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  16. Sounds like a good book pairing with my Gone With the Wind readalong at the moment.

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  17. This sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing :) and stopping by my blog.

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  18. This sounds like it would be interesting as well as fun...the history behind quilt patterns would be great incentive for me!

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  19. I love family tales. This one sounds rich with history. Happy weekend!

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