|
Sylvia Bergstrom Compton has come back home after fifty years of self-imposed exile – and, had she not been the last remaining Bergstrom left, she wouldn’t have come back at all. But, Elm Creek Manor had no others to inherit, and so she had returned.
Many memories haunt the halls of the manor for Sylvia, especially around Christmas. Having her young friend Sarah, and Sarah’s husband Matt, around does help a bit - although Sylvia is worried about Sarah’s refusal to make peace with her own mother on Christmas.
The quilting camp that Sarah and Sylvia run during the summer months has been a great success. The campers have all gone home for the winter, and only Sarah, Matt and Sylvia remain to deck the halls of the manor with Christmas cheer.
Sylvia is having a difficult time spreading joy, however, when she’s haunted by the memories of her husband, child, mother, father and sister. Having all of one’s family gone does not make for the most blissful of seasons. Making peace with one’s own mistakes comes even harder, as Sylvia discovers when dealing with the bittersweet memories of her sister Claudia.
THE CHRISTMAS QUILT follows Sylvia down memory lane, weaving through the Christmas traditions of the Bergstrom family: the Bergstrom strudel, the hiding of the glass star, selection of the Christmas tree by the newest married couple and most of all, the unfinished Christmas quilt crafted by generations of Bergstrom women.
THE CHRISTMAS QUILT is an endearing story, focusing on the joys of having family near at this special time of year. Author Jennifer Chiaverini has done a superb job of weaving together the memories from holidays past and the tension from Christmas present. THE CHRISTMAS QUILT is highly enjoyable; the descriptions of the old-fashioned Christmases of Sylvia’s memories will have readers yearning for simpler times and family traditions.
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
January 2, 2006
|
