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susan_ok's review
3.0
Not as good as some of her earlier works. Fairly disappointing but good subject matter.
jbarr5's review
4.0
The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini
1860's Elizabeth stays behind as her husband leaves to fight in the war. She must stay strong.
She hides that she's pregnant and gives Thomas, her husband one of her quilts to take with him because she won't be able to keep him warm.
Racial tensions, politics and war are the focus of this book and the quilting and the part it represents during the war.
When the men write to tell the women they've not even had potatoes nor fresh vegetables the local circle of quilting women go into action.
When they are requested to make 60 quilts they make plans to get a building that is large enough for everybody to sew them.
Dorothea comes up with a great idea to get the quilts done and a contest for the quilters...
Love how the sampler came about and what is in it, what a treasure!
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
1860's Elizabeth stays behind as her husband leaves to fight in the war. She must stay strong.
She hides that she's pregnant and gives Thomas, her husband one of her quilts to take with him because she won't be able to keep him warm.
Racial tensions, politics and war are the focus of this book and the quilting and the part it represents during the war.
When the men write to tell the women they've not even had potatoes nor fresh vegetables the local circle of quilting women go into action.
When they are requested to make 60 quilts they make plans to get a building that is large enough for everybody to sew them.
Dorothea comes up with a great idea to get the quilts done and a contest for the quilters...
Love how the sampler came about and what is in it, what a treasure!
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
wendiwoo1's review
2.0
One of the reasons I love Chiaverini's books so much is that she infuses history into a stellar plot line. Her characters are the pulse of the story. Having said that, I think "The Union Quilt" lost that element of her writing. Since Chiaverini does not write chronologically, it's been quite some time since we have seen these particular characters in her books. She spent very little time reminding us of who these characters were that I had a hard time following in the beginning. Plus, I don't think many of the characters were that well developed in previous books, and it seemed she assumed we knew who they were. She did not seem to continue with the characters' development as the story played out. Much of the book reads like a textbook of the Civil War, which I, personally do not care for, though I do give her credit for her research and attention to detail. The ending of the book does bring more out of the characters than the beginning, so maybe a follow up to this book depicting the aftermath of the war and how these characters fared in the wake of loss and destruction would help get Chiaverini back on track. Also, I am not a quilter, but I missed the lack of quilting details in this book.
wychwoodnz's review against another edition
I abandoned this book approximately 1/3 in - I've read plenty of Jennifer Chiaverini's books and love historical fiction, so not getting along with this one was a real surprise to me.
I did work out why though. The third person narrative just plodded along, with very little dialogue or hints at inner monologue. The lack of engagement with the characters and the events happening to them, combined with the pacing, made this a really boring read.
I'm really hoping this isn't something that is in all her books and I just never noticed before, because if so I suspect now I won't be able to un-notice it.
I did work out why though. The third person narrative just plodded along, with very little dialogue or hints at inner monologue. The lack of engagement with the characters and the events happening to them, combined with the pacing, made this a really boring read.
I'm really hoping this isn't something that is in all her books and I just never noticed before, because if so I suspect now I won't be able to un-notice it.
maryfrances_odea's review
4.0
An interesting "next step" in the Elm Creek Quilts series. I wondered throughout the book how well this would sit with quilters - very little quilting is in the book, although the story is anchored with a couple of quilts.
Obviously a passion of the author's is the Civil War and a lot of research and historical details are in the book, but I had to ask myself if it was too much, the battle scenes were graphic and the entire book didn't read much like a "women's book". That being said, it was an interesting portrayal of the Civil War from "afar". A town that for the most part stayed out of the battle, yet had many scars by the end.
Obviously a passion of the author's is the Civil War and a lot of research and historical details are in the book, but I had to ask myself if it was too much, the battle scenes were graphic and the entire book didn't read much like a "women's book". That being said, it was an interesting portrayal of the Civil War from "afar". A town that for the most part stayed out of the battle, yet had many scars by the end.
mbhammons's review
This one is kind of a stand-alone in the series. It was okay, but I'm definitely looking forward to her getting back to the main Elm Creek characters.
rek56's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
kairosdreaming's review
3.0
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
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
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
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
dujyt's review
5.0
This book had me poking my Civil War-buff husband constantly, asking him if the details, settings and attitudes *really* happened. Although I am just as much of a history nut as he is, his grasp of this era is beyond me. So he was surprised at how this "fiction" novel could set up these real events without making them seem just convenient plot devices--a criticism that generally steers him away from historical fiction in general, and makes *me* wish I'd just read a good nonfiction treatment of the period. I did not feel that way about this book.
My mother and I read this book at about the same time, discussing how much we admired the women and wondering aloud if *we* could be as resolute at banding together to make a community support network like the one in the book--the aid society that supported soldiers and their families during and after the war.
When a book can create this type of dialogue between people, I consider it a 5-star read that I want to recommend to others. I don't think you have to be familiar with the Elm Creek Quilt series to enjoy this novel, so it can be simply the starting point for anyone interested in American Civil War history, women's history, and/or quilting--take your pick, or pick them all.
My mother and I read this book at about the same time, discussing how much we admired the women and wondering aloud if *we* could be as resolute at banding together to make a community support network like the one in the book--the aid society that supported soldiers and their families during and after the war.
When a book can create this type of dialogue between people, I consider it a 5-star read that I want to recommend to others. I don't think you have to be familiar with the Elm Creek Quilt series to enjoy this novel, so it can be simply the starting point for anyone interested in American Civil War history, women's history, and/or quilting--take your pick, or pick them all.