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laurenleigh's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I did not expect to fall in love with this novel, but here I am! What a gorgeous, heart opening fictional debut. The stories of these women are so touching, even if I’ve never experienced anything close to them. I’m totally struck by Otto’s liberal slant, especially since this was punished in 1991. (Older than me!) I dare say this work is “ahead of its time.” I thought a 30 year-old novel about a quilting circle might be a bit trite, but I realize I’m playing into a lot of ageism there! These grandmas have sex lives, smoke weed, and struggle with war, racism, sexism, classism…the layers to this “story quilt” are beautiful and complex. There is a lot of reference to the quilting process and how it relates to the women’s lives. Someone who knows nothing about quilting would still find the stories just as interesting, but it’s even more special to me and those who work with textiles. Those of us who know their power and their reach. I’m really drawn to Otto’s terse style. I would often stop after a short paragraph and revel in how much was contained in just a few sentences. My instinct would be to write a lot more words, but she shows how much can be said with so little.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Cancer
Moderate: Sexual content, Racism, Child death, and War
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