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celandine's review
5.0
A deeper involvement into Bonnie's life, of how she patches her life up again after it fell to pieces. Beautifully written, you almost feel like you're in Hawaii, and the Hawaiian traditions that are described makes you want to go and participate yourself!
camillewithasea's review
3.0
Well researched when it came to Hawaiian culture and politics, and it was a pleasant plot for a quick read. Truth be told, I probably would have loved this book if I knew thing one about quilting, but a lot of that part of the story flew straight over my head.
caslater83's review against another edition
5.0
Good read!
I enjoyed this book more than I had anticipated. Bonnie sounds like a wonderful woman. Kind, loyal, and devoted. But this divorce has her riding an emotional roller coaster. Midori, Claire, and other characters all provide adequate support throughout the story. It's well done and I never felt bored. I also enjoyed learning more about the history of Hawaii and how they quilt!
I enjoyed this book more than I had anticipated. Bonnie sounds like a wonderful woman. Kind, loyal, and devoted. But this divorce has her riding an emotional roller coaster. Midori, Claire, and other characters all provide adequate support throughout the story. It's well done and I never felt bored. I also enjoyed learning more about the history of Hawaii and how they quilt!
taylorbroek's review
3.0
Pretty good easy read. Picked this up for .50c at a used book store because i liked the cover. I really enjoyed all of the Hawaiian history and quilting history! I enjoyed learning about the first and last queen of Hawaii and how Hawaii came to be “part” of the USA.
kairosdreaming's review
4.0
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
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
auntblh's review
4.0
Another good installment of the quilter's stories. I enjoyed the trip to Hawaii and the history lessons that is imparted. I also liked the information about quilts in the Hawaiian style.
k_lee_reads_it's review
4.0
Her marriage is ending. Her life seems to have no direction or purpose. A friend offers a job on Maui setting up a new quilting retreat center, so she flies off for the winter and learns the true meaning of aloha.
Some of Chiaverini's books are really good. Some just aren't. This one is quite good. I wish she could get into a better rhythm. I can't just write her off and stop reading. If you have no desire to read the whole series (and frankly after reading the first few so many are just the same story again) you don't have to with this novel. It is a story that comes out of some of the first ones, but it stands on its own quite nicely.
Some of Chiaverini's books are really good. Some just aren't. This one is quite good. I wish she could get into a better rhythm. I can't just write her off and stop reading. If you have no desire to read the whole series (and frankly after reading the first few so many are just the same story again) you don't have to with this novel. It is a story that comes out of some of the first ones, but it stands on its own quite nicely.
kgormley's review
5.0
Another great book in the Elm Creek Quilts series. I really liked that this book included a lot of history about the Hawaiian Islands -- I haven't checked, but I'm thinking most, if not all of it is really true, and it made me want to learn a bit more about how Hawaii became a state, etc. The story line was good as well, and the reader also learns a bit about how quilting/quilts are different in Hawaii than they are on the mainland. Everytime I read one of these books I think "someday I will learn to sew and make a quilt ..."