Scan barcode
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes I'm just not sure what to think of these books. I get done reading a fantastic one and eagerly start on the next when I'm vastly disappointed. At least in this book the return of one of the main characters happens, but it is just her and the book really ends up being a rehash of previous books. I won't take the time to go through what's happened in the first ten books because it'd take forever, but that's ok because this could be read as a stand alone.
Sylvia Compton has recently married Andrew, a wonderful man who had been friends with her brother back when they were younger. Both in their twilight years, they were lucky to have found love this late in life. However, not everyone is so accepting of their relationship. Andrew's daughter Amy is dead set against it and they haven't even told her yet that they have been married. The biggest obstacle in this book will be telling her the news.
As they travel to New York for their honeymoon, and then onto Amy's house afterwards, Sylvia works on a New Years quilt. With each block she reminisces about past New Years in her life and resolutions she has made. She also thinks back on how she could have changed some of the sadder moments in her life and what she could have done differently. She hopes that with this quilt she can gain the acceptance of Andrew's daughter.
Chiaverini has always been a wonderful writer. However, its sad to see such a regurgitation of her previous books in that one. Some scenes are almost exactly the same as previous books with only a few different words thrown in. I was looking for something new. She is unoffensive in her writing and that is a positive. It makes this book a nice easy read for a rainy day or lazy afternoon. I just wish she'd get on with her original story.
Aside from the book being mostly repeats, for such a theme as New Years it was surprisingly a very gloomy book. It fit very well with the rainy day outside while I was reading it. I was expecting to be uplifted and shown the greatness of starting new, but this book only gave me a fraction of those feelings. Some more cheery memories could definitely have been added.
I like the series but I'm tired of all the weaker books in the link. I'd love to see Chiaverini get back to her original characters and plot line. I understand she's trying to branch out, but sometimes its better to let a good thing be.
The New Years Quilt
Copyright 2007
223 pages
Sylvia Compton has recently married Andrew, a wonderful man who had been friends with her brother back when they were younger. Both in their twilight years, they were lucky to have found love this late in life. However, not everyone is so accepting of their relationship. Andrew's daughter Amy is dead set against it and they haven't even told her yet that they have been married. The biggest obstacle in this book will be telling her the news.
As they travel to New York for their honeymoon, and then onto Amy's house afterwards, Sylvia works on a New Years quilt. With each block she reminisces about past New Years in her life and resolutions she has made. She also thinks back on how she could have changed some of the sadder moments in her life and what she could have done differently. She hopes that with this quilt she can gain the acceptance of Andrew's daughter.
Chiaverini has always been a wonderful writer. However, its sad to see such a regurgitation of her previous books in that one. Some scenes are almost exactly the same as previous books with only a few different words thrown in. I was looking for something new. She is unoffensive in her writing and that is a positive. It makes this book a nice easy read for a rainy day or lazy afternoon. I just wish she'd get on with her original story.
Aside from the book being mostly repeats, for such a theme as New Years it was surprisingly a very gloomy book. It fit very well with the rainy day outside while I was reading it. I was expecting to be uplifted and shown the greatness of starting new, but this book only gave me a fraction of those feelings. Some more cheery memories could definitely have been added.
I like the series but I'm tired of all the weaker books in the link. I'd love to see Chiaverini get back to her original characters and plot line. I understand she's trying to branch out, but sometimes its better to let a good thing be.
The New Years Quilt
Copyright 2007
223 pages
k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
1.0
I really enjoyed the first several books in this series. Now I really like the covers of these books. That's all.
showlola's review against another edition
2.0
So, this was another choice for our Reader's Advisory group at work. Chiaverini was one of the canon authors for 'Gentle Reads', and since I've (FULL DISCLOSURE) recently taken up quilting, I thought this was the cozy little book for me.
This is the 11th book the the Elm Creek Quilts series, and its the first one I've read. The first book in the series was unavailable at the library, so I decided to jump in and read this one.
The characterization and style was pretty light and breezy, and the plot could have been covered in a 20 page short story. Chiaverini fills in with remembrances of New Year's past and of course the hand quilting details.
Everything seemed sort of dull and unmemorable, and although there was nothing offensive in the writing style, it didn't particularly hold my interest either. I was also feeling pretty bitter towards the main character and her asides about the ungrateful nature of children, which didn't help me enjoy this anymore.
I think before I give a final judgement on the series, I may still have to go back to the first book, The Quilter's Apprentice. The story seems a little more my speed and I did sort of enjoy the talk about quilting (she said reluctantly).
This is the 11th book the the Elm Creek Quilts series, and its the first one I've read. The first book in the series was unavailable at the library, so I decided to jump in and read this one.
The characterization and style was pretty light and breezy, and the plot could have been covered in a 20 page short story. Chiaverini fills in with remembrances of New Year's past and of course the hand quilting details.
Everything seemed sort of dull and unmemorable, and although there was nothing offensive in the writing style, it didn't particularly hold my interest either. I was also feeling pretty bitter towards the main character and her asides about the ungrateful nature of children, which didn't help me enjoy this anymore.
I think before I give a final judgement on the series, I may still have to go back to the first book, The Quilter's Apprentice. The story seems a little more my speed and I did sort of enjoy the talk about quilting (she said reluctantly).
hkeeney7398's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this one AS much, however I did still enjoy it. I am once again looking forward to the next one.
carrolk3's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice book that was given to me as someone else's "favorite". I had previously read one in this series and as someone who periodically quilts, there was some interest. It is also of some interest as the author is from the Madison area. I find these books nice but not very exciting. As with a number of serialized books, a lot of time is spent on the history (in this case the long standing family issues). If you are a quilter, you might find this book of interest as there are many references to various quilting squares and some history and appreciation of the art of quilting. Otherwise, it's a fairly fast read, light weight, feel-good book. Not bad but not great....
tellemonstar's review against another edition
4.0
A nice enjoyable read that was pretty quick. I have learned a lot about quilts and have only read to of the books in the series. A great Sunday afternoon/beach read.
lisadee's review against another edition
3.0
Just in time to ring in 2014 I finish this book. I lost count of which book I left off reading years ago but the series seems to tell and re tell some of the same stories so I think I was fine in picking up this one. The New Year's quilt picks up Silvia's story as she is marrying after being widowed most of her life. As with other Elm Creek novels the modern story is told along with flashbacks of earlier days of the Bergstrom/Compson families to show where the characters are coming from and what drives them to action in the present. It is a enjoyable, wholesome read that I can relax into on occasion.
pbuzzard's review against another edition
3.0
Summary: The main character (Sylvia Compson) is a woman in her 60s who is recently married. Her daughter-in-law does not approve of the relationship and she and her husband are going to break the news to her over Christmas. While driving there, she is working on her "new year's quilt" and each square represents a story and time in her life where she has learned a hard life lesson. As she goes through each square she tells the story through flashbacks.
Appeal (pacing): The book unviels itself slowly. It is written with mostly flashbacks and description with some dialog.
Appeal (characterization): This book focuses on one single character (Sylvia Compson). She and her story line are revealed throughout the book. Sylvia tells the story from her point of view. Though some of the secondary characters are memorable, but they are not the focus of the story.
Appeal (story line): The story emphasizes the situations, but the relationship between the people is important to the story. The author intention is to give a moral story and show lessons learned by the characters.
Appeal (pacing): The book unviels itself slowly. It is written with mostly flashbacks and description with some dialog.
Appeal (characterization): This book focuses on one single character (Sylvia Compson). She and her story line are revealed throughout the book. Sylvia tells the story from her point of view. Though some of the secondary characters are memorable, but they are not the focus of the story.
Appeal (story line): The story emphasizes the situations, but the relationship between the people is important to the story. The author intention is to give a moral story and show lessons learned by the characters.
More...