Maybelle Kazinzki can't sew. She was after all, the only girl in the seventh grade Home Economics class to sew the zipper in the neck hole of the A-Line dress they were supposed to make. But when she finds an unfinished quilt in the attic of her mother's house she gets the crazy idea to finish it---somehow, come heck or high water. She thinks it will help fill the lonely nights while her husband, Holden, is serving overseas during World War II.
Her recently departed mother's quilt is made from scraps of material Maybelle traces back to her mother's childhood, her grandmother's childhood and her own childhood. She tries to add one of Holden's stripes to it but the sewing is not going well and neither is her life. After receiving some harsh news, Maybelle's faith falters and she puts the quilt away and stops trusting God. But God is faithful---no matter what. And it'll take a group of neighborhood women armed with quilting needles to help Maybelle believe that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joyce Magnin is the author of the Bright's Pond novels, including the
award-winning The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow. A member of the Greater
Philadelphia Christian Writers Fellowship, Joyce is a frequent workshop leader
and the organizer of the StoryCrafters fiction group. She lives near
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Learn more about Joyce at: http://joycemagnin.blogspot.com
MY REVIEW:
This is a delightful book that I really enjoyed. I'll be honest and tell you that one of he reasons I wanted to read this was because my favorite aunt's name was Maybelle. You don't hear of that name anymore and so it really caught my attention!
This book is set during WWII and I really liked how it reminded me so much of the old 1940's movies. There wasn't endless historical information but just real people living real lives during a difficult time. I liked how the women and, for that matter, everyone was all about supporting our country. It was interesting reading about how Maybelle and her friend, Doris, were welders, too!
Maybelle is not exactly domestic and, as we come into the story, she is living with her mother while her husband is serving overseas. Early in the book, Maybelle's mother dies and leaves behind a quilt that Maybelle knows was going to be a gift for her. It has very special fabric in it and Maybelle's friend, Doris, convinces her she can finish it despite her lack of domestic skills.
I really loved how we see Maybelle grow as a person and also in her faith. Doris is a believer and I loved how she trusted God with her husband and with her life. It was a very easy book to read because the story was good and I grew to love the characters! I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it!
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by LitFuse Publicity Group.
Blessings - Julie
Good review.
ReplyDeleteI have an Aunt Maybelle too! This book interests me because of the quilt. On my way to check it out. Thanks!
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