It is 1864 and the war between the North and the South is raging. So when Will Spooner joins the Kansas Volunteers to fight the Confederates he hates, he leaves his beloved wife, Elizabeth, at home managing the family farm and their two children. To pass time and to show Will she loves him and is thinking of him she makes him what she does best, a special quilt for Christmas. But she never knows if Will receives the quilt or not because not soon after he is killed in battle. Her only hope is that he was buried wrapped in the quilt which signifies her love for him. Left alone, she finds comfort in rereading Will's letters to her (though she cannot bring herself to open the last one) and in her quilting group which breaks the monotony of grief and the hard work of running the farm with only her teenage son to help her. When her friend desperately needs a home after also losing her husband, Elizabeth takes her in and has her join the group much to the misgivings of some of the other members because of the girl's past. When the underground comes knocking on her door asking for help to hide an escaped slave accused of murder, Elizabeth must decide what she and Will really stood for and if she has the courage to see it all through. Then out of the blue the quilt shows up at her door in the hands of a soldier and Elizabeth has yet again been brought to a place of searching her heart.
This story was rich in historical detail and really gave me a sense of the hardship the war brought to the women and families left behind. It was a touching story of love, forgiveness and courage to do what's right in the hardest of situations. A quick read for my Christmas holiday.
4 comments:
I think I would like this one. Will look for it. I always like to have a stack of good Christmas books ready to read in November and December. Thanks for the review and have a great weekend!
This sounds really good.
Sounds like a good one!!
Sounds like a sweet book.
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