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Colebridge Community #3
The Funeral Parlor Quilt
The third chapter in the life of Anne Brown and the Colebridge Community! In The Basement Quilt and The Potting Shed Quilt, the first and second novels by Ann Hazelwood, you became familiar with the family and friends of Anne Brown, the plucky florist whose life decisions remind us of our own. In the third book in the Colebridge Community series, even as Anne and her quilting friends welcome newcomers into their lives, they come across strange death practices and unusual (to them) uses for quilts. These events give them pause to consider life's deeper meanings. But what do they signal for the future? The Funeral Parlor Quilt is not just the title of this sequel. As in the first two parts of the series, the quilt itself is a character. You'll want to meet other quilt 'characters' as Anne and her family and friends keep meeting life's challenges. Book 3 in the Colebridge Community Series.
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2013
72 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Ann Hazelwood
37 books106 followersAnn Hazelwood was the owner of a quilt shop for 30 years. She has always adored quilting and is a certified quilt appraiser. In addition to her cozy quilt fiction, she has written travel guides and quilting non-fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 28, 2014
I haven't read the first book in the series (The Basement Quilt), but did read the second one (The Potting Shed Quilt), and now this one. This one is shorter and has bigger print than the Basement Quilt but it felt like it was just as long. Ann Hazelwood has grown as a writer because the conversations seem less stilted and the characters are a little bit more unique. There is still a lot more telling than showing. There was one time when someone who works in her store said or did something nice and the author says (she knew I was pleased) as she goes on to talk to someone else. That doesn't show pleased to me! Sure it could be the character, since it is written in first person, but I am not liking her very much as we go along. She says she is always busy, but I don't really see what she does besides delegate work to her mother, husband, maid, and workers.
The middle part of the book seemed to drag on for me, as not much happens as she hosts a party or two. There is a cliffhanger at the end of the book that encourages you to read the next book.
Neither book really describes the quilts, which bothers me a great deal since the series is based on quilts and published by American Quilter's Society. I don't know what colors the quilt is, or even what album block is really used, since the photo on the cover is different from the pattern that is shown inside the book. You would think that the descriptions in the book would help, but it talks about a single white strip and neither of the patterns have a single white strip to write on.
It is a good book, better than the last one. I wouldn't recommend to anyone that they need to read the book, but then again, I wouldn't discourage anyone who picked it up.
The middle part of the book seemed to drag on for me, as not much happens as she hosts a party or two. There is a cliffhanger at the end of the book that encourages you to read the next book.
Neither book really describes the quilts, which bothers me a great deal since the series is based on quilts and published by American Quilter's Society. I don't know what colors the quilt is, or even what album block is really used, since the photo on the cover is different from the pattern that is shown inside the book. You would think that the descriptions in the book would help, but it talks about a single white strip and neither of the patterns have a single white strip to write on.
It is a good book, better than the last one. I wouldn't recommend to anyone that they need to read the book, but then again, I wouldn't discourage anyone who picked it up.
February 17, 2019
If I’d known, I would have skipped it
I had received practically a whole set of these quilting books from a friend and that’s why I’m reading them. I didn’t much care for the first one, but read the second because I wanted to be sure I wasn’t being unfair. I read the third one probably for the same reason and because I wanted to be able to tell my friend, who loves the series, that I had read them. If I had known the ending of the book concludes with a supposed cliffhanger like a reality show, I wouldn’t have bothered. I suppose it’s meant to encourage one to read the next book, but, instead, it made me mad and made me feel like I had totally wasted my time. A book should have an ending.
Two of my biggest objections, as I have stated previously, are the author’s use of “a Kodak moment” and “hmmm.” Those two phrases are repeated constantly throughout the book and are ridiculous every time they are used. Surely the author can think of some better way to let us know the main character is thinking than to say “hmmm.”
I find the references to a supposed church-going family who prays at the dinner table and mentions God in their daily conversations coupled with their belief in ghosts and strange phenomena absolutely unrealistic and diametrically opposed to one another. I suppose a family like that does exist, but in my lifetime, I have never run into or heard of a family who would believe two completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
The way the characters talk, without any use of contractions or slang of any kind, is tedious. I’m okay with people speaking in grammatically correct sentences and using proper English, but this is definite overkill.
One of the main adversaries in the otherwise loose plot is disposed of partway through the book without any build up at all. There’s no reason to even add his whole line in the book as nothing about his presence is expanded upon. If this part of the book was supposed to add some excitement or intrigue to the plot, it sadly fails.
The title of the book leads one to believe there’s going to be some mystery surrounding funeral parlor quilts and that the whole plot will be centered on this theme. Not so. In fact, much of the conversation about said funeral parlor quilts is dull and tiresome, while the one tiny mystery surrounding one quilt has no mystery or intrigue whatsoever and can be figured out by the reader before one even gets past the first sentence of explanation.
I love a good cozy mystery that can be read quickly in an afternoon with a fire going, a quilt and a cat on my lap. It’s nice to get away from longer books with much heavier plots sometimes. But, I’m afraid, in this case, “three times the charm” will not work for me with the Coleridge community quilt series and I will not be reading another.
I had received practically a whole set of these quilting books from a friend and that’s why I’m reading them. I didn’t much care for the first one, but read the second because I wanted to be sure I wasn’t being unfair. I read the third one probably for the same reason and because I wanted to be able to tell my friend, who loves the series, that I had read them. If I had known the ending of the book concludes with a supposed cliffhanger like a reality show, I wouldn’t have bothered. I suppose it’s meant to encourage one to read the next book, but, instead, it made me mad and made me feel like I had totally wasted my time. A book should have an ending.
Two of my biggest objections, as I have stated previously, are the author’s use of “a Kodak moment” and “hmmm.” Those two phrases are repeated constantly throughout the book and are ridiculous every time they are used. Surely the author can think of some better way to let us know the main character is thinking than to say “hmmm.”
I find the references to a supposed church-going family who prays at the dinner table and mentions God in their daily conversations coupled with their belief in ghosts and strange phenomena absolutely unrealistic and diametrically opposed to one another. I suppose a family like that does exist, but in my lifetime, I have never run into or heard of a family who would believe two completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
The way the characters talk, without any use of contractions or slang of any kind, is tedious. I’m okay with people speaking in grammatically correct sentences and using proper English, but this is definite overkill.
One of the main adversaries in the otherwise loose plot is disposed of partway through the book without any build up at all. There’s no reason to even add his whole line in the book as nothing about his presence is expanded upon. If this part of the book was supposed to add some excitement or intrigue to the plot, it sadly fails.
The title of the book leads one to believe there’s going to be some mystery surrounding funeral parlor quilts and that the whole plot will be centered on this theme. Not so. In fact, much of the conversation about said funeral parlor quilts is dull and tiresome, while the one tiny mystery surrounding one quilt has no mystery or intrigue whatsoever and can be figured out by the reader before one even gets past the first sentence of explanation.
I love a good cozy mystery that can be read quickly in an afternoon with a fire going, a quilt and a cat on my lap. It’s nice to get away from longer books with much heavier plots sometimes. But, I’m afraid, in this case, “three times the charm” will not work for me with the Coleridge community quilt series and I will not be reading another.
April 24, 2018
really kept hoping the series would get better but it just doesn't. the writing is still stilted. characters do not have much depth. the quilts are not described well, nor are their uses or cultural traditions. best part of this book was it was shorter than the others. it ends on a cliff hanger which you can see coming a mile away, and is just annoying. i'm guessing it was the only way to get any one to pick up book 4.
i have wasted enough time on this author and series.
i have wasted enough time on this author and series.
October 7, 2018
Love mysteries
Very slow. And not very exciting. Rather boring.
Sweet story, but slow.
She could have spiced it up more I would think.
Very slow. And not very exciting. Rather boring.
Sweet story, but slow.
She could have spiced it up more I would think.
August 21, 2025
The Funeral Parlor Quilt
I, too, am a quilter so I thought this would be a nice series to read. The first book was good but a bit difficult to read on my Kindle, as words would cut off and tun onto the next word. This gave some words a whole new meaning therefore giving the sentence a whole new meaning. I finally figured this out and began to watch for it but it sure made reading difficult. I had hoped it would get better in future books but no such luck. And no, changing the font size or page or any of that does not help. That being said, on to the story.
As a kid growing up, I heard so many times "This is a Kodak moment!" It was kind of neat to hear Anne say it in her book but the phrase is SO overused that it has lost it's value. Having lived with her parents then her mom her entire life, she is rather immature for her age. The fact that Sam had mentioned wanting children on different occasions prior to marriage, yet she never discussed her feelings on the matter before marrying him says a lot about her character. She is so focused on making her shop thrive she won't allow even a thought about having children regardless of Sam's feelings.
I just hope she matures and is more considerate of what Sam wants in the future before she loses him permanently. Who knows, he may be the next one who's family name is added to the Funeral Parlor Quilt.
I, too, am a quilter so I thought this would be a nice series to read. The first book was good but a bit difficult to read on my Kindle, as words would cut off and tun onto the next word. This gave some words a whole new meaning therefore giving the sentence a whole new meaning. I finally figured this out and began to watch for it but it sure made reading difficult. I had hoped it would get better in future books but no such luck. And no, changing the font size or page or any of that does not help. That being said, on to the story.
As a kid growing up, I heard so many times "This is a Kodak moment!" It was kind of neat to hear Anne say it in her book but the phrase is SO overused that it has lost it's value. Having lived with her parents then her mom her entire life, she is rather immature for her age. The fact that Sam had mentioned wanting children on different occasions prior to marriage, yet she never discussed her feelings on the matter before marrying him says a lot about her character. She is so focused on making her shop thrive she won't allow even a thought about having children regardless of Sam's feelings.
I just hope she matures and is more considerate of what Sam wants in the future before she loses him permanently. Who knows, he may be the next one who's family name is added to the Funeral Parlor Quilt.
October 23, 2020
What??? Ann Hazelwood left me with a cliff hanger at the end of this book when I thought it was the last one in the series. So off I went to the library to get book four-because I had to know what happened!
I started these books on a lark to increase my numbers in the 2020 Reading Challenge, but have grown rather fond of the characters and curious as to what is next for them. There is Anne Brown the "plucky" flower shop owner, her mother Sylvia, Aunt Julia, cousin Sue and some newly discovered family members. There are also a few men along the way. This book introduces Anne's friend Nancy who works with her husband at the family funeral parlour. I learned some interesting things about the history of funeral quilts. Our quilt guild was recently asked by a nursing home to make a quilt to cover the residents as they were leaving the home for the last time, and I learned some things from this book that I think our guild could add to the project, like having each person's name written on the quilt.
So on to the next - book four here I come!
I started these books on a lark to increase my numbers in the 2020 Reading Challenge, but have grown rather fond of the characters and curious as to what is next for them. There is Anne Brown the "plucky" flower shop owner, her mother Sylvia, Aunt Julia, cousin Sue and some newly discovered family members. There are also a few men along the way. This book introduces Anne's friend Nancy who works with her husband at the family funeral parlour. I learned some interesting things about the history of funeral quilts. Our quilt guild was recently asked by a nursing home to make a quilt to cover the residents as they were leaving the home for the last time, and I learned some things from this book that I think our guild could add to the project, like having each person's name written on the quilt.
So on to the next - book four here I come!
July 27, 2022
Some colorful and endearing characters. Some that got on my nerves. I'm listening to the audiobook version of this series free on Hoopla. If I had to pay for them I wouldn't have continued through the series. I'm so over the author's continued use of "hmmm" at the end of a section. It's overused about a 100 times. In reviews I'd read that her writing is becoming less stilted and uncomfortable so I decided to try this 3rd book. I didn't notice a change.
August 20, 2024
Awesome Quilting Characters!
As a quilter, I really love the stories. I felt the first book was a little slow to get into, but Ann Hazelwood then hit her stride and I can't stop reading!
Note to Ann's Publisher: Why are their so many typos? Did anyone proofread this before printing? Most of the error s were the type that the last letter of a word jumped off and attached itself to the next word. Ex. Merr ychristmas.
As a quilter, I really love the stories. I felt the first book was a little slow to get into, but Ann Hazelwood then hit her stride and I can't stop reading!
Note to Ann's Publisher: Why are their so many typos? Did anyone proofread this before printing? Most of the error s were the type that the last letter of a word jumped off and attached itself to the next word. Ex. Merr ychristmas.
March 27, 2018
So, I start listening to this book and the first thing is, the narrator is just awful. There are those voices that grate but this was a bit more. It was very clipped and no tone inflection, very flat. Then the writing...not impressed. I do like fun stories and this one...well...was a drag. If you like these books and author, good on you. This is but one persons humble opinion.
June 11, 2022
The storyline is fairly predictable and easy to guess what is going to happen. I shouldn’t be surprised since it’s named the funeral parlor quilt but I’m starting to get sick of how much sadness/death the author puts in the books. I think it mainly bugs me because it doesn’t add anything to the story just makes me miss the characters that are now gone.
March 17, 2023
The funeral parlor quilt
Very good read and with encouraging words to world unknown. We must be brave and trust in God! Looking forward to next book.
Have a great day
.
Very good read and with encouraging words to world unknown. We must be brave and trust in God! Looking forward to next book.
Have a great day
.
February 26, 2025
It was well written and a good story; however, there were typing, editing errors throughout the book. Fo reampl ethi sis the kind of error on every page. It was a real challenge to keep reading and finish the book, but the story was good enough to make the effort.
August 7, 2025
The books get better every time I read a new book in the series. There is so much love in this family. Little drama. Along with twists and turns. These books are hard to put down. I also enjoy the short chapters.
July 13, 2017
Fun, quick read.
December 14, 2018
This book did not hang together very well. Sometimes it was hard to get the timeline. And there were many grammar mistakes in the book. Not one of my favorite.
January 26, 2020
If you have read and enjoyed any of this series you will want to read this one too.
November 13, 2020
I love quilting novels and this one is exceptional! I now want to read the two previous books of this Colebridge series!!
March 19, 2022
excellent
Couldn’t put the book down!!! Read, Read and Read! I couldn’t put it down. Many nights were very late!! LOVED!
Couldn’t put the book down!!! Read, Read and Read! I couldn’t put it down. Many nights were very late!! LOVED!
April 9, 2023
Very much enjoyed this sequel. Great characters and storyline. Cliffhanger end. On to the next book in the series.
October 30, 2023
This series is interesting but mostly I am reading them now as we travel because they require no concentration. Enjoyable though.
December 30, 2023
Oh my goodness, this series just gets better and better. But what an ending!
June 17, 2024
Great story!
I lobe these books. The only thing is that the words run together sometimes. The author is amazing. She keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I lobe these books. The only thing is that the words run together sometimes. The author is amazing. She keeps you on the edge of your seat.
June 17, 2024
Good writing
Ann Hazelwood is a good author. Thank you for this story. I look forward to continuing this book. Good characters!
Ann Hazelwood is a good author. Thank you for this story. I look forward to continuing this book. Good characters!
June 26, 2024
Love this author and this series!!!
September 3, 2024
how could #2 in this series be even better?
But it is! Characters are marvelous and the settings are perfect. I want to live in Colebridge! At least I can in these books!
But it is! Characters are marvelous and the settings are perfect. I want to live in Colebridge! At least I can in these books!
October 19, 2024
Great read
Loved the grandmother ghost
Part of the story. I was happny when a certain item that they could not find and thought was stolen was found.
Loved the grandmother ghost
Part of the story. I was happny when a certain item that they could not find and thought was stolen was found.
August 14, 2023
There are spacing issues that are distracting from
The story. The last letter from the previous word is often found after a space at the beginning of the next word. The story was written well, but the spacing issues frequently distracted me from
The storyline.
The story. The last letter from the previous word is often found after a space at the beginning of the next word. The story was written well, but the spacing issues frequently distracted me from
The storyline.
September 2, 2015
I really enjoyed reading The Funeral Parlor Quilt as I did the first two books of the series. There were more twists and turns that made me anxious and I couldn't wait to see how things turned out. With the introduction of more characters in this book Anne Hazelwood has the opportunity to create and develop so many more storylines. Going online now to search for the next in the series to find out what happens to Sam. I can visualize this town, their Main Street, the Taylor house, the potting shed and all the quilts that are mentioned. I have in my mind what the characters look like. I like the Colebridge community series because the writing is detailed so you can put yourself right in the scene
November 19, 2016
Book #3 in Ann Hazelwood's Colebridge mysteries is action-packed! Anne hires a new girl for the shop, her friends Nancy & Richard move back to Colebridge and take over the funeral home from his father, and we finally get the wedding of Anne & Sam and the two of them settling into their big house. The mystery involves the disappearance of a quilt Namcy made for the funeral home. Did Anne's grandmother's ghost have anything to do w/ that? Does she provide the lilies & lemonade? Will Sam's health issues worsen? Like I said: action-packed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews