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Elm Creek Quilts #4
The Runaway Quilt
The fourth book in the popular Elm Creek Quilts series explores a question that has long captured the imagination of quilters and historians alike: Did stationmasters of the Underground Railroad use quilts to signal to fugitive slaves?
In her first novel, The Quilter's Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini wove quilting lore with tales from the World War II home front. Now, following Round Robin and The Cross-Country Quilters, Chiaverini revisits the legends of Elm Creek Manor, as Sylvia Compson discovers evidence of her ancestors' courageous involvement in the Underground Railroad.
Alerted to the possibility that her family had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia scours her attic and finds three quilts and a memoir written by Gerda, the spinster sister of clan patriarch Hans Bergstrom. The memoir describes the founding of Elm Creek Manor and how, using quilts as markers, Hans, his wife, Anneke, and Gerda came to beckon fugitive slaves to safety within its walls. When a runaway named Joanna arrives from a South Carolina plantation pregnant with her master's child, the Bergstroms shelter her through a long, dangerous winter -- imagining neither the impact of her presence nor the betrayal that awaits them.
The memoir raises new questions for every one it answers, leading Sylvia ever deeper into the tangle of the Bergstrom legacy. Aided by the Elm Creek Quilters, as well as by descendants of others named in Gerda's tale, Sylvia dares to face the demons of her family's past and at the same time reaffirm her own moral center. A spellbinding fugue on the mysteries of heritage, The Runaway Quilt unfolds with all the drama and suspense of a classic in the making.
In her first novel, The Quilter's Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini wove quilting lore with tales from the World War II home front. Now, following Round Robin and The Cross-Country Quilters, Chiaverini revisits the legends of Elm Creek Manor, as Sylvia Compson discovers evidence of her ancestors' courageous involvement in the Underground Railroad.
Alerted to the possibility that her family had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia scours her attic and finds three quilts and a memoir written by Gerda, the spinster sister of clan patriarch Hans Bergstrom. The memoir describes the founding of Elm Creek Manor and how, using quilts as markers, Hans, his wife, Anneke, and Gerda came to beckon fugitive slaves to safety within its walls. When a runaway named Joanna arrives from a South Carolina plantation pregnant with her master's child, the Bergstroms shelter her through a long, dangerous winter -- imagining neither the impact of her presence nor the betrayal that awaits them.
The memoir raises new questions for every one it answers, leading Sylvia ever deeper into the tangle of the Bergstrom legacy. Aided by the Elm Creek Quilters, as well as by descendants of others named in Gerda's tale, Sylvia dares to face the demons of her family's past and at the same time reaffirm her own moral center. A spellbinding fugue on the mysteries of heritage, The Runaway Quilt unfolds with all the drama and suspense of a classic in the making.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
398 people are currently reading
2912 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Chiaverini
78 books5,226 followersJennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-three novels, including acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. She has also written seven quilt pattern books inspired by her novels. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, she lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin. About her historical fiction, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, "In addition to simply being fascinating stories, these novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 695 reviews
January 15, 2016
4.5 ★s
The ageing Sylvia Bergstrom Compson is prompted by a stranger’s request to look into items that have been stored in the attics at historic Elm Creek Manor for decades. She finds three very old quilts, stitched by unnamed ancestors, and a book of memoirs, written by her great grandfather’s sister Gerda. It sets out the story of how the Bergstroms arrived at Elm Creek Farm and established themselves. It also reveals, gradually, their participation in the Underground Railway, i.e. an underground network that helped to smuggle runaway black slaves from Southern states through to freedom in Canada. Hans and Gerda were committed Abolitionists, but Hans’s wife Anneke had less conviction. They harboured many fleeing blacks, including the brave but needy Joanna, escapee from a brutal Virginia plantation owner. In time their activities aroused the suspicions of local pro-Slavery advocates. It resulted in their arrests for breaking the laws relating to runaway slaves, and caused great disruption in the family’s harmony.
The story shows various aspects of pioneering life in the backwoods of rural USA in the 1850s, in particular the social organisations that were set up to counter social isolation. Women’s quilting circles were very popular, including the one that Gerda and Anneke attended in the town of Creek’s Crossing, later known as Waterford.
The mysteries which Sylvia and her colleagues attempt to solve are (a) whether the old quilts did indeed carry coded messages for the runaways to follow in their journeys to freedom, and (b) who made the fragile, old quilts found in the attic, as this discovery might lead Sylvia to a new understanding of the Bergstrom family tree.
There is an exquisite dilemma at the core of this book. How important is it to uphold a principle, however virtuous, if it endangers your family, including vulnerable babies? In the novel Gerda is portrayed as the highly principled, uncompromising member of the family, deeply committed to doing good, even at her own personal expense. Her sister-in-law, Anneke, is softer, more tractable, less judgemental. She has recently given birth, she's living in a fairly remote part of rural Pennsylvania during a period of social upheaval, with the burning issue of the abolition of slavery smouldering away and impacting on everyone's lives. As the narrator of the memoir, Gerda judges Anneke unkindly but I'm inclined to sympathise with the latter. I suspect the vast majority of mothers, both now and in the 1850s, might feel similarly, in their maternal need to protect their children.
The other interesting question that remains unanswered at the end of the book is whether every child has the right to know his/her own heritage. Certainly in today's society this issue is a given, but that may not have been the case in 1859. How the Bergstroms handle this delicate topic is interesting...
This book is a lively account of an interesting period of history, beautifully written in Jennifer Chiaverini's characteristic elegant prose. I greatly enjoyed the story, in particular the illumination of what might be called secret women's business in the coded messages issued to assist fugitive slaves. Of all the Elm Creek Quilt novels I've read so far, this one stands out for the moral questions it poses, which occupied my mind for many days after finishing the book. The Runaway Quilt would be a great Book Club title. The book is also very appealing to anyone with a genuine interesting in patchwork quilting and similar handcrafts.
It is possible to read the Elm Creek Quilt novels as stand-alone books. However, it is definitely helpful to read them in order, at least the first two, Round Robin and The Quilter's Apprentice. Previously, I'd read the books at random, and am enjoying going back to the start and reading them in sequence. I love this series.
The ageing Sylvia Bergstrom Compson is prompted by a stranger’s request to look into items that have been stored in the attics at historic Elm Creek Manor for decades. She finds three very old quilts, stitched by unnamed ancestors, and a book of memoirs, written by her great grandfather’s sister Gerda. It sets out the story of how the Bergstroms arrived at Elm Creek Farm and established themselves. It also reveals, gradually, their participation in the Underground Railway, i.e. an underground network that helped to smuggle runaway black slaves from Southern states through to freedom in Canada. Hans and Gerda were committed Abolitionists, but Hans’s wife Anneke had less conviction. They harboured many fleeing blacks, including the brave but needy Joanna, escapee from a brutal Virginia plantation owner. In time their activities aroused the suspicions of local pro-Slavery advocates. It resulted in their arrests for breaking the laws relating to runaway slaves, and caused great disruption in the family’s harmony.
The story shows various aspects of pioneering life in the backwoods of rural USA in the 1850s, in particular the social organisations that were set up to counter social isolation. Women’s quilting circles were very popular, including the one that Gerda and Anneke attended in the town of Creek’s Crossing, later known as Waterford.
The mysteries which Sylvia and her colleagues attempt to solve are (a) whether the old quilts did indeed carry coded messages for the runaways to follow in their journeys to freedom, and (b) who made the fragile, old quilts found in the attic, as this discovery might lead Sylvia to a new understanding of the Bergstrom family tree.
There is an exquisite dilemma at the core of this book. How important is it to uphold a principle, however virtuous, if it endangers your family, including vulnerable babies? In the novel Gerda is portrayed as the highly principled, uncompromising member of the family, deeply committed to doing good, even at her own personal expense. Her sister-in-law, Anneke, is softer, more tractable, less judgemental. She has recently given birth, she's living in a fairly remote part of rural Pennsylvania during a period of social upheaval, with the burning issue of the abolition of slavery smouldering away and impacting on everyone's lives. As the narrator of the memoir, Gerda judges Anneke unkindly but I'm inclined to sympathise with the latter. I suspect the vast majority of mothers, both now and in the 1850s, might feel similarly, in their maternal need to protect their children.
The other interesting question that remains unanswered at the end of the book is whether every child has the right to know his/her own heritage. Certainly in today's society this issue is a given, but that may not have been the case in 1859. How the Bergstroms handle this delicate topic is interesting...
This book is a lively account of an interesting period of history, beautifully written in Jennifer Chiaverini's characteristic elegant prose. I greatly enjoyed the story, in particular the illumination of what might be called secret women's business in the coded messages issued to assist fugitive slaves. Of all the Elm Creek Quilt novels I've read so far, this one stands out for the moral questions it poses, which occupied my mind for many days after finishing the book. The Runaway Quilt would be a great Book Club title. The book is also very appealing to anyone with a genuine interesting in patchwork quilting and similar handcrafts.
It is possible to read the Elm Creek Quilt novels as stand-alone books. However, it is definitely helpful to read them in order, at least the first two, Round Robin and The Quilter's Apprentice. Previously, I'd read the books at random, and am enjoying going back to the start and reading them in sequence. I love this series.
May 4, 2015
I listened to this book on CD.
I've become hooked on the Elm Creek Quilts series (and apparently there are a LOT of them!), but I think they just keep getting better. There are the original "Elm Creek quilters" characters from the first book, in which Sarah meets Sylvia Compson and they end up starting a quilt camp business, where quilters from all walks of life come to Elm Creek and participate in classes and activities centered around quilting. In each book, the focus is on some of the "campers" and their lives and problems, while at the same time the original characters' lives are followed in a continuing story. For this reason, it's probably best to read them in order (#5 wasn't available at my library, so I took what they had, which is #15, and I'm wishing I hadn't because I'm lost)
Anyway, this volume focuses on the legend in Sylvia's family that there was a quilt that was used as a signal in the underground railroad, and the book centers around the lives of Sylvia's ancestors and what *really* happened. It fills in a few gaps and moves the characters forward in time as Sylvia comes to terms with her relationship with an old beau. And some new relationships are formed with one of the characters meeting a prospective love interest that will carry on to the next book.
It's kind of like a soap opera, except without all the bad stuff. I really like this series.
I've become hooked on the Elm Creek Quilts series (and apparently there are a LOT of them!), but I think they just keep getting better. There are the original "Elm Creek quilters" characters from the first book, in which Sarah meets Sylvia Compson and they end up starting a quilt camp business, where quilters from all walks of life come to Elm Creek and participate in classes and activities centered around quilting. In each book, the focus is on some of the "campers" and their lives and problems, while at the same time the original characters' lives are followed in a continuing story. For this reason, it's probably best to read them in order (#5 wasn't available at my library, so I took what they had, which is #15, and I'm wishing I hadn't because I'm lost)
Anyway, this volume focuses on the legend in Sylvia's family that there was a quilt that was used as a signal in the underground railroad, and the book centers around the lives of Sylvia's ancestors and what *really* happened. It fills in a few gaps and moves the characters forward in time as Sylvia comes to terms with her relationship with an old beau. And some new relationships are formed with one of the characters meeting a prospective love interest that will carry on to the next book.
It's kind of like a soap opera, except without all the bad stuff. I really like this series.
February 2, 2011
By FAR the best in the series so far. I became so engrossed in Gerda's story, I forgot I was reading a story within a story. I absolutely loved this book.
August 19, 2020
Sylvia is shown a quilt and it makes her curious so she finally goes up into the attic and tries to find her great-grandmother’s chest with another quilt of the same pattern. She also finds a journal that was kept before the civil war. This leads to new discoveries about her family. The journal was the most interesting part and like other books when a journal is found, you wonder how they can put off reading it all and not waiting days/weeks to finish it.
December 31, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
“You are not just your parents, you know. You’re the sum of everything you’ve ever done, every wish you’ve ever made, every person you’ve ever loved, and everyone who has loved you. No one can take that from you.”
“You are not just your parents, you know. You’re the sum of everything you’ve ever done, every wish you’ve ever made, every person you’ve ever loved, and everyone who has loved you. No one can take that from you.”
December 31, 2020
I really liked the historical nature of this book. The author has a great way of exploring the past links of family.
January 26, 2011
The 4th book in this wonderful series, the Runaway Quilt could be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. Due to this fact, I am not going to summarize the first three books as I don't think it would help any.
Sylvia is the owner of Elm Creek Manor, a large place with grounds that plays host to a Quilter's retreat during the summer. Running the business are her good friends from the Elm Creek Quilter's circle. Since they run the business, she often spends her retirement traveling with her sweetheart Andrew around the country. It is on one of these travels that she is introduced to a quilt that connects to Elm Creek Manor. The only troubling part about this, is the fact that it came from a family who had former slave owners in their past.
From her family's stories Sylvia knows that Elm Creek once served as a station on the underground railroad. Because of this, she is alarmed to think that maybe one of her family had branched off and owned slaves of their own, hence the quilt being made. She goes through the attic and finds three antique quilts and a memoir from a sister-in-law of Anneke, the original mistress of Elm Creek Manor.
The memoir is told by Gerda and explains the travails and past of Elm Creek Manor. Most specifically it revolves around one escaped slave and the details of her flight. It also shows Anneke's and Gerda's relationship and some of the history of the family. The book takes us part in the memoir and part Sylvia's reaction to it. The more she reads the more she is disappointed in her family and she questions the people she once though they were.
Chiaverini has made this novel very engaging. While its not documented history it does offer an explanation on how signals for the underground railroad were used. Like some of her other quilt books, there are no instructions in this one, but if one cared to look they could probably find the patterns mentioned in this book. Instead it tells the stories of a few specific quilts.
The language in this particular book can get rough. While the cusswords are not spelled out, it is still easy to infer which word is probably meant. Aside from that, the language in the book is descriptive and as easy to read as ever. Chiaverini has a wonderful way of describing quilts so that you can see them in your mind.
A lovely novel. I can't wait to continue on with the series.
The Runaway Quilt
Copyright 2002
329 pages
Sylvia is the owner of Elm Creek Manor, a large place with grounds that plays host to a Quilter's retreat during the summer. Running the business are her good friends from the Elm Creek Quilter's circle. Since they run the business, she often spends her retirement traveling with her sweetheart Andrew around the country. It is on one of these travels that she is introduced to a quilt that connects to Elm Creek Manor. The only troubling part about this, is the fact that it came from a family who had former slave owners in their past.
From her family's stories Sylvia knows that Elm Creek once served as a station on the underground railroad. Because of this, she is alarmed to think that maybe one of her family had branched off and owned slaves of their own, hence the quilt being made. She goes through the attic and finds three antique quilts and a memoir from a sister-in-law of Anneke, the original mistress of Elm Creek Manor.
The memoir is told by Gerda and explains the travails and past of Elm Creek Manor. Most specifically it revolves around one escaped slave and the details of her flight. It also shows Anneke's and Gerda's relationship and some of the history of the family. The book takes us part in the memoir and part Sylvia's reaction to it. The more she reads the more she is disappointed in her family and she questions the people she once though they were.
Chiaverini has made this novel very engaging. While its not documented history it does offer an explanation on how signals for the underground railroad were used. Like some of her other quilt books, there are no instructions in this one, but if one cared to look they could probably find the patterns mentioned in this book. Instead it tells the stories of a few specific quilts.
The language in this particular book can get rough. While the cusswords are not spelled out, it is still easy to infer which word is probably meant. Aside from that, the language in the book is descriptive and as easy to read as ever. Chiaverini has a wonderful way of describing quilts so that you can see them in your mind.
A lovely novel. I can't wait to continue on with the series.
The Runaway Quilt
Copyright 2002
329 pages
January 15, 2013
I particularly like historical fiction, and I really enjoyed this. It features very strong but still vulnerable enough to be relateable female characters, which is a major draw for me. The main character, Sylvia Bergstrom, finds the journal of one of her civil war ancestors, Gerda Bergstrom, and what she reads in it makes her question what she always believed about her family. A good portion of the book is set during the Civil War as if you're seeing the events Gerda wrote about in her journal through her eyes. The events Gerda describes are depicted in a later Elm Creek Quilts novel, The Union Quilters, which I read before this and which I absolutely loved. When I saw that this was based around Gerda's journals being found, I had really hoped a question I had from TUQ would be answered, and while I was disappointed it wasn't, I really enjoyed the book. I've only read the two from the Elm Creek Quilts, but I definitely want to read more. I read another series that I loved(The Williamsburg novels by Elswyth Thane) which was the continuing story of one family, generation to generation from just prior to the American Revolution to just prior to WWII. I loved being able to see the same characters at different points of their lives going from being the young generation to the old generation, and the Elm Creek Quilts novels seem to be somewhat similar to that. Although, like I said, I've only read the two so far, so it may not be the same thing. While the books are linked through various characters, both TUQ and TRQ could definitely stand alone; you certainly don't *have* to read the whole series if the other books don't interest you.
July 8, 2008
I love historical novels, and I really enjoyed this one. I am planning to read the other books in the series. Sylvia, the owner of a home that predates the Civil War, discovers an old family journal in her attic. As she reads her ancestor's account, she learns that her family history is not quite what she thought it was. The journal's author explains that she feels the need to record her family's history, despite the possibility of the truth hurting her family. The protagonist learns of her family's involvement in the underground railroad. I really enjoyed reading about Sylvia's ancestors and their struggle to help a runaway slave. This book has some great twists, and I loved learning more about this time in our country's history.
The love life of the protagonist is pretty uninteresting, and I kept wishing the author would stop telling me about that and spend more time on the story of the ancestors in the journal.
There is a scene that explains that a slave was raped by her "owner." It does not go into detail, but lets you know that it did happen, that the slave fought back, and it is very important to the story.
The love life of the protagonist is pretty uninteresting, and I kept wishing the author would stop telling me about that and spend more time on the story of the ancestors in the journal.
There is a scene that explains that a slave was raped by her "owner." It does not go into detail, but lets you know that it did happen, that the slave fought back, and it is very important to the story.
January 9, 2010
This is a book I could not get into. I returned it to the library & relegated it to my "May Never Read" shelf. But as with the first book of the series, The Quilter's Apprentice, I could not let it rest. I kept thinking about it & wanting to know more. Finally, I picked it up at the library. I kept it 3 weeks, again loath to pick it up & finish it.
I gave it 3 stars, because once I did get through it, I did like it. I can't say it was just "ok" because I kept thinking about it. I can't say I really liked it because I would not have returned it to the library unread.
I gave it 3 stars, because once I did get through it, I did like it. I can't say it was just "ok" because I kept thinking about it. I can't say I really liked it because I would not have returned it to the library unread.
February 16, 2017
I truly enjoyed this book. I liked the way it intertwined both the present and the past, and as usual the quilts played an important part in the story and the mystery. The story gave the reader a more in depth understanding of the Bergstrom family, the founding of their thoroughbred business and the building of Elm Creek Manor. The genealogy of Sylvia's family has been an important part of this series of books, even more so in this book. The story also showed the role of quilts in the underground railroad, and how deeply people on both sides of the Abolitionist movement took their beliefs. Terrific book!
February 24, 2021
This book alternates chapters between modern day and 1850’s Underground Railroad period. The historical storyline was far more interesting than the contemporary one. The main contemporary character, Sylvia is so critical and pouty, it was a challenge to even read those sections. Annoying doesn’t adequately describe her. I felt like I knew & liked Gerta and wished the author would have stuck to her story and left Sylvia out altogether.
October 14, 2021
This book had a slow start for me, probably because I haven’t read the other books in the series. I felt like it took a while to get hooked into the story. Once I got hooked, I couldn’t put it down.
It was an interesting fictional book about discovering who you’re ancestors are as well as what it was like to live in the North where Black people were free but runaway slaves were required to be returned to their masters. It was a good mix of characters and had an interesting story line.
It was an interesting fictional book about discovering who you’re ancestors are as well as what it was like to live in the North where Black people were free but runaway slaves were required to be returned to their masters. It was a good mix of characters and had an interesting story line.
August 23, 2021
What a delightful book, especially if you enjoy quilting and history. This is one case where I’m giving 5*s and I really didn’t care for the main, present day, character. I didn’t hate her, she was a little grumpy. Were quilts used in the underground railroad? It depends on who you believe.
September 14, 2023
Loving this series!
This time we are transported to pre-Civil war to learn about the Underground Railroad stations that were present in Elm Creek Pennsylvania. Sylvia’s family history is uncovered throughout the story. There were some poignant comments/lines in this book that reminded me of our current state of politics and non-bipartisan Gov. Sad how over time hatred for one group of people (ie African Americans) is still going on and added to that group are the LGBTQ+ community. So glad there were people brave enough to fight for all human rights. Those that housed run away slaves were so brave!
This time we are transported to pre-Civil war to learn about the Underground Railroad stations that were present in Elm Creek Pennsylvania. Sylvia’s family history is uncovered throughout the story. There were some poignant comments/lines in this book that reminded me of our current state of politics and non-bipartisan Gov. Sad how over time hatred for one group of people (ie African Americans) is still going on and added to that group are the LGBTQ+ community. So glad there were people brave enough to fight for all human rights. Those that housed run away slaves were so brave!
August 28, 2024
I've noticed that although this series has pretty simple predictable plots, they're still immensely enjoyable to anticipate, guess, and experience the plot-points as they unfold. I like that we seem to have returned to the roots of the series with this book. In the first book, the Quilter's Apprentice, we got to see a lot of Sylvia's recollections of the past, making it a WWII historical fiction genre mashup in some ways, and in this installment, we get some antebellum and Civil War stories while we watch the Bergstroms starting their farm and building the manor. I also like that in this book, Sylvia's the main character-- we haven't seen much of Sylvia in the last two books and I missed her. It's uncommon to have an elderly main character, and I've been enjoying it.
First off, fuck all of the Bergstrom ancestors portrayed in that memoir except for Gerda. There was also a part where this kid's pro-slavery dad gets shot by horse thieves and the kid blames abolitionists? Fuck that kid and fuck his dad. Also, Fuck Anneke and Hans as well? Anneke is so passive and wishy-washy that she can't take a moral stand on any issue. Hans clearly loves that she's the perfect submissive wife. I get that she's in a vulnerable position, isolated from any family and friends and is at the mercy of her husband out in the wilderness, but god, there are some issues that being ambivalent and 'not taking sides' means that you tacitly are accepting the oppression. You are tacitly supporting evil. Hans too, he insists on an 'equitable' approach of getting along with both pro-slavery and anti-slavery people. 'Can't we all just get along,' they say to the runaway slave and the slavers trying to drag them back to a life of torture and rape? 'Can't we all just get along? Why must we take sides?' Their failure to take a moral stand is a black mark against their character. Hans also said that the issue of slavery was 'not his fight.' DUDE. 'It doesn't effect ME, so who CARES that millions of black people are being tortured, beaten, whipped, raped, and sold by lazy greedy southerners with the explicit permission of the government! It doesn't effect ME, I'm not BLACK!' What a piece of shit. The ambivalent attitude of Hans and Anneke made it very confusing that they would become participants in the Underground Railroad.
It is documented that there were a lot of german immigrants who were abolitionists around that period in history, so it was a believable addition to the Elm Creek 'lore'. I liked learning about the folklore legend about the Underground Railroad quilts, I never knew about that before. What a clever trick.
One thing I have to say, I really felt Sylvia's plight of discovering that her family heroes were not good people after all. Her family heroes were indifferent about slavery and women's rights. It was actually Gerda who gave a shit, not so much Hans or Anneke. I didn't like that Hans fed the slavers and that Jonathan gave doctoring services to a southern-sympathizer. The book has this very neo-liberal mindset that 'ALL people deserve respect and dignity, regardless of their beliefs!' NO, actually. SLAVERS, do NOT deserve dignity or respect, they are not owed any kindness. Also, Hans' explanation for feeding the slavers and showing them hospitality was that he dIDN'T WANT THE HORESES TO GO HUNGRY. -- SIR. What about the human being that they're trying to kidnap back into torture!???? But god forbid the HORSES go hungry! Truly mind-blowing.
At the same time, the book was kind of scared of its own source material? Jennifer made sure we all knew how /distasteful/ Hans, Anneke, and Gerda found it when the slavers said the N word. Again with the neo-liberal ideology. Systemic oppression? That's fine, we can't change the status quo. The N word? TOO FAR!!! She made sure we all explicitly knew that they were uncomfortable with the N word, even though that makes no sense, given that Hans was perfectly okay feeding and housing the slavers-- but the N word is somehow a bridge too far. Even among abolitionists, use of the N word was so widespread it was considered uncontroversial. Gerda, Anneke, and Hans shouldn't have been so surprised or disgusted to hear the N word. It seemed odd that they would be shocked by that.
The end to Joanna's story was so sad. What Anneke did is so unimaginably evil. And then to make it worse, not only did she betray a woman back into torture, rape, and slavery, she made them all swear not to tell her son. She basically killed Joanna twice by making SURE that Joanna's memory and sacrifice would be permanently erased. Anneke is irredeemable, she literally threw a woman into the hands of devils because she got salty that her husband was being sexist and said no more working for you. She condemned a woman to unimaginable torture, and she completely betrayed her adopted son by lying to him for his entire life. It was painful for Sylvia to learn that at the core of her family history is a seed of evil and darkness.
It was cool to see the twist at the end that the boys were raised in such a way that their parentage was kept deliberately vague to protect them. I was expecting Anneke to sell Joanna out, but I didn't see the twist that Sylvia could have been descended from Joanna and not Anneke coming.
Great addition to the series.
First off, fuck all of the Bergstrom ancestors portrayed in that memoir except for Gerda. There was also a part where this kid's pro-slavery dad gets shot by horse thieves and the kid blames abolitionists? Fuck that kid and fuck his dad. Also, Fuck Anneke and Hans as well? Anneke is so passive and wishy-washy that she can't take a moral stand on any issue. Hans clearly loves that she's the perfect submissive wife. I get that she's in a vulnerable position, isolated from any family and friends and is at the mercy of her husband out in the wilderness, but god, there are some issues that being ambivalent and 'not taking sides' means that you tacitly are accepting the oppression. You are tacitly supporting evil. Hans too, he insists on an 'equitable' approach of getting along with both pro-slavery and anti-slavery people. 'Can't we all just get along,' they say to the runaway slave and the slavers trying to drag them back to a life of torture and rape? 'Can't we all just get along? Why must we take sides?' Their failure to take a moral stand is a black mark against their character. Hans also said that the issue of slavery was 'not his fight.' DUDE. 'It doesn't effect ME, so who CARES that millions of black people are being tortured, beaten, whipped, raped, and sold by lazy greedy southerners with the explicit permission of the government! It doesn't effect ME, I'm not BLACK!' What a piece of shit. The ambivalent attitude of Hans and Anneke made it very confusing that they would become participants in the Underground Railroad.
It is documented that there were a lot of german immigrants who were abolitionists around that period in history, so it was a believable addition to the Elm Creek 'lore'. I liked learning about the folklore legend about the Underground Railroad quilts, I never knew about that before. What a clever trick.
One thing I have to say, I really felt Sylvia's plight of discovering that her family heroes were not good people after all. Her family heroes were indifferent about slavery and women's rights. It was actually Gerda who gave a shit, not so much Hans or Anneke. I didn't like that Hans fed the slavers and that Jonathan gave doctoring services to a southern-sympathizer. The book has this very neo-liberal mindset that 'ALL people deserve respect and dignity, regardless of their beliefs!' NO, actually. SLAVERS, do NOT deserve dignity or respect, they are not owed any kindness. Also, Hans' explanation for feeding the slavers and showing them hospitality was that he dIDN'T WANT THE HORESES TO GO HUNGRY. -- SIR. What about the human being that they're trying to kidnap back into torture!???? But god forbid the HORSES go hungry! Truly mind-blowing.
At the same time, the book was kind of scared of its own source material? Jennifer made sure we all knew how /distasteful/ Hans, Anneke, and Gerda found it when the slavers said the N word. Again with the neo-liberal ideology. Systemic oppression? That's fine, we can't change the status quo. The N word? TOO FAR!!! She made sure we all explicitly knew that they were uncomfortable with the N word, even though that makes no sense, given that Hans was perfectly okay feeding and housing the slavers-- but the N word is somehow a bridge too far. Even among abolitionists, use of the N word was so widespread it was considered uncontroversial. Gerda, Anneke, and Hans shouldn't have been so surprised or disgusted to hear the N word. It seemed odd that they would be shocked by that.
The end to Joanna's story was so sad. What Anneke did is so unimaginably evil. And then to make it worse, not only did she betray a woman back into torture, rape, and slavery, she made them all swear not to tell her son. She basically killed Joanna twice by making SURE that Joanna's memory and sacrifice would be permanently erased. Anneke is irredeemable, she literally threw a woman into the hands of devils because she got salty that her husband was being sexist and said no more working for you. She condemned a woman to unimaginable torture, and she completely betrayed her adopted son by lying to him for his entire life. It was painful for Sylvia to learn that at the core of her family history is a seed of evil and darkness.
It was cool to see the twist at the end that the boys were raised in such a way that their parentage was kept deliberately vague to protect them. I was expecting Anneke to sell Joanna out, but I didn't see the twist that Sylvia could have been descended from Joanna and not Anneke coming.
Great addition to the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2021
I enjoyed the way the story was pieced with blocks of history and the personalities of the characters stitching a story that drew me in and compelled me to read it quickly
February 19, 2022
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
November 24, 2022
I wanted to like this book and the series, but it didn’t happen. Too bad.
February 26, 2024
Quilts and the Underground Railroad....and a believable story of its consequences, involving strong women and their skills for survival.
April 20, 2025
I love this series , not sure I will read all of them , but I will try :)
July 7, 2025
This one took me a minute to get into, but I really enjoyed it, especially Gerda's story. I wish there were at least simple line drawings included of the quilt patterns they describe in the book!
July 8, 2018
This book was a fabulous continuation of the Elm Creek Quilts series. The historical information was so interesting and well woven in that I was equally invested in both the current day story and the historical story being told through the memoir.
I can't recommend this series highly enough for anyone that has any love of quilting!
*5 Stars
I can't recommend this series highly enough for anyone that has any love of quilting!
*5 Stars
April 7, 2021
This was a story that kept me reading and thinking. I've already requested the next book in the series!
December 21, 2011
I loved this book! Sylvia found her great aunt Gerda's private memoir in an old trunk in the attic. There were also a couple of quilts in the trunk. The memoir divulged so many details about the Underground Railroad. It also became apparent that Sylvia's grandfather, David, was either Anneke and Han's blood son, or he was the adopted son of Joanna and her master, Josiah Chester. The severe right wing faction found Joanna in hiding at Anneke and Hans' Bergstrom's house and tied her to a horse and pulled her away, to return her to her former owner or sell her to another man. Joanna's baby, was left at the Bergstrom farm, and they raised the baby as their own, never telling which was their baby and which was the adopted baby. They, instead, told people that the children were twins. Sylvia was given the Runaway Quilt that Joanna had stitched herself and had taken with as she was tied to the horse. Gerda, who had always been in love with and was also loved by Jonathan, the doctor, had resolved to find Joanna but never could. Many letters went unanswered. It is assumed that Joanna was probably dead, otherwise she would have come back for her son. To think that the slaves were hidden in a 2'x5' space in the wall! The name of the town was changed from Creek's Crossing to Waterford because of the raiding of the houses in search of the runaway slaves. There were 8 people imprisoned after this raid, Gerda and Hans among them. The town received so much publicity after the event, trains refused to even stop there. The North did not take kindly to such slave hatred.
July 17, 2012
Sylvia Bergstrom is the last of her family. An avid quilter, she has set up her family home, Elm Creek Manor in Pennsylvania, as a mecca for quilters, with her staff hosting a series of summer quilting camps. Sylvia has always taken pride in the family stories of their farm being a station on the Underground Railroad, and after a quilt from the deep south turns up with the name "The Elm Creek Quilt," she is motivated to search through her overstuffed attic for the Civil War era quilts her aunt told her of. She finds not only the quilts, but a memoir written by her great-great aunt, Gerda Bergstrom, a German immigrant. Gerda tells the harrowing story of Elm Creek's role in the Abolitionist movement, and a family scandal so great the town changed its name to be rid of the stain.
I enjoyed this story, even though I have no interest in quilting. I liked the double-layered effect, with Gerda's and Sylvia's stories alternating; Sylvia's act as respite between the acts of Gerda's tale, which is full of disappointment, betrayal, fear, and more. Gerda writes very much in the style of the era, full of rhetorical had-I-but-known statements that amp up the suspense and apprehension. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the Underground Railroad and stories of the time. The only caveat is that it does perpetuate the feeling that anyone who had slaveholders among their ancestors is necessarily tainted by association; visiting the sins of the fathers on the children. I don't believe in that.
I enjoyed this story, even though I have no interest in quilting. I liked the double-layered effect, with Gerda's and Sylvia's stories alternating; Sylvia's act as respite between the acts of Gerda's tale, which is full of disappointment, betrayal, fear, and more. Gerda writes very much in the style of the era, full of rhetorical had-I-but-known statements that amp up the suspense and apprehension. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the Underground Railroad and stories of the time. The only caveat is that it does perpetuate the feeling that anyone who had slaveholders among their ancestors is necessarily tainted by association; visiting the sins of the fathers on the children. I don't believe in that.
May 7, 2011
This is by far the best of the series! Each story in the Quilt series is better than the one before. This is a completely satisfying story: part mystery, part history lesson, and part geneology study.
After a speaking engagement, Sylvia is approached by one of the attendees. Margaret Alden has an old family quilt that has always been called The Elm Creek quilt, and she wants to share her information with Sylvia. This sparks Sylvia's curiosity, and she sets out to find the old quilts her Aunt Lucinda used to tell her about, quilts that were used as signals on the Underground Railroad.
What Sylvia finds is so much more. She finds a journal written by Gerda, Hans' sister, the founders of the Bergstrom legacy. In the memoir, Sylvia finds more questions than answers. In the journal, Gerda reveals family secrets, and she introduces Sylvia to someone she never knew existed: a pregnant runaway named Joanna, who the Bergstroms hide from slave catchers and who is almost their undoing.
Sylvia is confronted with the uncertainty of her own family history, and is left with a question that is never answered by Gerda's journal. With the help of her fellow Elm Creek Quilters, as well as descendants of Gerda's closest friends, Sylvia is able to face these uncertainties and reaffirm her moral center.
Once again another story of slave history. My favorite time in history to read about.
After a speaking engagement, Sylvia is approached by one of the attendees. Margaret Alden has an old family quilt that has always been called The Elm Creek quilt, and she wants to share her information with Sylvia. This sparks Sylvia's curiosity, and she sets out to find the old quilts her Aunt Lucinda used to tell her about, quilts that were used as signals on the Underground Railroad.
What Sylvia finds is so much more. She finds a journal written by Gerda, Hans' sister, the founders of the Bergstrom legacy. In the memoir, Sylvia finds more questions than answers. In the journal, Gerda reveals family secrets, and she introduces Sylvia to someone she never knew existed: a pregnant runaway named Joanna, who the Bergstroms hide from slave catchers and who is almost their undoing.
Sylvia is confronted with the uncertainty of her own family history, and is left with a question that is never answered by Gerda's journal. With the help of her fellow Elm Creek Quilters, as well as descendants of Gerda's closest friends, Sylvia is able to face these uncertainties and reaffirm her moral center.
Once again another story of slave history. My favorite time in history to read about.
September 14, 2012
I have only just started this book, but it is grating on me already. The thought of using quilts as part of the trek to freedom for slaves n the 18th century is compelling, the backstory of the characters is interesting, but the present is dull. I am having trouble liking the main character, Silvia, who is self absorbed and prone to self pity. What has bugged me the most, however, is the fact that the attendees at her quilting camp must share of themselves as if this is group therapy rather than camp. Seriously?
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Update: I have to say that while this book started slowly, it did improve as it went along. The historical aspect is much more interesting and compelling than the contemporary one. The idea that the Underground Railroad before and during the Civil War used quilts as signals to slaves who were seeking freedom has never been proven, but it makes for an excellent concept for a novel. Jennifer Chiaverini is hardly a great novelist, but the story was light and easy to read.
I might even check out some of the other novels in this series.
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Update: I have to say that while this book started slowly, it did improve as it went along. The historical aspect is much more interesting and compelling than the contemporary one. The idea that the Underground Railroad before and during the Civil War used quilts as signals to slaves who were seeking freedom has never been proven, but it makes for an excellent concept for a novel. Jennifer Chiaverini is hardly a great novelist, but the story was light and easy to read.
I might even check out some of the other novels in this series.
August 18, 2010
I'm embarrassed to say I've now read all of the Elm Creek Quilts novels--embarrassed because they're not great literature and because the darn things are so repetitive. The same stories get retold over and over again in a lot of the books, especially the holiday ones, but I keep reading them because I enjoy the aspects of the books that deal with quilting and because when the stories are new, they can be quite moving and at times comforting. I have to say that The Runaway Quilt was my favorite of the series because it feels like a whole novel, not something pieced together from the prior books. It deals with the life of a slave who uses a quilt to help find her way through the Underground Railroad. If you like quilting and want to try out this series of books, this one is a good place to start.
January 13, 2012
Ah, the oft- and poorly-told story of the fleeing slaves, guided on their path by the coded messages in the quilts hanging on a line outside a station on the Underground Railroad. This is not an urban legend (it would have to be a rural legend, wouldn't it?) but we so want it to be true. It has a ring of truth to it, yes?
Chiaverini does a better than average job with this concept, although the amount of time Sylvia took to read her great-aunt's antebellum journals boggled the mind. JUST SIT DOWN AND READ IT!!! Dragged that out way too long. Good exploration of the way that we learn more about our ancestors and they become more real people when we see them from multiple perspectives. This book is one of the more ambitious in this series and I enjoyed it. It was less trite than I expected, given the topic.
Chiaverini does a better than average job with this concept, although the amount of time Sylvia took to read her great-aunt's antebellum journals boggled the mind. JUST SIT DOWN AND READ IT!!! Dragged that out way too long. Good exploration of the way that we learn more about our ancestors and they become more real people when we see them from multiple perspectives. This book is one of the more ambitious in this series and I enjoyed it. It was less trite than I expected, given the topic.
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