An Elm Creek Quilts Album

Elm Creek Quilts #4-6

by Jennifer Chiaverini

Three complete novels, The Runaway Quilt, The Quilter's Legacy, and The Master Quilter, from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini.

Join the Elm Creek Quilters on their continuing adventures through American history past and present, told from the unique perspective of the creative artists known as quilters.

The Runaway Quilt: Alerted that her family may have had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson searches her attic for her great-grandmother's quilt, a log cabin with black central squares that, according to legend, was a sign of sanctuary to escaping slaves. She also discovers the memoir of her great-grandfather's spinster sister, Gerda Bergstrom. The record reveals not only the founding of Elm Creek Manor, but also a Pennsylvania farming community divided by the issue of slavery. With the help of the Elm Creek Quilters and the clues in her ancestors' quilts, Sylvia grapples with hard truths in coming to terms with her family's past.

The Quilter's Legacy: Resolving to locate her mother's heirloom quilts, Sylvia embarks on a cross-country investigation of antiques shops, quilt museums, and some unexpected places, where offers of assistance are not always what they seem. As Sylvia recovers some of the missing quilts and accepts others as lost forever, she reflects on the woman her mother was and mourns the woman she never knew.

The Master Quilter: Wedding bells are ringing in the ears of the Elm Creek Quilters. Their own Sylvia planned her holiday wedding with sweetheart Andrew in complete secrecy. Eager to honor the newlyweds, the Elm Creek Quilters hasten to stitch a bridal quilt for their favorite Master Quilter. As the quilt blocks accumulate, the Elm Creek Quilters celebrate the joys of new beginnings and the ongoing success of their business -- until forces conspire to threaten their happiness and prosperity. Will the burden of closely guarded secrets strain the bonds of friendship?

"A shared love for quilting," The Hartford Courant has observed, "helps bring women together. Quilters always welcome new ones and share what they know...in the popular Elm Creek Quilts novels." Here in An Elm Creek Quilts Album, Jennifer Chiaverini's captivating storytelling enacts the enduring wisdom of a joyful sisterhood of family and friends.

Genres: Fiction, Quilting, Crafts

768 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2006

About the author

Jennifer 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."

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is.... OMG! How fantastic is this entire series?!

I have quite literally bought all of their hard back books, twice. I gave my fist set away to my son’s school. I also bought every single item they have in kindle format.

I have read through this entire series at least four times, and am on my way through the fifth time right now.

I have my own fully equipped sewing studio with all the toys, even the professional grade longarm, all to support my hobby. I will still do quilts by hand with needle, thread, pencil, and scissors, just to enjoy the quilt making like I find in the Elm Creek Quilt series. What can I say. I am an over 60 male fabric crafting fan who has been obsessed with quilting, sewing, and knitting, for my entire life.

This book is fantastic, and so are all the others! I really recommend them all.

...and yes, I have made several of the quilts from this series.

I also enjoy and recommend the Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker series and all of her oth books too.

[Peggy Zeigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this series. this book has the 4th,5th and 6th books from the series. they have the same characters in them, but some books have some of the characters more prominent then others which is fine. Its good to get back stories on some of the characters. One book is telling about the upcoming marriage of the oldest member of the Elm Creek Quilters and another how the members are trying to juggle life's and problems, a broken marriage, job changes, a lost business, ect, while getting a marriage quilt together for Sylvia and Andrew. the other book tells how the family was involved in the underground railroad, not quite how a young Sylvia was told. I like how it the stories go from the present day, to how it did unfold years before. Its never how we think, or told.

[Diane Jenkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this set of books. This book is why i took up quilting

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good driving read

[GoldenjoyBazyll · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Novel 1: Runaway Quilt: Ok... I am in love with this story! It's about the Elm Creek Mannor's history. Sylvia meets another quilter at a conference that approaches her and says she has a quilt that may be connected with Sylvia's family. The disturbing part is that the woman made a comment that some of the fabric could have been from some of the slaves of her relatives. Sylvia refused to believe that the quilt had any connection to her or her family because as she knew her history... the mannor was a part of the underground railroad. And so the story unfolds as Sylvia goes in the attic to find the quilt that her ancestors said was the one used as a signal on the laundry line. When she found it she also found a journal written by one of the original relatives to come to American from Germany. As Sylvia reads Gredas words.... a history she did not know existed begins to unfold. She learns a great deal about how the mannor came to be and she does find out the truth about the quilt. If you are interested in the quilts of the underground railroad....the history woven into the story is facinating. I am LOVED this book! The whole story took me by surprise and it was a good surprise... not tidy but interesting. I won't tell you because this is a worthwhile read and I hate to spoil it by saying what the outsome was.

Enjoy!!!!!!!

2. The Quilters Legacy: While the Run Away Quilt was about history from her father's side.... the Quilters legacy was about her mothers side. Sylvia goes on a quest to find all of her mothers quilts which her older sister sold to keep the manor running. Between internet sites for lost and stolen quilts and conversations on the road less traveled by a ginormous RV.... she uncovers what happened to four of the most important of her mothers work. In addition, she uncovers the truth of her mothers childhood. We all have our secrets... our hurts and our joys but would our families be able to uncover them after we are gone???? What are your legacies????? AND how will those that go after you be able to piece your history together..... certainly not from my crocheting. Maybe if goodreads is still around they will be able to figure out my strange journey by my little missives. Ha.... just laugh.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is 3 in 1:
_The Runaway Quilt_, a really engaging story in which Sylvia tracks down the history of some Civil War-era quilts that had been passed down through her family. The story flashes between the time when the quilts were being made and the present. I really enjoyed the historical part of the story--interesting and suspenseful. Also, it was really fun getting to see the background of Sylvia's ancestors and meet them as real people, not the myths that were handed down about them. Very cool.

_The Quilter's Legacy_, also a really fun read. This one follows Sylvia's attempts to reclaim her mother's quilts after her sister sold them years before. Again, the modern parts are ok, but the really interesting parts are the historical parts, which give the details about how the quilts came to be and the stories behind them, as well as following the life of Sylvia's mother, who was a sweet, warm person, not to mention the underdog who manages to set up a good life for herself despite all obstacles. We get to see the great love story between Sylvia's parents as well as the full back story of each quilt, which the modern day characters never get in full. I enjoyed this one quite a lot.

_The Master Quilter_, my least favorite of the three. This one stays entirely in the present, telling the events of a few months over and over from the perspective of each of the Elm Creek Quilters, revealing a bit more each time. I did enjoy the way the story unfolded and getting to see more and more pieces of the puzzle as each perspective revealed more about what happened. I didn't really enjoy this one as much as the others, though. Most of the book was about everybody's problems. There's nothing wrong with problems, of course--no plot without them--but there wasn't much else in this book. Despite being best buds, the quilters all kept to themselves and didn't even help each other or take comfort from each other. I read these books for the escape, the craft element, and the female best friend interactions; this book didn't give me enough of any of those things.

[Carol Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that I enjoyed this trilogy more than the first one. I like the way the author weaves the history of the main character into the story that she is telling. In "The Runaway Quilt" she searches for her great grandmother's quilt which she hopes will prove the story she has heard all her life. This is a story about her ancestral home and its link to the undergound railway. In the second book, she searches for her mother's quilts which were sold off during financially difficult times. The third story confused me a little in the beginning. In it, the same story is told several times, each from the point of view of a different member of the Elm Creek Quilters. However, after I finally got my mind wrapped around the idea that the same story was being retold, I found it very interesting. The story unfolded and more details were explained with each retelling. In the end, a mystery was solved.

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fellow quilter, I found this book containing three novels quite a treat. It spanned generations, contained historical information on quilts and their use during the Civil War, and an interesting geneological search related to the quilts. Most of all, the characters were well defined in their intertwined lives, but not without conspiracy, secrets, ambitions and complex relationships. My only disappointment was in the third novel which was divided by characters that replayed previous events written from that character's perspective. While there were some events that came out, for the most part I found the replay a bit redundant.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are as cheesy as the first three in the series, but there was more meat to the stories, so I could really sink my teeth into them. I promise I'm not hungry. . . .

Anyway, I loved the history of the Underground Railroad in the first book in this album; I loved the history of the Lockwood family in the second book, and I found the third book to be a page-turner. I did not like that the third book left so many loose ends. Clean it up, please; I don't like to use my imagination for story endings.

I also find these books to be HUGELY unrealistic. But, I guess that's fiction.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another nice story in the saga of the Elm Creek Quilters. This time the author wrote about a short 1-2 month period of time and gave a chapter to each 'main' character. It was well written and I could definitely follow the story. My only *criticism* is that these stories always end with such a happy ending...not that that's a bad thing necessarily but....

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has three books in one. I just finished "The Runaway Quilt". It shines some light on the Underground Railroad and how it may have worked. I felt for the slaves and the people who tried to save the runaways. It may be fiction, but some of the feelings that comes from the characters seems too real!

[Monica Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat predictable endings...happy endings. :) But exactly what you expect with these books. Neat turn of writings with the stories from each character's point of view...and the mother/daughter flip flopping chapters.

[Jeanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, and a good deal with 3 in 1!

[Nsjackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly this trilogy of books. My favorite was the first, The Runaway Quilt. I know nothing about quilting but family histories told through the quilts was fascinating.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three books about a quilters guild and the mishaps, heartaches and joys they go through together. Great book. Really liked it.
(clean)

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

entertaining. but just fluff, everything always turns out great.

[Mskathy1031 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing

[Sarah Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so easily read and the story line is just plain good!!