"a promise in pieces" by emily wierenga

About the series: Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women's fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.

About the book (from Litfuse): A baby quilt touches many hearts as it travels from family-to-family and through generations.

After the end of World War II, Clara Kirkpatrick returns from the Women's Army Corp to deliver a dying soldier's last wishes: convey his love to his young widow, Mattie, with apologies for the missed life they had planned to share.
Struggling with her own post-war trauma, Clara thinks she's not prepared to handle the grief of this broken family. Yet upon meeting Mattie, and receiving a baby quilt that will never cuddle the soldier's baby, Clara vows to honor the sacrifices that family made.

Now a labor and delivery nurse in her rural hometown, Clara wraps each new babe in the gifted quilt and later stitches the child's name into the cloth. As each new child is welcomed by the quilt, Clara begins to wonder whatever happened to Mattie—and if her own life would ever experience the love of a newborn. Little does she know that she will have the opportunity to re-gift the special quilt—years later and carrying even greater significance than when it was first bestowed.

Learn more about this book and the series at the Quilts of Love website.

My take: I've read several of the Quilts of Love books with mixed results. Some I've really enjoyed, and others have been difficult to get through. But A Promise in Pieces? It's in a class of its own.

One thing that makes A Promise in Pieces unique is the way it's told. It begins in the year 2000 as Clara, her husband Oliver, and their children and grandchildren are traveling to New Orleans to deliver a special quilt to a museum. This portion (and all other portions in 2000) is written in third person. Then Clara begins telling her story—and the story of the quilt—to her grandson Noah, and this part is written in first person from Clara's perspective. What's different about this is the reader can actually hear Clara speaking to Noah—it's as though this portion was a transcription of Clara's speech. Wierenga switches seamlessly between Clara's story and the action in 2000 as she unveils Clara's story in pieces.

Ultimately, though, what makes A Promise in Pieces special is the story itself. Clara and Oliver's love story is so sweet and unusual, and the story of the quilt and how it touched so many lives is truly special. And near the end, when Clara faces something she'd dreaded her whole life, well, let's just say I had to stop reading for a bit to regain my composure! The end is not what I expected, but it's very fitting for Clara.

At a mere 193 pages, A Promise in Pieces can be read in an evening, but the story will stick with you much longer than that. It's one of those novels that I would love to see made into a film. (Hallmark???) I highly recommend it!

My rating: 5 stars

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Buy the book.
Read my reviews of other Quilts of Love novels: Aloha Rose, Tempest's Course, and A Wild Goose Chase Christmas.

About the author: Emily Wierenga is a former editor, ghostwriter, freelance writer and staff journalist, a monthly columnist for The Christian Courier, and the author of Save My Children (Castle Quay Books, 2008), Chasing Silhouettes (Ampelon Publishing, 2012) and Mom in the Mirror (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013). Emily resides in Alberta, Canada. This is her first novel.

Learn more about Emily at http://www.emilywierenga.com.

About the giveaway: The latest Quilts of Love release, A Promise in Pieces by Emily Wierenga is receiving glowing reviews.

Emily is celebrating the release of her debut novel with a "Women Helping Women" shopping spree giveaway.

  One winner will receive:

• $200 to spend at Emily's favorite shops, Noonday Collection & Vibella (Click through to learn more about how these companies exist to make a difference in the lives of women!)
• A Promise in Pieces by Emily Wierenga
• A Stitch and a Prayer by Eva Gibson
• Rival Hearts by Tara Randel

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 10th. Winner will be announced on the Quilts of Love blog on May 12th. Then be sure to stop by the Quilts of Love Facebook page on May 29th for the "Quilting Bee" Facebook party with Emily and other Quilts of Love authors. RSVP for an evening of book chat, quilting tips & tricks, prizes, and more!

Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."