APRIL READING LIST

Moving right along with my reading...

I was intrigued when this new book came into the library.  I put my name on it to read it first.  I am so glad I did.  What a book!  I just loved it.

THE MAKING OF MARY ANN (Based on a true story) by Cora A. Seaman (2008)
Mary Ann arrived in the United States from Germany at the age of 16.  She began her new life as a young nanny for a minister's two children.  After marrying a field hand, she gave birth to six young daughters.  Then her husband died of TB.  Four of her daughters were taken from her and put on the Orphan Train by the local Trustee.  Her own journey, with two babies, takes her through the dirt roads of Gibson County to her friend's house in Buckskin.  She began her search for the other four girls while she worked as a caretaker for an alcoholic woman.  The girls, who had little knowledge of their early life, began their own search for their birth mother after hearing the delirious musings of one of the girls as she was suffering from influenza.

They separately find their original home, finally uniting with Mary Ann.  There is trauma, tragedy, and pathos in this story of a little German girl whose journey takes her from Pforzheim, Germany to Southern Indiana in search of a better life.  Her courage and fortitude give hope to all who journey with her on this eventful trip.

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And I started a new series.  I seem to be into quilts lately.  Not only did I read this book, but I was reading a magazine article about antique quilts.  Hmm....  I think it's time to wash my quilts and pack them away for the summer.  Now I just need a nice warm day to hang them on the line in the back yard.  In the meantime, read this book.  It's wonderful.

THE QUILTER'S APPRENTICE by Jennifer Chiaverini (1998)
 

From debut novelist Jennifer Chiaverini comes The Quilter's Apprentice, a delightful, timeless story of loyalty and friendship.

When Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, move to the small town of Waterford, Pennsylvania, to get a fresh start, Sarah struggles to find a fulfilling job.  Disheartened by failed interviews, she reluctantly accepts a temporary position at Elm Creek Manor helping seventy-five-year-old Sylvia Compson prepare her family estate for sale after the recent death of Sylvia's estranged sister.  As part of her compensation, Sarah is taught how to quilt by this reclusive, cantankerous master quilter.

During their lessons, Mrs. Compson slowly opens up to Sarah, sharing powerful, devastating stories of her life as a young woman on the World War II home front.  Hearing tales of how Mrs. Compson's family was torn apart by tragedy, jealousy, and betrayal, Sarah is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about her own family -- truths that she has denied for far too long.  As the friendship between the two women deepens, Mrs. Compson confides that although she would love to remain at her beloved family estate, Elm Creek Manor exists as a constant, unbearable reminder of her role in her family's misfortune.  For Sarah, there can be no greater reward than teaching Mrs. Copmpson to forgive herself for her past mistakes, restoring life and joy to her cherished home.

Heartfelt and inspiring, The Quilter's Apprentice teaches deep lessons about family, friendship, and sisterhood -- and about creating a life as you would a quilt:  with time, love, and patience, piecing the miscellaneous and mismatched scraps into a harmonious, beautiful whole.