THE WINDING WAYS QUILT
Jennifer Chiaverini
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 1-4165-3314-1
April 2008
Women’s Fiction

It is a bittersweet time at Elm Creek Manor. Judy and her husband, Steve are moving to Philadelphia. Steve just got a job at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Judy accepted a job at an Ivy League school. Life will soon be perfect for this couple.

Summer, Gwen’s daughter, is leaving to pursue graduate school in Chicago. However, her boyfriend, Jeremy, isn’t coming along. Gretchen, Anna and Maggie are the newcomers, will they be able to fit in among the myriad of personalities already present?

Besides the obvious friction created by the departure and welcome of old and new employees, we are treated to an in-depth look into the lives of some of the original employees of Elm Creek Quilts. Sylvia, Gwen, Agnes, and Diane all lend an interesting bent to the storyline. In each character’s vignette, a quilt played a major role in their life.

This is Ms. Chiaverini’s thirteenth novel of her series. Unfortunately, due to the number of characters, I would not consider this a stand-alone book. Fans of this series will undoubtedly be thrilled with this latest installment, because the tone of the storyline is essentially the same. However, familiarity tends to be a deterrent to even the most well-written series. I didn’t find this novel as captivating as her previous ones.

Reviewed By Charlene McConnell
Rating: 3