Pages

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

'The Union Quilters' by Jennifer Chiaverini

Genre:  Historical Fiction
Author: Jennifer Chiaverini
Short synopsis from Goodreads:
With The Union Quilters, Chiaverini delivers a powerful story of a remarkable group of women coping with changing roles and the extraordinary experiences of the Civil War. Together with the other members of the circle, the women support one another through loneliness and fear, and devise an ingenious business plan to keep Water's Ford functioning. That plan may forever alter the patchwork of town life in ways that transcend even the ultimate sacrifices of war.









1.) Reasons you chose this book

I've been reading this series from the very beginning. My mother-in-law is a gifted quilter and I've always admired her work and often dreamed of being a quilter myself. Knowing that there is no way I can create these works of art, I opted to live out my dreams by reading this series about women and quilting.

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

  • I really enjoy books that take place during the Civil War time period. I've always been fascinated by this part of United States history and believe me...this book covers this quite well.
  • The reader gets a very detailed look into Pennsylvania and some of the battles that took place in the state. I really liked reading about the free African-Americans fight to be included in fighting regiments during the Civil War and how they did not want to be in the background as cooks or ditch diggers. Very compelling and interesting history in that regards.
  • Chiaverini really did her research and at times I was cringing with the descriptions of the piles of amputated legs and arms, and all that the surgeons experienced and saw during this bloody war.
3. Reasons for recommending:
  • I'm on the fence with this one because I loved most of the books in this series and would highly recommend it to anyone that is fascinated about quilts, women who bond over hand crafts, and history. This one, however, was just too much historical content in regards to the war and the men who fought it. There wasn't enough of the women's story for me...I wanted something a bit more here and it wasn't to read page after page of skirmishes that took place during various battles. I wondered if maybe the author felt that this book had to be filled with more historical data than story???? Of course, I will read her next book in this series because I just have to...but this is one that if you want to skip you certainly won't be left out in the dark with the next book. 
Rating: 6.5/10

Published: February , 2011
Publisher:  Dutton
Pages: 342
Genre: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 9780525952039
 
Disclaimer:Thank you to my public library   as my source for this book. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel
 
  © 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

15 comments:

  1. I've never read anything by this author, but a former coworker, read everyone of her books --sounds good Staci....just too many authors and books to choose from:(

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've never read this author before but I just picked up The Quilter's Legacy from the library for the A-Z challenge at Goodreads. I needed a Q! I hope it's a good one. Have a wonderful week and happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not crazy about battle scenes, so this may not be for me. It would count for the Civil War challenge, though.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Interesting review - I would have thought it would have more about the quilters. I would have been disappointed as well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have been waiting for your review on this one.... this is a series I think I would like too! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I appreciated your review of this book--I've been wanting to read it. I think I'll like it, but like you I wish it had more of the quilters story. I was really looking forward to learning more about the group.

    ReplyDelete
  7. is the link to your personal library meant to go to sourcebooks?

    Anywa, nah not for me, perhaps it it was only the women

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had a similar problem with My Name is Mary Sutter. Too much Civil War information. Thanks for the review. I'll give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm looking for some good Civil War era books for the War Between the Generations Challenge so I don't mind that there are a bunch of battle scenes. If it gets too graphic, I'll skip those parts.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, I did not know this was part of a series. Can they be read as stand alones? I am one who likes the historical content and descriptions.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I keep saying I'm going to start this series but never do. Sorry this one wasn't one of the best for you.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I hadn't heard of this series until your review. I think this sounds interesting because of the historical information, but I wonder if it's overdone for my taste.

    We'll get this posted on War Through the Generations soon.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yeah, I wouldn't like this one because I am not into history at all!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I read the first of this series a few years ago and liked it enough to think I would continue, but I haven't done so yet. I do like history but not if it gets in the way of the story.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your review will be featured on War Through the Generations on May 16. We've added your review link to the book reviews page.

    ReplyDelete

Hello Friends!! I want to take this moment to say thank you. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and thank you for leaving me a comment.

* Because of the excessive spam I have decided not to allow anonymous users to comment.

Happy Reading!