Eva Gibson

I like the lessons learned about running from God--that He will pursue you (that is His job), that He will be there whenever you turn back to Him. I also liked the intergenerational trio that sprang up between elderly Opal, young adult Colleen, and child Tiffany with all of them learning different lessons based on this theme.

The author is from Oregon, the setting of this historic novel which unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. Although a historical book there is no sound timeline that the novel follows – things seem to jump about and often happen without explanation. It often seems that this is part of a larger novel with the first part missing. Much of the language used by the character in the book is alien to the historical setting and this makes the book a difficult jarring read.

The moral of the show more novel is “to trust in God” and very frequently references the phrase “God is my strength and refuge”.

Religion is a very personal thing and in this instance the main point of trusting in the Lord has been lost. Yes trust in him and give your struggles to him but this is not a magical solution. The Lord also wanted the person to try and work out solutions to their troubles and not just to wonder around constantly winging and complaining like our female lead. The main protagonist is immature (even for the time of the novel) and very unlikeable. Yes she has health issues but please grow a backbone. It’s more “oh woe is me … oh I must trust in the “Lord to provide”. Her new husband is no better just upping and leaving without telling his wife or even communicating with her. In fact there is no real development of the characters and this leads the reader to being unable to identify with them.

By the middle of the book the female lead had not even started her quilt of love and had barely stitched anything else. We never do learn what the finished quilt looked like giving us yet another unexplored and unexplained element to the novel.

Not only are the main protagonists unlikeable their conversations are stilted and abrupt. More depth has been given to the lessor characters although how these people related to the main protagonist is unclear. The story itself also lacks depth and appears rushed. The ending is also extremely unsatisfactory.

In short, the story had loads of potential that was not explored and so we ended up with a mediocre novel at best.

The language used in the novel is very elementary and more suitable to teens and young adults. There are loads of grammatical errors that hopefully have occurred due to lack of proof reading rather than a lazy author who needs to pay more attention to her writing. show less

I have read other reviews that said they had difficulty connecting with the main character.

I did not have that problem.

I connected with Florence right away. And I was pulled right into her world. Eva Gibson is a very skilled author. She paints a beautiful picture around our characters and I truly felt like I was right there with Florence as she struggled and worried and tried to pass the time until her beloved would return.

And I find myself wondering if perhaps the difficulty with some show more people connecting with Eva’s main character is perhaps the health issues she is struggling with…

Many people who have never dealt with health concerns themselves or even watched as a loved one navigated the difficulties involved are incapable of understanding what goes through the person’s mind as they attempt to go about their day and be as “normal” as possible.

I am blessed to have good health (aside from some seasonal allergies and a semi-bad knee) but I have watched my mother combat fibromyalgia and diabetes for years and I speak from experience when I say there are many people who enjoy good health that are unable to comprehend the daily hardships she has to face.

So I can understand quite easily how some people might have difficulty connecting with Florence and understanding the things she does. However, I would like to say that I feel Eva Gibson did an excellent job of writing the story. I could feel Florence’s irritation and worry. That alone may have helped a number of readers who would not normally identify with those issues - be able to.

A wonderful story that anyone can enjoy!

Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. Actually I never got the book - due to address issues but I was supposed to so I got it for the kindle... show less

I love quilts and the fact that each truly does tell a story intrigues me. Always has. This short novel, was a quick read. There were times I thought Florence seemed a little childish, but who isn't in their first year of marriage, right? I did like how her faith in God grew and how she started learning to trust Him to take care of her rather than focus solely on her husband for comfort. I was more than a little irritated that Will left her - pregnant and living alone - with just a note and show more no explanation. As a wife without an illness like Florence's, I'd be beside myself with worry and stress and probably less forgiving than she was at his return.

There were times I wondered if this was part of a series and I got the second book by mistake. I did have a hard time connecting with the characters. It felt the story was rushed and they weren't as developed as they could have been.

Overall, I did like the faith aspect of this story.

*My thanks to the publisher and LitFuse for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required it be positive.* show less