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When Christmas Eve comes to Elm Creek Manor, the tenor of the holiday is far from certain. Sylvia Bergstrom Compson, the Master Quilter, has her own reasons for preferring a quiet, even subdued, Christmas. Her young friend Sarah McClure, however, takes the opposite view and decides to deck the halls brightly. As she explores the trunks packed with Bergstrom family decorations that haven't been touched in more than fifty years, Sarah discovers a curious Christmas quilt. Begun in seasonal show more fabrics and patterns, the quilt remains unfinished. Sylvia reveals that the handiwork spans several generations and a quartet of Bergstrom quilters -- her great aunt, her mother, her sister, and herself. As she examines the array of quilt blocks each family member contributed but never completed, memories of Christmases past emerge. At Elm Creek Manor, Christmas began as a celebration of simple virtues -- joy and hope buoyed by the spirit of giving. As each successive generation of Bergstroms lived through its unique trials -- the antebellum era, the Great Depression, World War II -- tradition offered sustenance even during the most difficult times. For Sylvia, who is coping with the modern problem of family dispersed, estranged, or even forgotten, reconciliation with her personal history may prove as elusive as piecing the Christmas Quilt. Elm Creek Manor is full of secrets, from a Christmas tree with unusual properties to the sublime Bergstrom strudel recipe. Sylvia's tales at first seem to inform her family legacy but ultimately illuminate far more, from the importance of women's art to its place in commemorating our shared experience, at Christmastime and in every season. show lessTags
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I respect that this book is well-written, and I like that Chiaverini really made me care about her characters. That said, it was a huge disappoinment. The plot is almost non-existent, which is generally fine for character-driven texts, but I'm not really sure what Chiaverini was trying to accomplish with this. It starts strongly enough, but it sort of train wrecks into nowhere. The main character is an old lady who, at Christmas, remembers the joys of her past and the now-dead family members that she has lost. Some deaths were inescapable tragedies (WWII, for example), but in other cases, she has caused the problems. She has made the decision to avoid her family for fifty years of self-imposed estrangement. The protagonist has remained show more bitter because of a decades-old grievance (albeit a significant one) and has chosen not to speak to her family. Of course, now that everyone that she has loved is dead, she deeply regrets her decisions. It's too little, too late.
The whole book is a remembrance of one sorrow after another, and Sylvia is powerless to change anything now. That doesn't stop Chiaverini from trying to make this a story about redemption. She tacks on a thin ending that seems like an attempt to be uplifting. It isn't. This book is depressing as all get-out, nothing happens at all, and in the end, the main character's epiphany and newfound peace (because she has come to terms with her past) is sloppy and forced. I don't know why she wrote it this way. Was she trying for an epic tragedy and then lost her nerve? Was she trying for something uplifting, but ran out time to put effort into the end? Was she trying to cater to certain expectations? I'll never know. I'll also never re-read this.
This book is for you if you like reveling in someone else's suffering. Or if you happen to prefer stories where 97% of the text shows, with remarkable clarity, how devastating someone's life can be, only for the last few pages to throw out a casual remark about how she's managed to find peace. In any writing class, students learn to show, not tell. Chiaverini's unbalanced text "shows" pain very well - and the first three-quarters of the book are remarkably well written - but features one of the poorest excuses for an ending that I've ever seen. A cheap, tacked-on cop-out that not only fails to be literary on its own terms, the ending of this book is an insult to its readers' intelligence.
I hate to blast this book completely - particularly since so much of it is remarkably well-done - but as whole, it was a crushing disappointment. Seriously, people are depressed enough during the holidays. You don't have to endure the Christmas season AND read this book. show less
The whole book is a remembrance of one sorrow after another, and Sylvia is powerless to change anything now. That doesn't stop Chiaverini from trying to make this a story about redemption. She tacks on a thin ending that seems like an attempt to be uplifting. It isn't. This book is depressing as all get-out, nothing happens at all, and in the end, the main character's epiphany and newfound peace (because she has come to terms with her past) is sloppy and forced. I don't know why she wrote it this way. Was she trying for an epic tragedy and then lost her nerve? Was she trying for something uplifting, but ran out time to put effort into the end? Was she trying to cater to certain expectations? I'll never know. I'll also never re-read this.
This book is for you if you like reveling in someone else's suffering. Or if you happen to prefer stories where 97% of the text shows, with remarkable clarity, how devastating someone's life can be, only for the last few pages to throw out a casual remark about how she's managed to find peace. In any writing class, students learn to show, not tell. Chiaverini's unbalanced text "shows" pain very well - and the first three-quarters of the book are remarkably well written - but features one of the poorest excuses for an ending that I've ever seen. A cheap, tacked-on cop-out that not only fails to be literary on its own terms, the ending of this book is an insult to its readers' intelligence.
I hate to blast this book completely - particularly since so much of it is remarkably well-done - but as whole, it was a crushing disappointment. Seriously, people are depressed enough during the holidays. You don't have to endure the Christmas season AND read this book. show less
Sylvia's childhood home was so full of memories it was a wonder there was any room for furniture. As the December days grew colder and the nights longer, the bygone years seemed to encroach ever more insistently into the present - vexing Sylvia day and night with their persistence. She imagined spirits of Christmases past crowding the halls, arguing over favorite chairs by the fire, looking about Elm Creek Manor, and shaking their heads in dismay over how she had let the place go. Nothing would appease them save an old fashioned Bergstrom family Christmas, with all the trappings of the holiday, every beloved tradition fulfilled to the letter.
As Christmas approaches, Sarah wants to decorate Elm Creek Manor. When she and Sylvia retrieve the decorations from the attic, Sarah finds another box Sylvia did not expect. The box contains a quilt begun by Great Aunt Lucinda which had been worked on by generations of Bergstrom women but never completed. Sarah wants to finish it. Sylvia hopes Sarah can make amends with her mother this Christmas. The book is filled with lovely Christmas traditions and sadness as we read of the men lost in World War II. I'm not sure why I never read this installment, but I'm glad I did. It's a great way to start the holiday series--thinking of families and the traditions we share.
Christmas Eve at Elm Creek Manor revives Sylvia Bergstrom Compson's memories of happier Bergstrom family Christmases, as well as the tragedy and conflict that drove her away from her family home for fifty years. Sylvia's memories are interspersed with plans for the current Christmas. Sylvia sees a parallel between her assistant, Sarah's, rocky relationship with her mother and Sylvia's own unresolved differences with her deceased sister, Claudia. Sylvia does her best to encourage Sarah to make peace with her mother before it's too late.
While this is a heartwarming Christmas story, it doesn't seem to serve much purpose in this series. Although this was the eighth book published in the series, it falls chronologically much earlier – as show more best I can tell, between the first and second books. Sylvia's reminiscences felt like a rehash of the first book in the series. There wasn't much new information here, other than one new character who seems likely to reappear in future books in the series. I don't think it will spoil the series to read this one out of order, so I recommend saving it for a time when you're in the mood for a light holiday read. show less
While this is a heartwarming Christmas story, it doesn't seem to serve much purpose in this series. Although this was the eighth book published in the series, it falls chronologically much earlier – as show more best I can tell, between the first and second books. Sylvia's reminiscences felt like a rehash of the first book in the series. There wasn't much new information here, other than one new character who seems likely to reappear in future books in the series. I don't think it will spoil the series to read this one out of order, so I recommend saving it for a time when you're in the mood for a light holiday read. show less
This is the first book I've read by this author and it turned out to be a fine holiday-themed introduction to the series. I learned some basic things about Elm Creek Manor, the residence in Pennsylvania that hosts a quilting workshop. Mostly I was taken back in time through the memories of Sylvia, an original family member, to when this place was home to an extended family and to their Christmas traditions. There was her childhood in the 1930s, her marriage as a young woman, her husband and other important men in her life entering the service during WWII. The biggest part of the book is her nostalgic recall of these earlier times when the large house was a bustling home.
The story is somewhat idealized, but that is what I expected to show more find in this genre; I don't know yet if other books in the series follow this style of storytelling. I liked that a textile art is highlighted since the creative spark is all around us. Although quilting seems mostly utilitarian, the designs of the blocks have real meaning and serve as way to pass down memories.
It's a well-crafted book offering several points of contemplation. The way Sylvia, who is now in her 70s, remembers all these earlier events reminds us of how our life is one big package and every part is connected and has meaning. And not just the big life-and-death events, but all the everyday decisions and projects, like making a quilt.
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LibraryThing thinks you probably won't like The Christmas Quilt (prediction confidence: high)
Well LT, you guessed wrong this time! show less
The story is somewhat idealized, but that is what I expected to show more find in this genre; I don't know yet if other books in the series follow this style of storytelling. I liked that a textile art is highlighted since the creative spark is all around us. Although quilting seems mostly utilitarian, the designs of the blocks have real meaning and serve as way to pass down memories.
It's a well-crafted book offering several points of contemplation. The way Sylvia, who is now in her 70s, remembers all these earlier events reminds us of how our life is one big package and every part is connected and has meaning. And not just the big life-and-death events, but all the everyday decisions and projects, like making a quilt.
Copied this:
LibraryThing thinks you probably won't like The Christmas Quilt (prediction confidence: high)
Well LT, you guessed wrong this time! show less
This book fits in chronologically earlier, so it can be read out of order or skipped altogether. Reading about the strudel making made me hungry and I wondered if I ever had one. There was a lot more about the rivalry between Sylvia and her sister Claudia, but in the end her regret for leaving the manor and not returning for fifty years.
After first reading #16 of this series, I chose #8 and I am glad I did as this book told the history of the manor and it's owner Sylvia. The book goes back in time and then smoothly back to present time.
Sylvia is remembering Christmases from long ago and the various family members. Sarah and her husband Matt is staying with Sylvia. The two ladies help each other through difficult relationships with family. It's a quick read (or listen as I did with the audio version).
Sylvia is remembering Christmases from long ago and the various family members. Sarah and her husband Matt is staying with Sylvia. The two ladies help each other through difficult relationships with family. It's a quick read (or listen as I did with the audio version).
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Author Information
68+ Works 19,296 Members
Jennifer Chiaverini is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. She used to be a writing instructor at Penn State University and Edgewood College. She is the author of the Elm Creek Quilts series and four volumes of quilt patterns inspired by her novels. She is also the designer of the Elm Creek Quilts fabric lines show more from Red Rooster Fabrics. Among her most recent works, is the New York Times bestselling novel, Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. (Publisher Provided) Jennifer Chiaverini is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. She is an American quilter and author. Her books include the Elm Creek Quilts series as well as five collections of quilt patterns inspired by her novels. She designs the Elm Creek Quilts fabric lines from Red Rooster Fabrics. She was also a writing instructor at Penn State and Edgewood College. Jennifer is also the author of bestselling novels Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, The Spymistress and Mrs. Lincoln's Rival. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Christmas Quilt
- Original title
- The Christmas Quilt
- Original publication date
- 2005
- People/Characters
- Sylvia Bergstrom Compson; Sarah McClure; Matt McClure; James Compson; Claudia Bergstrom Midden; Harold Midden (show all 13); Richard Compson; Agnes Chevalier Bergstrom Emberly; Cassandra; Lucinda; Gerda; Anneke; Carol
- Important places
- Waterford, Pennsylvania, USA
- Important events
- The Great Depression (years 1933 | 1934); World War II
- Epigraph
- "I give you simply the joy and hope of the season."
--Gerda Bergstrom - Dedication
- Meinen Grosseltern, Virginia und Edward Riechmann
To my grandparents,
Virginia and Edward Riechman - First words
- Es war ein Wunder, dass in Sylvias Elternhaus, das so mit Erinnerungen angefüllt waar, überhaupt noch Platz für Möbel blieb.
Sylvia's childhood home was so full of memories it was a wonder there was any room for furniture. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Ohne Kontrast entstand kein Muster, genau wie Grosstante Lucinda ihr vor so langer Zeit erklärt hatte, und jedes Teil, ob aus feinster Seide oder verblasster Baumwolle, würde Bestand haben, wenn es durch stabile Nähte mit den anderen verbunden war - Bande der Liebe und Loyalität, von Tradition und Glauben.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Without contrast there was no pattern, as Great-Aunt Lucinda had taught her long ago, and each piece, whether finest silk or faded cotton, would endure if sewn fast to the others with strong seams - bonds of love and loyalty, tradition and faith. - Original language
- English
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