Author: Jennifer Chiaverini
Genre: Fiction
Series: Elm Creek Quilts
Audience: Adult
Format: Book - Library
From Goodreads: As the nation grapples with the strictures of Prohibition, Rosa Diaz Barclay lives on a Southern California rye farm with her volatile husband, John, who has lately found another source of income far outside the Federal purview.
Mother to eight children, Rosa mourns the loss of four who succumbed to the mysterious wasting disease currently afflicting young Ana and Miguel. Two daughters born of another father are in perfect health. When an act of violence shatters Rosa’s resolve to maintain her increasingly dangerous existence, she flees with the children and her precious heirloom quilts to the mesa where she last saw her beloved mother alive.
What I thought: This is the 19th book in the Elm Creek Quilts series. I must admit I love these books. Easy reads and good stories. I have also mentioned before that one of the other reasons I love these books is that even 19 books in, I've yet to feel like I have re-read the same book. The Goodreads description actually leaves a lot out as Rosa flees her home and goes in search of a cure for her sick children. With her is Lars, her first love, who is determined to protect Rosa this time. Together they end up in the winery region, trying to start again. While this was a lovely story and there is a link to the Elm Creek Quilters, it's a tenuous one. There is also very little quilting in the book. Apart from the two quilts Rosa takes with her when she flees and a brief mention of quilts she intends to make for her children, there is no quilting in this book. My feeling is Chiaverini wanted to write a story based around prohibition, but wasn't comfortable enough, or allowed to by her publishers, to put it out without the Elm Creek Quilters banner. It doesn't affect the story, but readers who are drawn to the quilting aspect of these books will be left disappointed.