The Runaway Quilt
Written by Jennifer Chiaverini
Narrated by Christina Moore
4/5
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About this audiobook
Jennifer Chiaverini
Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-four novels, including critically acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. In 2020, she was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for her novel Resistance Women. In 2023, the WLA awarded her the honor of Notable Wisconsin Author for her significant contributions to the state’s literary heritage. Chiaverini earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She, her husband, and their two sons call Madison, Wisconsin home.
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Titles in the series (19)
Round Robin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Master Quilter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sugar Camp Quilt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quilter's Apprentice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cross-Country Quilters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quilter's Legacy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Runaway Quilt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Christmas Quilt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winding Ways Quilt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quilter's Homecoming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Circle of Quilters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The New Year's Quilt Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Quilter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Quilter's Holiday Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Aloha Quilt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sonoma Rose Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Giving Quilt Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Wedding Quilt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Union Quilters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Runaway Quilt
164 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My favorite! So great! Fantastic Story for all to read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Runaway Quilt is a nice book about how a tattered quilt started a woman to search her ancestors belongings to find the roots of her heritage. The book takes into account the importance of quilts hung outside to slaves running north through the underground railroad to safety. Four stars were awarded to this book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the fourth novel of the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series, Sylvia Compson searches for evidence of her ancestors' courageous involvement in the Underground Railroad.
Number 4 in the series and the Elm Creek Quilters is up and running as a business. This book focuses on Sylvia, who finds a diary written just before the Civil War, along with several old and partially damaged quilts.
It is written by Gerda, who came over from Germany with her brother to found the house and business that Sylvia and her siblings inherited. The Runaway Quilt takes us through Sylvia reading through this journal and finding out things about her family and the community she joined during a very difficult period in American history.
The book does deal with escaped slaves on the road away from the southern states, but avoids the more brutal facts of the business, rather addressing it from a rather genteel 21st century viewpoint reading a 19th century gentle-woman's diary. I put "Beloved" by Toni Morrison on the back burner whilst reading this book, so it's interesting to see the two different approaches to writing about the same time from two different perspectives.
It was a pleasant read that took me just a few days to get through and is a nice addition to the series. The addition of a few quilt styles, with their possible historical inspiration is also a nice touch (but does anyone else wish there were example completed items included in the book?) - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sylvia runs across some family quilts along with a journal of one of her ancestors all about the time period of the Underground Railroad. Sylvia is fearful that her ideas of who her family is might turn out to be false. Lots of interesting historical stuff - especially about how quilts were used to signal safety and danger to runaway slaves.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meh. Better than some. But LACK OF EDITING! It is such a shame to see a decent book ruined by laziness. Here we have Grace, again, still Sfrican American, but still with nothing except a few cryptic adjectives that might point the fact. The author seemed to tire by the end, and just raced through the final denouement. That’s Okay; I was tired of reading.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A mix of real time and diary readings. Sylvia ponders her ancestors role in the underground railroad after finding old quilts and a diary in the attic. She needs to accept them as people who are not perfect rather than the idealized stories that had been handed down. It was strange that it took so many weeks for Sylvia to read the brief diary, and that she took such long breaks from it. Anyone who is as avid a reader as I imagine most LT members are would have finished it quickly--thereby missing the opportunity for a lengthy novel.There are some insightful paragraphs about the effect of slavery on both the owners and the owned.Chiaverini's writing is skilled, but somehow I wasn't inspired by this pleasant book. It is definitely worth while as a light read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A fun book about a quilt made right before the Civil War, a family that ran a station on the underground railroad and a fun (but very light) mystery.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sylvia discovers a journal tucked in with some old family quilts. The journal was written by her ancestor's sister and documents the family's settlement on Elm Creek farm and involvement with the Underground Railroad. As she begins reading its pages, her friend Summer begins doing research at the county historical society. Sarah and Matt begin an archaeological excavation on the property. As a genealogist, I did not want to put this one down! I occasionally wanted Summer to seek out another source that might have held an answer, but it would have been rushing the story to prematurely reach the place that source might have led. This is my favorite in the Elm Creek Quilts series to date!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Probably my favorite of all of the Chiaverini quilt books, the tie between Underground Railroad activities and quilting was fascinating. I have enjoyed this series, since I am a quilter, but this plot line was one I found I could not put down.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not the weightiest book in the world, but a very enjoyable read, with just enough history to make it interesting.