The ladies of "A Quilt for Christmas" very quickly become the reader's best friends. Among them, one has downsized after her husband's passing. Another is young and divorced. They're brought together when Vera helps a new neighbor and decides to make a large quilt for her at the request of the woman's sweet daughter.
This short novella probably has some of the best character development I've seen from author Melody Carlson. As much as I love her heartwarming stories, I always feel shortchanged by the limitations her novels' length puts on her lovely stories. In this case, one of the women of Vera's quilt "club" has lost both a husband and child, which has given her a less-than-sunny disposition. Carlson switches to telling part of the story from her perspective toward the end of the book, and I felt the story would have had so much more of an impact if Carlson had written the character's perspective into the novel much earlier. Instead, the character's change of heart feels sudden and abrupt, albeit inspiring.
Christian themes are murky in Carlson's writing, as well. "A Quilt for Christmas" is your typical holiday novella. There's not much to it, but it's still highly enjoyable.
*Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
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