Reviewing: A Patchowork Past

...from the publisher...

When wild child Sophie Deiner--the daughter of an Amish bishop--is forced to return to Nappanee, Indiana, quilt-shop owner Jane Berger is one of only a few who welcome her back. It's the last place she wants to be, but Sophie's recent illness requires that she recover for a while.

As Sophie heals, she befriends a group of migrant workers and is appalled to learn of the wretched living conditions they're forced to endure. Sophie begins advocating on their behalf, but soon finds herself opposed by an ex-boyfriend who is the farm foreman.


Jane begins relating the story of an Amish couple who rescued survivors of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, many of whom were Irish immigrants. And Sophie is more convinced than ever that she needs to fight for the powerless. But when digging deeper makes conditions even worse, has she chosen a fight she can't win?

...my thoughts...

Coming back to Nappanee, Indiana, we learn Sophie's story. In ill health she has a lot of bridges to mend, some created by misunderstanding and gossip and others simply by the tangled web of feelings between mother and daughter.  It was good to see the story of her relationship between Sophie and her mother come to light.  The complications created by expectations and lack of understanding are complicated and the author did a good job revealing this, often through the family stories shared by Jane Berger around the quilting circle. 

 I am a fan of Amish fiction, and  have often enjoyed reading Leslie Gould's work. I was, however, disappointed in this book with it's political slant and nearly didn't finish it. However, I wanted to see how things turned out for Sophie and for Jane to finally finish her story on the Chicago fire. I received an advance copy of this book from Bethany House publishers from netgalley.com for an honest review.  My opinions are my own.