A Stitch and a Prayer by Eva Gibson (Quilts of Love) Litfuse Blog Tour

About the book:

New from Quilts of Love | A Stitch and a Prayer

A quilt becomes a labor of love for a lonely wife mysteriously separated from her young husband.
After her fiancé returns from the Klondike gold rush in 1897, Florence Harms sets about building a new life in her new marriage—even though the lingering effects of illness have left her weak and vulnerable. She and her young husband, Will, work tirelessly to clear the land around their Northwest cabin, content with their modest life.

But then a stranger comes knocking and Florence suddenly senses a restlessness in Will’s spirit that she had never seen before. When he leaves her with only a note that tells her he will return before their baby’s birth, she is devastated, and the illness that stiffened her joints returns. Counting the days until Will walks back through her door, Florence busies herself with a Tree of Life quilt displaying a map of the farm they call home. Doubts claw at her heart as Florence struggles to believe Will’s promise to return to her. Will her labor of love-and faith in God—sustain her as she waits to see her beloved once again?

Learn more about this book and the series at the Quilts of Love website.

Landing page: 

http://litfusegroup.com/author/egibson

About the Author: 

Eva Gibson is the author of twenty books, including The Gift of Forgiveness and The Three Marys. She currently teaches "writing your life story" classes for Portland Community College and is an active member of Oregon Christian Writers. She has lived most of her life on the family farm in Wilsonville, Oregon, which is the setting for A Stitch and a Prayer.

My thoughts:
I usually really enjoy the Quilts of Love series, but this one was a slow read for me.  The author kept referring to events that happened prior to the start of the book, but as far as I know this is not part of a series by the same author, the Quilts of Love books usually stand alone.  So I was thrown often by references to the past.  I loved the quilt idea and the work that was done on it, when the story focused on the quilt and on the plan for it and what was happening in the present, I really enjoyed the book, I found the references to the past a bit jarring and felt that they took away from the storyline.

The themes of hope, trust, prayer and family were very strong and I felt that was a plus for this novel.  I loved the idea of taking a quilt pattern and then building in some personal details that correspond to life events in that family. It would have been great if a sketch of the quilt from the book could have been included at the end, although I like the picture I got for myself from reading.