St. Martin’s Press; June 5 2018; $26.99
My copy was provided by St. Martin’s Press
Description:
From Sandra Dallas, the best-selling author of A Quilt for Christmas, comes The Patchwork Bride, the irrepressible story of a runaway bride.
Ellen is putting the finishing touches on a wedding quilt made from scraps of old dresses when the bride-to-be—her granddaughter June—unexpectedly arrives and announces she’s calling off the marriage. With the tending of June’s uncertain heart in mind, Ellen tells her the story of Nell, a Kansas-born woman who goes to the High Plains of New Mexico Territory in 1898 in search of a husband.
Working as a biscuit-shooter, Nell falls for a cowboy named Buddy. She sees a future together, but she can’t help wondering if his feelings for her are true. When Buddy breaks her heart, she runs away.
In her search for a soul mate, Nell will run away from marriage twice more before finding the love of her life. It’s a tale filled with excitement, heartbreak, disappointment, and self-discovery—as well as with hard-earned life lessons about love. Another stunning, emotional novel from a master storyteller. (publisher)
My take: This is a novel that celebrates the tradition of story-telling. It also celebrates listening to and trusting one’s heart. It’s the 1950s. June runs to her grandparents’ ranch when she has cold feet about her upcoming wedding. Grandmother Ellen shares some tales of another young woman who ran off before her impending wedding – three times!
Sandra Dallas’s novel was a perfect book to read after the books I’d been reading – all contemporary fiction. I loved being swept into the stories of life in the old west. Some may look at those days as simpler but they were hard. Dallas has a gift for letting the reader feel what it may have been like. I enjoyed it. Recommended to fans of Sandra Dallas and western stories.
“Both heartwarming and emotional…As we see Nell search for happiness and grow into a mature woman, we are reminded of the importance of love, family, and the memories that we hold dear as we age. A touching and romantic tale by a talented storyteller.” – Historical Novels Society
Bookfan 