The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

Continuing with the Elm Creek Series. This book is set around 20 years later. In the last book I read Sarah was eagerly awaiting the birth of her twins. In this book the twins are in their mid 20s and Sarah's daughter is about to get married.

The twins are Caroline and James. Caroline is the twin about to marry and her brother is also working at Elm Creek Manor. There are flashes back to past times in the series and we discover, not unsurprisingly, that Sylvia had passed away 12 years before. We learn some of the details of that, but Sylvia left Elm Creek Manor to Sarah to continue to love and develop. 

The Wedding Quilt is a series of squares each signed by those who attend the special day. We don't read of Sarah presenting the quilt, we do know that it will be presented after the honeymoon! Before Sylvia died she left with Sarah two packages for the twins with the instructions that the packages be presented to them on the occasion of the first wedding or 30th birthday, whichever comes first. Each package is accompanied by a note and is written with the love that is felt amongst the whole series. Caroline, inherits the Wedding Quilt which was from an earlier book and part of Sylvia's family. James inherits a book of Sylvia's memoirs.

I love the tenderness and love that features throughout, not only this book but the series. In picking up this book it was rather like greeting an old friend and I settled down to devour it within a few hours. Jennifer Chiaverini does a wonderful job of bringing to life friendships and I am always amazed that she manages to cope with the changes to the characters, whilst still retaining older characters.

I have recently heard that Jennifer Chiaverini has signed another 3 book deal with the series which is excellent news. The website that accompanies the series is HERE