100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

A beautiful and captivating dual-time story that takes you back and forth between 1910 and 2008.

Maria is an orphan in 1910 who, with her tiny hands has become an excellent seamstress.  She and her friend Nora are soon whisked away to Buckingham Palace to work as seamstresses. Maria catches the eye of the young Prince of Wales and finds herself in a delicate situation.  Not wanting a royal scandal, Maria is taken away to a mental institution.  The staff at the mental institution not only take her baby and her sanity, but Maria still has her story that she preserves in a quilt.

In 2008, Caroline has just lost her boyfriend and her job.  She is also trying to take care of her mother who has dementia.   Caroline is helping her mother clean out her house when she comes across a beautiful and unique quilt.  Caroline needs something to fill her time, so she decides to try and figure out the history behind it. 

Maria and Caroline's story are both enthralling and  tragic.  I found the book more and more addicting as their stories begin to intersect and Caroline becomes closer to finding the mystery behind the quilt.  Artfully woven, Liz Trenow brings us back and forth between Maria's story and Caroline's.  Although we really only get to meet Maria through a series of transcribed cassette tape recordings when she is an older woman, her story is enchanting and I wanted nothing more than the truth to be unraveled.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.