A Thread of Truth

April 27, 2009
Stitched into the heartwarming second installment of Bostwick's contemporary New England quilters series (after 2008's A Single Thread
) is an unbreakable thread of friendship and faith. Following a pattern similar to her first (in which shop owner Evelyn Dixon fought breast cancer), Bostwick centers the action around a serious struggle: on the run from an abusive husband, Ivy Peterman and her children, Bethany and Bobby, find refuge in the New Bern, Conn., women's shelter. There, Ivy meets philanthropist Abigail Burgess Wynne and through her lands a job at Evelyn's shop, Cobbled Court Quilts. After 18 months of peace, Ivy's appearance in a Quilt Pink Day promotion, draws out her violent husband. When he appears at Evelyn's shop to confront Ivy, newfound friends and perspective give Ivy the strength to stand up to him, begin divorce proceedings and learn that hiding from fears won't resolve them. Bostwick switches effortlessly from Ivy's poignant story to quilting circle updates, keeping fans in the loop and on their toes with a surprising bit of marriage news.

March 22, 2010
The disappointing latest in the Cobbled Court series focuses on temperamental artist Liza and her boyfriend, Garrett, who surprises her—and everyone else—with a marriage proposal. Though Liza's formidable aunt, Abigail, immediately takes charge of arrangements, Liza isn't sure what she really wants. Meanwhile, Garrett's mother, Evelyn, continues to rebuff a tenacious suitor and juggles the new responsibilities of a visiting mother who may be there to stay. While the book is full of the requisite quilting, it is also full of blandly indecisive women whose stories overlap with little to distinguish them. The narrative's narrowness gets very tiresome very quickly, and it reduces what could be rich characters to drones.

June 1, 2009
Bostwick brings back familiar characters in the second Cobbled Court novel (after "A Single Thread"), with the focus switching to Ivy Peterman. In fleeing an abusive husband, Ivy ends up in New Bern, CT, where she and her children find refuge at an apartment complex for victims of domestic abuse. When the town benefactor takes an interest in them, Ivy finds a joband friendsat Cobbled Court Quilts. The companionship of these women proves vital when Ivy's husband shows up, demanding that she return and, when that fails, accusing her of kidnapping their children. VERDICT "A Single Thread" focused on breast cancer; here, Bostwick highlights domestic abuse in a story that emphasizes the importance of friendship. Given those themes, as well as the details about quilting, this novel should appeal to fans of women's fiction, especially those who enjoy needlecrafts. A similar title is Kate Jacobs's "The Friday Night Knitting Club". Highly recommended.Lesa Holstine, Glendale P.L., AZ

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