A Quilt for Christmas is a beautiful caring story that starts out so simple. Vera gets a knock on her door it is four year old Fiona who needs help for her Mother, who they rush to the hospital. Fiona goes back to Vera's where she sees a beautiful Nordic star quilt on Vera's bed and asks if they can make one for her Mother. Thus it brings four different women together along with Fiona, there is Vera, Tasha, Eleanor and Beverly and Evan Eleanor's son joins them in his Mothers home. Eleanor is struggling with something that happened to her. The story was well written with a great storyline that flowed smoothly across the pages. I would recommend this book. This is a new Author to me. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Years ago, I happened upon one of Melody Carlson's Christmas tales in a bookstore. It has now become a Christmas tradition for me to read her latest book each holiday season.

You will undoubtedly be enchanted and enraptured by the events that Fiona, a charming, delightful and precocious young girl who lives near Vera, a newly widowed neighbor, sets in motion.

Eleanor, a new friend to Vera, was someone I struggled mightily to like or even feel empathy for. Although we have all experienced tumultuous, trying and occasionally sad or heartbreaking times, this does not give us license to treat everyone who crosses our path unkindly. When she urged the other quilters in her group to use her large home rather than Vera's modest apartment of her own volition, I found it even more difficult to understand her caustic, demeaning attitude. Though I never really warmed up to her, thankfully, as the novella goes on, she starts to show a few redeeming qualities.

The narrative is essentially one of friendship, kindness, hope and optimism. Vera's life has drastically changed when the story opens, and you will be devastated by Fiona's situation. But as time goes on, the knowledge of a Divine plan becomes awe-inspiring.

Your holiday spirit will be filled with all the warm fuzzies after reading A Quilt for Christmas. It is so very sweet and endearing.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own, and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

This was a wonderful read to get you in the Christmas spirit! Neighbors helping neighbors! Friends that become family! Just what you need to kick off your holiday season!

Things hadn't gone exactly as Vera had planned when she gave up her large home and moved into a condominium close to her family. Her family moved away shortly afterwards and after five months, she had not made any new friends. Christmas was approaching and Vera wasn't feeling festive. A young child knocking on her door changed all that. What follows is a moving and heartfelt story about what can happen when we take a chance and step out of our comfort zone.
This is a beautifully rendered story about new friendships, community and second chances. The characters are a vividly depicted varied group. While initially it seemed, they had little in common, they come together to form meaningful and solid relationships. It is a pleasure to see this family they made come to fruition.
Beautifully told, this story is well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Quilted Christmas, by Melody Carlson, introduces Vera Swanson on the opening pages of this tale. This elderly woman has loved and celebrated Christmas for most of her life. Now, after the passing of her husband and her two grown children moving away with her grandchildren, Vera will likely spend the holiday alone. She definitely has no incentive to decorate!

When a young girl shows up on her doorstep saying her mother is in trouble, Vera jumps in to help. Fiona’s mother needs medical assistance. After Vera drops Fiona’s mother at the hospital, she brings Fiona home with her. After Fiona sees a beautiful quit in Vera’s condo, she convinces Vera that they should make her mother a similar quilt for Christmas!

Vera is surprised, when suddenly she is meeting people in town who are interested in helping put this quilt together. This tale gets very interesting as four woman with very different personalities gather together to create this quilt. You will be surprised to see what changes come about in this town by the final page!

My thoughts: I look forward to Ms Carlson's Christmas novellas every year and this one was a very good one. Its women's fiction with a tiny touch of romance and its just perfect for this years holiday read. I loved getting to know Vera and Beverly and Tasha and Fiona but not Eleonor so much. If you are looking for a good -- short -- Christmas read, a good coffee table book, or a Christmas book for a gift then this is a book to consider. I was given a copy free and all opinions are my own.

Melody Carlson never disappoints.
This story is warm, touching and filled with the sense of Christmas. I loved it.
I was in tears of joy by the end.

I enjoyed reading A Christmas Quilt, and meeting the ensemble cast of characters in the Christmas-themed story set in an Eastern Oregon small town. Vera is lonely, and she helps out her neighbor by minding her children during a medical emergency. Fiona, the adorable and soon-to-be five year old from next door, falls in love with Vera’s homemade patchwork quilt.

Fiona asks Vera if she could make a quilt for Fiona’s mother for Christmas. Time is running out, and Vera knows she’ll need help to fulfil Fiona’s request. A lovely story of new friendships, an expected romance, and reconciliation unfolds as the quilt making project draws together a group of women from different worlds. I recommend A Christmas Quilt to contemporary fiction readers who like Christmas novellas with romantic elements and a light faith thread woven into the story.

A Quilt for Christmas – Melody Carlson

Oh how I am loving this book! Melody Carlson takes an unlikely series of events & makes them plausible. She also makes us care about the characters – I have to remind myself they are not real people - & about the plot outcome. I only wish the story was longer, as I didn’t want to part with it...
This story will ‘warm the cockles of your heart’ & leave you feeling good about life, more understanding of others’ behaviour (look for the reason behind it), & more generous both in spirit & in substance. The perfect lead-up to Christmas, in fact : it’s an absolute gem!

A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson is a wonderful Christmas story about love and goodwill. Thinking about others to give them a beautiful Christmas. Read the story you will love four year old Fiona.

A Quilt for Christmas is an endearing Christmas novella by consummate author Melody Carlson. Vera Swanson sold her large home after losing her husband to move near her daughter and grandchildren in Fairview, WA. Her condo is nice enough and she sold off what would not work in the new space, but the thing she now missed most was her daughter’s family. Just months after relocating, her son-in-law was transferred to Southern California. Vera now looks dimly forward to a very lonely Christmas.

The Albright family lives across the hall from Vera. When the youngest, four year old Fiona, knocks on Vera’s door asking for help Vera finds her mother Kerry quite ill. She loads them in her car taking them to the nearest hospital where Kerry is admitted with severe appendicitis.

The Albrights have no local family and their dad, Ross, works out of town. Vera steps in taking care of the children and watching over Kerry. When young Fiona asks Vera if they can make a Nordic Star quilt like Vera”s for Kerry, they embark upon creating an eclectic quilting group to get the quilt made in a few weeks time.

This is about the sweetest Christmas story I have ever read! The characters, each carrying their own troubled baggage, come together to ultimately make a uniquely beautiful friendship and holiday! I very much enjoyed this story and wholeheartedly recommend it!

An unlikely group comes together to make a little girl's Christmas wish come true.

A feel-good read, about loving your neighbors, getting out of your comfort zone, and friendship.

Fiona is such an adorable child and I loved how she captures the hearts of those that she encounters. I loved how Vera jumps in to befriend little Fiona, and how meeting her inspires her to try new things and work together with people whom she might never have had a reason to talk to otherwise.

Entertaining, a steady, and a colorful cast of characters. The perfect cozy book to get you in the mood for Christmastime. I loved getting to know the many people she befriended, as well as the touches of romance. Heartwarming read in time for Christmas.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was the first time I decided to read a Christmas novella, but being a fan of this author, I decided to give it a chance. It is a quick read, and most people will delight in this feel-good story. One lonely widow finds purpose in her life again and another bitter, angry widow is transformed by the spirit of Christmas. The problem with the novella is that the author clearly does not understand widowhood and the nature of grief. It is not treated honorably or with understanding. The "bitter" widow is the antagonist of the story with little compassion for how a person gets there. Some may argue with my review and think, "It's just a novella. There is no room for deep character development." However, that is part of problem. The widows in the book are stereotypes for how society in general views widows and their grief as a problem to get over and done with. I am being generous with the 3 stars because it is a nice enough story that many will enjoy. Christian authors can and should do better in how they portray widows, this spoken as someone who has walked the path of young widowhood for eight years. I received a copy of the book as part of the Revell Reads blogger team.

Such a cute Christmas story. You cannot have Christmas without an annual story from Melody Carlson. So many people down in the dumps about Christmas come together to make a quilt for a sick mother with financial issues. I wish this book were real-shows that genuine people are still out there. These women come together to help buy clothes, furniture, Christmas shop, and take care of three children when their parents are not able to. Happy endings and Christmas surprises wrap up this lovely book. Highly recommened!

Vera is new in the city, she likes patchwork art, but she left behind her quilt group and here she know nobody.
Hurt people hurt people: everyone has a history, struggles, problems, so be always kind.
I enjoyed reading this book, because I love handmade crafts (embroider, patchwork, crochet..).
Reading the story, I imagine to be with the characters sew together, help them, chat and laugh with them.
I can relate with Beverly that she would lilke to resume the church quilt group,
because I attended a stitching group, it was fun spend afternoons with friends.
It's also important help, hear, listen, learn, teach each other.
The cover of the book doesn't catch my eyes, because I lilke covers with people in them.
I received a review copy courtesy of Revell through NetGalley and Interviews & Reviews.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author, for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

Vera has just sold her home and moved to a condominium where she knows no one. To make matters worse, it looks like she will be spending the Christmas holidays alone as all of her family are out of town.

Imagine her surprise when a small girl knocks on her door and begs for her help for her sick mother. Vera takes the woman to the hospital where she has emergency surgery on her appendix. This is the beginning of a warm friendship with the Irish, immigrant family across the hall from her.

Somehow, the little girl, Fiona, talks Vera into making a Christmas quilt in order to surprise her mother. Vera gets busy recruiting a small group that she has to teach to quilt in order to meet the Christmas deadline for the quilt. The quilt group is quite a mix of personalities. They need to overcome several obstacles in order to work together to finish the quilt.

The story reminds me of Dicken’s Christmas Carol in some ways as it includes the changing of one person’s attitude and redemption during the Christmas season. In some ways, it reads like a Hallmark movie in a ‘feel good’ way.

Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.

I always enjoy Melody's Christmas novellas. I like to see what the story will be each year. This year we meet Vera who has moved from her large house to be nearer her daughter. She would decorate the house for Christmas but this year she has moved after losing her husband to a small condo. She has lost the Christmas spirit. This is when she meets 4-year-old Fiona who is frantically knocking on her door as her mother is unwell.

Fiona sees a quilt Vera has made and wants to make a Christmas quilt for her mother. Vera with the help of the Albright children finds 3 ladies to help. Tasha a young lady who works in the florist shop, Beverly from the church and Ellenor an older lady with a sour disposition. I loved how the quilt project starts and continues. There are trials in the making of the quilt.

To me I think Fiona is the real star of this story. Her innocence is appealing and the things she comes out with are often more insightful than many would imagine. While I would love to say more it would give too much of the book away. I was sad for the book to end as I could see it leading to a series. I want to know more about the characters and what will happen next.

A good Christmas read.

A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson is a charming Christmas novella. I started reading A Quilt for Christmas, and I did not want to put the book down. The story has friendly, relatable characters. I like Melody Carlson’s writing style. It is engaging and draws the reader into the story. I really liked the theme of the book. The various strangers came together to help someone in need. A little girl wants a special Christmas quilt for her mother. The various characters work together to create Christmas magic. They make a difference in a family’s life and in each of their own lives. The Christmas spirit is at work in this sweet story. A Quilt for Christmas is about forgiveness, helping others, love, and Christmas. It is a simple but heartwarming novella. I look forward to reading Melody Carlson’s latest Christmas book each year. This Christmas novella is one of my favorites by this author (in the top three). It is a story that makes you feel good, and put you in the mood for Christmas (with plans to help a few neighbors). A Quilt for Christmas is an uplifting tale with an unwell neighbor, a daughter’s request, an effective flyer, conflicting characters, a rewarding romance, a gratifying gift, and the Christmas spirit.

Christmas and children just go together. In A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson, they go perfectly in sync. Vera Swanson widowed and alone this Christmas finds a child in need knocking at her new home’s door. That begins a friendship that expands to others who decide to help another family have a very Merry Christmas.

So enjoyed seeing the group of quilters come together to make the gift quilt. There are some cheerful moments but some sad ones too. Much like real life right? Giving to others, finding purpose, and making new friends are all part of this story. Being that it is so full of heart it inspires this reader to look beyond herself and her family to help others also.

Memorable characters make this a story to remember, in fact I don’t think I will ever forget them. A Quilt for Christmas is worth reading every year. I recommend this to anyone who loves a character driven novel.

The publisher through Net Galley provided a digital ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

It wouldn't be the Yuletide season without a new Christmas novel from Melody Carlson! A quilt for Christmas is the heartwarming story of a family in need, a little one with an insightful, giving heart, and several strangers who all come together in the end to become kin to each other.
I enjoyed this uplifting story of women coming together to piece and stitch together a patchwork quilt in record time to gift their new friend on Christmas Day. It's a story of new friendships, building community, and embracing one another despite our pain and differences in the same loving spirit as the Christ child who came to earth for us. I encourage anyone who enjoys inspirational fiction with a Christmas message to pick up this novella! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC for this honest review.