I just closed the cover on Nell's Quilt by Susan Terris. I am feeling very disturbed and not sure how to even start writing a review for this book. I bought this book thinking it would be about a young girl making a wedding quilt in 1899. I did not count on the dark and depressing story that would unfold in its pages. I know that eating disorders exist and it cannot be easy for the person experiencing them or their families but it was very unexpected that this is what the story is about.
I had no idea when I bought it as the book description is misleading once again. This happened to me once already this year in another book called The Fisherman's Quilt. What is sad to me is that the descriptions of Nell making her crazy quilt down to the stitches used were very good. The writing of things going on in the daily life of Amherst, Massachusetts in 1899 were also intriguing. But the dark nature of this book just left me asking what the author was thinking and why would she write it intended for the young girls she had as her target market?
As a quilter, I find it is leaving me with a dark cloud around me and I just want to put on an audio book to entertain me and quilt away these feelings of distaste from this book. Needless to say, I would not recommend it to anyone and would not want my child to read it.
Happy reading!
Heidi
