A BOOK REVIEW OF THE CHRISTMAS QUILT BY VANNETTA CHAPMAN - QUILTS OF LOVE SERIES

This sweet book, The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman is a perfect read for a cold, wintery afternoon or a hot, sultry day.  I shed a few tears, but they were tears of joy and happiness while reading it.  Vannetta takes us into the lives of two sisters-in-law, both young, married at the same time, and now both pregnant with their first children.  Annie is only a few months along, while her sister-in-law, Leah is carrying twins and having some physical and emotional difficulties.

Leah’s husband, Adam doesn’t understand what Leah is going through or how her pregnancy hormones and weight gain are affecting her moods and feelings.  Adam withdraws within himself, which further depresses Leah.   With Leah and Adam being so young, and lacking good communication skills, their marriage begins to deteriorate.

Annie during her rumschpringe, left the Amish community, to go to college and become a nurse.  The storyline of Annie returning after receiving her nursing degree is told in A Simple Amish Christmas.  It would be nice to read A Simple Amish Christmas first, and it was a great book, but is definitely not necessary. The Christmas Quilt can stand alone and it is totally understandable.  With Annie’s nursing background, she is able to help Leah when medical complications crop up during her pregnancy. 

We discover there are many ways to help a friend during a difficult pregnancy.  While Annie is quilting a baby comforter for Leah’s twins, she begins to tell Leah stories to comfort her.  Each story has a theme: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

This story is the perfect read for every woman who is pregnant, who wants to get pregnant, or who was ever pregnant.  We all can identify with Leah’s feelings of inadequacy and unattractiveness.  Annie’s stories remind Leah of what is truly important.  This beautifully written tale will wrap you in a warm quilt of God’s love and His healing words.