Co-review of Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Carrie Fancett Pagels with Additional Comments by Guest Joleen Hevner
Lilly’s Wedding Quilt
by Kelly Long
(Thomas Nelson, 2011)
I listened to this book as an audible.com download. This book was my first "read" of Kelly’s work. She knocked my socks off (well if it weren't summer when I listened, she would have!)
Kelly has a beautiful author's narrative voice, gripping story line, great characterization, and the best romantic tension I have seen since Deanne Gist. Not your average Amish novel! I highly recommend this book and this writer.
Kelly Long's Lilly's Wedding Quilt is my favorite Amish read ever. But I do not read all the Amish books that come out, I am usually reading colonial or Early American books. However, her writing is in my top five author's writing who I prefer. I was blown away by that audiobook.
I will likely "sneak" and relisten to it even though I have to keep listening to the comparables that are similar to my own books. Thomas Nelson Fiction is blessed to have her as an author and we are glad to have her in our Colonial American Christian Fiction writers group.
The narrator, Christine Williams, for the audiobook was excellent.
Bibliotherapy: Lilly’s mother had severe depression and this was handled well in the story. She received medical treatment and therapy. With the depression. I got a little worried about whether she'd put something really dark in there like kill the mom off and I was SO glad that Kelly Long did not do that!
I LOVED Kelly Long's dyslexic hero and Kelly really did a fantastic job of weaving that info into her storyline and as a psychologist and with dyslexia in the family I have to say she nailed it.
Joleen Hevner shares: I'm not always fond of jealousies and anger issues that are major plot enhancers, where we have to wade through their wretched personal issues forever. Kelly HAD the issues in her book but took care of them so lovingly and Godly. Would that all families were like that!
Joleen and I agreed that the only problem with the book is you can't stop reading or listening to the story!!!
Kelly Long books are available on Amazon, CBD, and other book stores.
GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest. Drawing will be late Saturday. Your choice of Kelly Long’s books, choice of format.
Would love to read Kelly's newest book, the premise is quite intriguing and though there are many Amish books have not seen very many from this early era.
ReplyDeletejulesreffner(at)gmail(dot)com
Sounds like my kind of story! Anything with a quilt in it is my kind of story. :)
ReplyDeletetwinwillowsfarm at gmail dot com
Lilly was amazing! By far my favorite one in Kelly's series. =) Thanks for the great giveaway!
ReplyDeletelubell1106(at)gmail(dot)com
My daughter gave rave reviews about this book... it looks great!
ReplyDeletejennycohen104(at)gmail(dot)com
Loved the joint review, and want to say "hey" (as we say here in the south), to my friend JOLEEN. What a great review, CARRIE, and I want to thank you for not putting *spoiler alert* because you know my curiosity gets the best of me, and I read those spoilers! lol!
ReplyDeleteGreat double review! Especially when one is knowledgeable about the issues involved. I agree this doesn't sound like your normal Amish read. Please enter me.
ReplyDeletedesertrose5173 at gmail dot com
PEGG, you would LOVE this story! DIANA, lol, I hope I didn't spoil anything.
ReplyDeleteJULIA and JENNY, yes, this is a GREAT book!!!
ReplyDeleteELYSSA, My favorite, too!
ReplyDeleteYou didn't! Just whet our appetites! lol
ReplyDeleteI love Kelly's books and would really like to win this one. Thank you for hosting the giveaway.
ReplyDeletewfnren(at)aol(dot)com
CARRIE, I had to smile reading that you were afraid that Kelly would kill the mom off. We all know how much you hate that. LOL
ReplyDeleteDIANA, it seems like you're going to read one of Kelly's books soon. So glad for you that Carrie didn't put spoilers in it. I always read them too. I can't resist. :))
Lilly was my favorite too! Love those characters...they were so cute! Please enter my name in the drawing!
ReplyDeleteEmreilly303(at)gmail(dot)com
MARIAN, I read spoiler alerts for probably two very different reasons than you. Number one- I'm a nosy woman, and number two-I'm curious and you know what curiosity did to the cat! If that is not a Dutch saying you may have to google it. lol
ReplyDeleteI chuckled when I read that part as well, about killing the mom off. You want CARRIE to put a book down real quick...just let someone get killed off. lol She tickles me...I just love that lady!
I haven't read any of her books just yet, but my daughter has told me how wonderful they are. Can't wait to start!
ReplyDeleteDreilly316(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for another chance to win! Please enter my name!
ReplyDeleteJreilly316(at)verizon(dot)net
Is it JOHN or John's wife? Glad to enter you!
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE, your daughter needs to share, lol!
EMILY - if he wasn't the hottest hero last year I DK who was. AND he's Amish, lol!
LINDA, thank you for your comment. I hope the Lord uses me to bring another perspective to the book reviews.
ReplyDeleteWENDY, we always love to see you here! Welcome!
ReplyDeleteMARIAN and DIANA - killing off someone who is a main character may be literary but I don't care for literary, lol! Not most of it, anyways. Some I like. IF they don't kill off the hero or another strong character!
DIANA, I think it killed the cat. LOL
ReplyDeleteNot sure if we use this in Dutch too. I'm reading English all day and sometimes can't find the right Dutch words anymore. I'm happy my hubby speaks English too, so we can continue our conversation in English if I don't remember the Dutch words anymore. :))
I admit... sometimes I'm dreaming in English. This week I had watched too many sniper movies on YouTube (don't aks about it LOL).
When I woke out of a dream I was thinking: There's a sniper on the rooftop! I'm serious!
This is bad... right? LOL
I think that sniper wanted to kill off CARRIE's hero...
Unfortunately I woke up before I knew how it would end.
No more sniper movies for you, MARIAN. Maybe it's fortunate you DID wake up before you knew how it would end. :) That is strange dreaming in English...but since have been on FB more and writing English reviews...I don't know; maybe that's why.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading more English than Dutch, so when I think about a book I'm reading I think in English. When I just started reading English I was always translating in my mind. I don't need to do that anymore. My mind understands English now without translation.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to explain it. But I guess when you were reading Spanish all day you probably started thinking in Spanish too.
Oh... and those sniper movies were American movies, so I think that's why I dreamed in English, DIANA.
ReplyDeleteMARIAN, sounds like the devil going against my hero, lol! Or me. But God has it all under control. STOP watching those sniper movies, Marian! They are not godly.
ReplyDeleteDIANA, you need to tag team with me on this! Also, yes, MARIAN, you don't kill the cat, either!
ReplyDeleteAwesome review. Reviews of audiobooks are sort of different than books because the reader can really make or break one's impression of the book. Sounds like the whole production was really well done :) Thanks for the great review :)
ReplyDeleteCARRIE, I've seen enough of those sniper movies. But it was kinda interesting to watch them. There really are christian soldiers out there killing other humans. It's something I couldn't imagine and still find hard to believe. But then I remembered all those wars and killings in the New Testament. There is no new thing under the sun. Eccl 1:9.
ReplyDeleteI mean wars and killings in the OLD Testament.
ReplyDeleteSorry... it's a BIT off topic. :))
Killings and Amish don't go hand in hand.
FAYE, yes it was! You are so right about the narrator!
ReplyDeleteMARIAN, what are you talking about? What are you watching? And in Kelly's new release there is an Amish killing.
ReplyDeleteAn Amish killing? Mmm... I think I have to read that one. :))
ReplyDeleteI've never read Amish books before but Kelly's books sound so good!
ReplyDeleteecriggs1990(at)aol(dot)com
I love Amish fiction... I've never read anything by Kelly! would love to win and read this! :)
ReplyDeleteladette[at]live[dot]com