I have to admit I have had this book in my TBR since it came out,and just never seemed to pull it out until the other day after I read some of Emilie's blogs here. Well,I can happily say I have found a new author I really plan to follow now! I have 9 of her books already and have ordered 4 more,so Emilie you will have an entire bookshelf row devoted just to your books. Elisa Martinez fascinated me from, the start since she was so quiet and secretive,so I was anxious to find out what was in her life she was hiding. Little did I know what would be unveiled as her story went along! She and Sam Kinkade seemed made for each other right from the start but his engagement to another was in the way-I was glad when the realization surfaced how it had grown cold,so it was ended. The giving spirit of most of the people in Toms Brook really is how I was raised and automatically endeared them to me. I am now anxious to read the next in this series and spend more time in this community. Thank you so much,Emilie for introducing me to another segment in my reading and my life.
These characters are complex and evolve and I found myself getting more and more engrossed in the story, though I started it reluctantly for a book club, honestly presuming I would not enjoy it, based on the cover and some of the recent choices. It is refreshing to find socially conscious characters who have concerns beyond their own narrow personal lives and who are flawed as real human beings are. I did not like the character Diego and felt he was given too much credit by the lead character and the author, when he was an incipiently abusive personality. Otherwise, it was an excellent work of fiction, one I'd recommend.
What do You think about Endless Chain (2006)?
Eliza came to Toms Brook for a reason, but then she met Sam Kinkade the minister of the the local church and was hired to be the new sexton. The Quilting Bee welcomed her and she became involved with them and many other aspects of the town. We know she is hiding something, or from something and it was very interesting to find out what. I liked the way this story evolved and I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series. Its not a story about quilting, but quilting weaves its way through the book.
—Rita
One of the Shenandoah series based in Virginia, this one features a woman, Elisa Martinez who comes to the Community Church in the small town to seek employment as a sexton to the Pastor, Rev. Sam Kincaid. A private, mysterious woman of many talents, Elisa's bi-lingual abilities are a God-send to Rev. Sam in establishing an English Immersion class for the children of farm workers in the area.Ms. Richards writes of life in a small town very much like it usually is. There are several sub-plots, not just Elisa's story going on here - many pieces that come together just like a well-crafted quilt: "Endless Chain" is the perfect title. Again, Ms. Richards does not disappoint with her engaging characters, peeks into the past generations, a lot of history and thought provoking situations. Loved it!
—Gloria Bernal
