The Goodbye Quilt & Home Before Dark (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Molly is headed for college and she is driving cross-country with her mother to get there. As they travel her mother, Linda, works on a quilt to celebrate this new chapter in Molly's life. The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs is about loving and letting go, something that every parent must do at some point. The quilt is a collage of material blocks that symbolize moments from Molly's life. LInda has a bag of messy swatches of fabric to use in the quilt. A purple piece of cotton covered in black lace rouses memories of the day Molly's dad bought her the dress in a Mexican marketplace. As LInda is quilting she stiches favorite words or phrases on the fabric. On the purple fabric Linda stiches "Daddy's Girl."Molly is excited to go to college but crushed to leave her boyfriend Travis and struggles with the choices she has to make. The mother-daughter duo travels through quaint towns and big cities. They stay in crumbling motels and discover "Magic Fingers." Further down the road they pull into Rambler's Rest where the rooms are clean and comfortable and guests are invited to share stories and songs at a bonfire down by the pond.As they get closer to Molly's new college life, Linda becomes unsure that she will finish the quilt. She wants to leave this sewn journal with Molly to give her dorm room a touch of warmth and to remind her that she is loved.As they continue their journey Molly drives and calls her boyfriend and Linda stitches and thinks about her life and the world she will return to. She and her husband, Dave have grown apart through the years and she knows they will be forced to face their issues when Molly is gone. One of the best quotes in this book talks about the job of a parent. If you do it well the end result is the child leaves home and you lose part of your soul. Linda realizes that her life will chance drastically with Molly half way across the country at school. She realizes that she needs to live her life now. Molly will be on her own and she will be amazing. Linda knows that as the years go by Molly will become more independant. Her job as a mother is changing. She won't be able to fix everything for Molly, all she can do is be there and be supportive. The scene when Linda leaves Molly at college is a guaranteed tear jerker for all you soft hearted moms out there. Seeing what happens to their lives and to the Goodbye Quilt leaves a warm feeling about freedom and love. 3 STARS Linda Davis is working on a new quilt for her daughter that chronicles the 18-year-old's journey to adulthood. As she put together the pieces she remembers Molly growing up and achieving admission to a prestigious college away from home. On the ride to the college, mother and daughter learn a little more about one another and what they dreamt for their life.A nice quick read about a mother learning to let go of her daughter and coming to realize who she is besides being a mother. For a short read I still found bits a bit too long and tedious.
What do You think about The Goodbye Quilt & Home Before Dark (2011)?
A must read for every mom that will someday be sending their child off to college
—Blixa
No real excitement or drama, but it's an easy read with a feel-good ending.
—Kylie
A wonderful story of a mother and daughter coming of age.
—Kate
