AUTHOR: Sarah Loudin Thomas
DATE: 2016
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
STARS: ***1/2
Now in her eighties, Perla Phillips has carried a secret since she was eighteen years old. When she sees her granddaughter, Ella, struggling for perfection, she decides to share her secret to show that God can use even the biggest mistakes for good. But before she can reveal what happened during that summer sixty years ago, she has a debilitating stroke.
Carrying a secret of her own, Ella arrives back in Wise, West Virgina, to help her aunt Sadie care for Perla. Both know the woman wanted to tell them something, but she's now locked in silence. Together they begin looking into the past, but they may learn more than they expected.
Will they have the courage to share their hearts? Or will the truth remain buried forever?
The cover of A Tapestry of Secrets and the title drew me to this book, because I love quilts old and new, and the muted colors hinted at the secrets of the title. Intrigued, and my expectations high, I dove into the book.
Perla is a sweetheart—easy to love and even easier to identify with. The rest of the family? Not as much as I’d hoped. I never could really identify with Ella, especially her stubborn insistence that the decrepit church building be saved. That fight brought back some unpleasant memories for me of a building that became more important than the church it used to serve, and that is reflected in my opinion of the story.
The mystery of the secrets was well done, and I appreciated the hints and missteps along the way. I enjoyed the Perla’s flashbacks, and her frustrations at her physical limitations rang true.
All in all, I liked this story and award it three and a half stars. Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.