Apart at the Seams: Cobble Court Quilts, Book 7

In New Bern, Connecticut there's a shop called the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop. Evelyn Dixon owns it. Ivy Peterman works there. So does Virginia, Evelyn's Mom. On Friday nights Evelyn, Ivy, Virginia and a few other women meet to supposedly sew quilts. Oh, they actually do some quilting but mostly, they help to solve one another's problems and cheer one another on. It is a quilting circle but really, it's more of a friend circle and they are about to make a new friend. Gayla Oliver is a college counselor who lives full time in New York and has a cottage home in New Bern. Gayla was doing some work on her home computer when it went all hinky and somehow a document came up on the screen that wasn't meant for Gayla's eyes. It was a memo~~a MEMO! ~~written several months prior from her husband, Brian, to Gayla. That memo contained a confession and a request for a divorce. Brian had been unfaithful.Shaken to her core and stunned, Gayla flees their New York apartment and heads straight to the cottage in New Bern. Her best friend Lanie tells her to immediately call a lawyer and begin a divorce! Lanie has been through this whole cheating thing and no one knows more about the ins and outs of divorce than Lanie. But, Gayla isn't ready to take that step. And Brian has made it clear that he wants to keep his family together. Gayla decides that she's going to take the summer as a "sabbatical" of sorts. She's going to try new things. She's going to figure out who she is and who she wants to be~~and if either of those include continuing to be Brian's wife.Ivy Peterman, a name you may remember from previous Cobbled Court books, has so much going on in her life. She's mother to Bethany and Bobby. She's a student trying to get her college degree~~slowly. She works at the quilt shop and she's also the liaison for the local women's shelter to try to help abused women get back on their feet by finding them jobs. There was a time when Ivy WAS an abused woman needing that help. With all of that going on, the last thing Ivy needs is for her abusive ex-husband Hodge to be getting out of jail and wanting to see his children. Sometimes life is just so hard. And sometimes life sends you some wonderful surprises!As a group, all of the women in the quilting circle inspired by Gayla's declaration decide to take their "summer sabbatical" and try new things. Even Virginia, whose 85th birthday is approaching, says she's got some new things that she wants to try too!I love this series and I love these characters. Ms. Bostwick nails female friendships and she also has a handle on the highs and lows of relationships. Not all marriages are perfect and not all friendships are perfect. There are some very real issues faced in Ms. Bostwick's 6th, and quite possibly, last book of the Cobbled Court Series. Though I'll be sad to say goodbye to the women in the quilting circle, I feel as though this book is quite possibly the author's best writing and neatly ties together the lives of these layered characters. Even though each book of this series stands alone, once you read one, you'll want to read them all. And watch out for some comedic fun in APART AT THE SEAMS with some of the "sabbatical" scenarios. Funny stuff!Well done Ms. Bostwick.✰✰✰✰✰

I tend to read mostly mysteries but also books about quilters. It took me a couple of chapters to realize I hadn’t chosen a mystery and no one was dying. What I found was a book about the fictional life of several women whose bond is caring about other quilters and encouraging each other to create not just quilts but more wonderful lives by coming to terms with the pieces of their lives that don’t match their dreams. You’ll love most of the characters and learn some ideas on how to make your own life as beautifully put together as the nicest quilt. This is well written with lots of surprises in how to deal with life when it becomes the same old day after day or when that same old life suddenly falls apart.

I read this series when it was first released. This second read was — for me — way better than the first. Maybe because I’m older and have suffered the loss of most of my immediate family and had serious issues with those remaining, the lessons on forgiveness and healing really resonated with me. Loved it.

Another good read by Marie Bostwick. Not quite as much a page turner as previous stories, but as usual it was interesting, involving all the characters of the Cobble Court Quilters series. This one was not a favorite, none the less women's lives entwined with compassion, friendship and caring and support for one another. Gayla's husband leaves a message on his computer telling her he is not happy and wants a divorce, but he never sent it to her. She finds it and is devistated. She leaves to get away and contemplate her life in New Bern, Conn where they had bought a run down cottage that they had hoped to repair snd use later. There she goes through her grieving process. She meets the good people of New Bern that become her supporters. Will she take him back after learning of his affair? I wouldn't!

Fans of Bostwick's other Cobbled Court Quilts series will love the newest addition to New Bern, Gayle, who is a wealthy New York college consultant who grapples with the newfound knowledge that her wonderful, loyal husband had an affair and wrote her an (unsent)memo that he wanted a divorce. Through watching Gayle's decisions and in decisions, Bostwick weaves a strong, powerful tale of love, loss, forgiveness, and recovery. In addition, we learn more about some of the other characters, as the the circle of quilters decides to have everyone try something each has always wanted to do.I found the book to be a joy to read, and delightful in its plot, as well as the twists and turns of two sets of relationships. However, some of the ways that the author digs her characters out of trouble seem a little far fetched and too fantastical. All in all, though, this newest addition to the series is strong and quite well written, and holds its own among the best of the series.

This book lets us catch up with all of the characters from the quilt shop, and what is going in their lives since we last "visited" with them. It is heartwarming, inspirational, and so soul-satisfying. I always feel I grow personally through the growth of Marie's characters, and this is true again for this new book. I couldn't put this book down, wanting to know how everything would turn out for both Ivy and also for the new character Gayla. There is no mention of another book coming, but I so hope there is, for this series is one of the BEST I've ever read, and I learn so much from her characters. Keep writing Marie, for you have a gift for creating wonderful characters, who are true friends, always supporting each other, while also being able to be honest with each other as well. No facades needed for this group of friends, for each of them is accepted as she is, and loved for it as well. GREAT SERIES!!!!!

This book continues the quilting series and is a thoroughly enjoyable read - interesting characters and setting. Themes of forgiveness, communication, and love.I read the book in 1 all-rainy-day session!

Another excellent read from Marie Bostwick, didn't want ti to finish and hope there is another one in the pipeline.

Her books all have that wonderful warming feeling, a good read, and I will enjoy her next one. Enjoy it!

This is like her previous book I wasn't disappointed. I couldn't put it down. Waiting for her next book to come out. She is an amazing writer.

I am a fan of her books, and have read all the Cobbled Court Quilt novels. Good summer reading. Hope there are many more in this series