Pieces of the Heart

Title: PIECES OF THE HEART

Author: Bonnie Calhoun

Publisher: Abingdon Press – Quilts of Love

June 2013

ISBN: 978-1456752728

Genre: Historical romance

Layers of hope and prayers may not be strong enough to cover the wounds of war.

Cordelia Grace watched Bernard Howard, the love of her young life, go off to fight for our country in WWII. And she has spent the last three years creating the Pine Cone quilt that will grace their marriage bed when he comes home. Each row of triangles signifies a layer in her life, sets of memories, hopes, dreams, and prayers for her future, enough spoken words to cover them forever. Her image of their “happy-ever-after” grows proportionally as the quilt expands.

But is the man that returns from the war, the same man that she remembered? Are the dark shades of color that she had to use for the outside edges of the beloved quilt prophetic of her life to come? Can love and faith overcome all?

PIECES OF THE HEART is set during World War II. Cordelia and Bernard are African American during a time of racial segregation. They plan to marry. But Bernard joins the army first and comes back a changed man. Throughout these years in their lives, both young people learn about prayer and God's love and deepen their relationship with him.

The storyline is rather misleading. The book starts with Cordelia and Bernard as thirteen year old children. Most of the book is set as they grow up together. I found it choppy, without a smooth flow, and I couldn’t really get into it, though I wanted to.

If  you like Abingdon’s Quilts of Love series, and missed this one, you might want to get it. They are all about a different quilt, written by different authors, during different time periods. Fans of historical romance, WWII, quilts, and/or Bonnie Calhoun might enjoy this book.

Available in paperback  and kindle. 242 pages.