I enjoyed this installment in the Elm Creek Quilt series. The book is set in the present, but Sylvia, the owner of Elm Creek Manor, finds a journal written by her ancestor, Gerda. The journal recounts events from Antebellum Pennsylvania. By reading the journal, Sylvia learns that her ancestors, who she reveres, were more complex than she ever knew. This sets her on a journey of self-discovery. Her very identity comes into question. Her quilting friends support and encourage self-acceptance. It seems very well-researched. There is much speculation about the role of quilts as signals for runaway slaves navigating the Underground Railroad. I found this fascinating! Someday I hope to learn how to quilt.
If you enjoy history, quilting, or Civil War-era novels, this is for you. It is well-written, with a group of strong female friends (and a supportive male love interest who is on the periphery). I look forward to continuing the series. ( )

In the fourth novel of the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series, Sylvia Compson searches for evidence of her ancestors' courageous involvement in the Underground Railroad.

Number 4 in the series and the Elm Creek Quilters is up and running as a business. This book focuses on Sylvia, who finds a diary written just before the Civil War, along with several old and partially damaged quilts.

It is written by Gerda, who came over from Germany with her brother to found the house and business that Sylvia and her siblings inherited. The Runaway Quilt takes us through Sylvia reading through this journal and finding out things about her family and the community she joined during a very difficult period in American history.

The book does deal with escaped slaves on the road away from the southern states, but avoids the more brutal facts of the business, rather addressing it from a rather genteel 21st century viewpoint reading a 19th century gentle-woman's diary. I put "Beloved" by Toni Morrison on the back burner whilst reading this book, so it's interesting to see the two different approaches to writing about the same time from two different perspectives.

It was a pleasant read that took me just a few days to get through and is a nice addition to the series. The addition of a few quilt styles, with their possible historical inspiration is also a nice touch (but does anyone else wish there were example completed items included in the book?) ( )

The Runaway Quilt is a nice book about how a tattered quilt started a woman to search her ancestors belongings to find the roots of her heritage. The book takes into account the importance of quilts hung outside to slaves running north through the underground railroad to safety. Four stars were awarded to this book. ( )

Sylvia runs across some family quilts along with a journal of one of her ancestors all about the time period of the Underground Railroad. Sylvia is fearful that her ideas of who her family is might turn out to be false. Lots of interesting historical stuff - especially about how quilts were used to signal safety and danger to runaway slaves. ( )

Whether or not you believe quilts were used to signal passengers on the underground railroad, you'll know that the original residents of Elm Creek Manor used the products of their hearts and hands to aid runaway slaves.