About the Book:
Will the Lakota Star Quilt she is making help Frankie sew a new future of happiness?
Frankie Chasing Bear is caught between cultures. She wants to raise her son Harold to revere his Lakota heritage, but she also thinks he will need to learn the white man’s ways to succeed. After the untimely death of her husband, Frankie joins the U.S. Government’s Relocation Program and moves to Arizona. There she begins sewing a Lakota Star pattern quilt for Harold with tribal wisdom sung, sewn, and prayed into it.
A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars, but neither the quilt—nor her new life—comes easily to Frankie. Nick Vandergriff, for instance, is the last man Frankie wants to trust. He’s half-Lakota but Christian, and Frankie can see no good coming from that faith after her own parents were forced to convert at an Indian school. Can Nick convince Frankie that white men and Christians aren’t all bad? And will Frankie learn that love is the most important ingredient—for her son’s quilt and life itself?
My Thoughts:
“And another thing
about Christians – always forgiving people who didn’t deserve it.”
(p. 218)
Frankie Chasing Bear is grieving a great loss, starting over
in a new town as a single parent to a very strong-willed son. The year is 1951, and with no high school
diploma and the Indian school that seems determined to watch you fail, Frankie
and her son Harold have a very hard time making things go in a right direction.
When Federal Agent Nick Parker crosses this family’s path,
it seems things might improve quite a bit.
Then suddenly accusations are thrown Harold and Frankie’s way, and it
seems they have no choice but to leave behind their second chance and return
the place that stripped them of everything.
There are times when life seems to be severely lacking in mercy.
Frankie has a real problem with those who practice the
Christian faith. Indian tradition is
strong in her heart, and her heritage is one she is fiercely proud of – even though
there are deadly weaknesses in the
midst. Even though Nick is a Christian,
he struggles with his own demons. Both
of them don’t know quite how to handle the relationship that begins to grow
between them. Theirs is not an easy
road.
A Sky Without Stars is
a unique and interesting read. The
combination of tradition, faith, romance and a healthy dose of prideful
stubbornness creates a fascinating story.
This novel is also my introduction to Linda Clare’s writing, and I must
say that her characters have a depth and realism that makes the story come
alive to the reader. I think this is
another very good addition to the Quilts of Love series, and I am happy to
recommend it to readers!
About the Author:
Linda S. Clare is an award-winning author and coauthor of several books and has also published many essays, stories, and poems in publications including The Christian Reader, The Denver Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Born in Arizona, Linda and her husband now make their home in Eugene, Oregon, where Linda has taught college-level creative writing classes, and writes, edits, and mentors other writers. She also is a frequent writing conference presenter, a church retreat leader, and mom to four grown children and five wayward cats.
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