Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
43rd out of 75 books
—
8 voters
Wedding Ring (Shenandoah Album #1)
by
Emilie Richards (Goodreads Author)
When Tessa MacCrae agrees to return home for the summer to help her mother and grandmother repair the old family home, she secretly anticipates the respite her trip will provide from her husband and their failing marriage, but also fears old family tensions and disagreements.
Paperback, 544 pages
Published
July 1st 2005
by Mira
(first published November 12th 2004)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,029)
I liked the story about the 3 generations. Actually, there were 4 generations but you have to read it to get the picture.
The Grandma, Helen was raised in the country and very poor. They made the most of everything. I was , yes, I think I can say this honestly, speechless when I read that Helen knew of someone who took the thread out of the flour sacks and saved it and crochet doilies with it. My Mom is like the Grandma. She used to save nearly everything. Reading this book made me think sadly,...more
The Grandma, Helen was raised in the country and very poor. They made the most of everything. I was , yes, I think I can say this honestly, speechless when I read that Helen knew of someone who took the thread out of the flour sacks and saved it and crochet doilies with it. My Mom is like the Grandma. She used to save nearly everything. Reading this book made me think sadly,...more
I started reading this book several months ago but had to put it down -- it was bringing up feelings in me that weren't conducive to going to sleep. I decided to try again because I'd survived reading about the intergenerational conflict in Prospect Street -- if I could enjoy that book (and get enough sleep) maybe I was ready for this one, too. I'm glad to say I was.
Wedding Ring is centered around three generations of women who are reunited when the Nancy, the daughter and mother, gets a call te...more
Wedding Ring is centered around three generations of women who are reunited when the Nancy, the daughter and mother, gets a call te...more
Three generations of Henry women a tied together by quilting. Only the grandmother ever made quilts, but the mother and daughter always thought they were beautiful and meaningful. Helen, the grandmother, has become a recluse. Nancy, the daughter would like to move her mom to a retirement center. Barring that, she at least wants to help her mom clear out all the clutter she has gathered, stacked floor to ceiling in most rooms. Tessa, the daughter, is trying to get beyond a tragedy in her life, an...more
Three generation of women come together and sort out their lives. 82 yr old Helen, a quilter who has never realized her talents or opened up her feelings to her daughter Nancy. Helen's advancing years and habit of collecting junk bring her daughter and her granddaughter Tessa to see her and help her clean out her place. In the process they uncover an unfinished Wedding Ring design quilt which Helen never finished years ago. Getting Helen to talk about it isn't very easy, as communication between...more
Well, I inadvertently stumbled into another series based on quilts. I am a huge fan of Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilters novels. I didn't seek out another series. I have also read a couple of Emilie Richards novels, so I was on her website seeing what else she had done, and I found that she has written a series of five novels called the Shenandoah Album series. Each book title is also the name of common quilt blocks.
This book explored three generation of women in one family who all had tr...more
This book explored three generation of women in one family who all had tr...more
I'm really surprised how much people have enjoyed this book. I was genuinely disappointed by this novel when I read it back in 2006. I am not the type of person who reads a book only to tear it apart, I take a book for what it is. However, The Wedding Ring is dull and uneventful-and when something does happen it is predictable and cliched. This novel is poorly written, (attempted feel-good factor) and dull. I will never put a book down halfway, and The Wedding Ring did keep me thinking that some...more
I'm so surprised at what a great story this is. I picked it up at the local quilt shop because I ran out of books.
Its very good.
Finished it and it was so good.
Its very good.
Finished it and it was so good.
What a wonderful book that was so full of varied emotions and events about the 3 generations in Helen Henry's family. Little did Helen's daughter Nancy and granddaughter Tessa know what lie ahead for them as they went to help clean out Helen's home and move her out.
The 3 of them learned so much from and about each other over that summer,and their own lives changed so much once they learned to relax and step back some,never easy for any of us.
The quilts described throughout added such a specia...more
The 3 of them learned so much from and about each other over that summer,and their own lives changed so much once they learned to relax and step back some,never easy for any of us.
The quilts described throughout added such a specia...more
I really loved this book. For me, it is a story to be savored, a bit at a time. Wedding Ring is about 3 generations of women - mothers and daughters - who must spend the summer together cleaning up the family farm house. 83 year old Helen is a master quilter, and alot of this story is centered around her exquisite quilting. Helen, her daughter Nancy and her granddaughter Tessa all have a lot to learn about themselves, each other, what they mean to each other and how much they truly love each oth...more
This is the first in the Shenandoah Album trilogy. It’s all about relationships, and the author does an excellent job of developing the characters. Three generations of women (Helen, Nancy, Tessa) who have never been emotionally close, come to know each other, learn of each other’s fears, strengths and weaknesses and begin to understand the reasons why each has erected walls around herself. Nancy and Tessa end up on crotchety Helen’s doorstep to begin cleaning up her home, which has been severel...more
A wonderful story about an elderly mother, daughter and adult granddaughter. All 3 women had gone through significant suffering & heartache and each had dealt with it in their own way, not realizing how their choices could affect others. When all 3 come together for a summer to help the matriarch, each of them discover things about each other and themselves. The author did an excellent job of flushing out the personalities of the women, both good & bad. Details about their lives were rev...more
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was my second by ER. I loved the way she explored the relationship of the women (Helen, Nancy and Tessa)who ranged three generations. Helen is a wonderful character and I enjoyed meeting up with her in Endless Chain as well. I also loved the way ER explored the relationships of Tessa and Nancy with their husbands. And what the death of a small child had done to Tessa and Mack. I also loved the setting in Shenandoah. In some ways this setting reminded my of...more
This was the start of a great friendship, This series took me to a place where people are a part of each others lives and help each other get through the good and bad times. When I found out this was the beginning of the Shenandoah series I had to find and read each one and I now own each one. Emile is a wonderful writer and she takes you where the story is and personally introduces you to each and every character. She draws you into this world, this space in time and you become up close and per...more
My favorite kind of novel: a relatively easy romance. This particular novel has fairly complex character relationships. It raises such issues as inter-family relationships and inter-generational relationships, aging, the loss of a child, drunk driving, forgiveness, honesty, class differences, country vs. city. Guess I'm giving this a 4 rating rather than a 5, despite my enjoyment, because it still seems like just a little too much of a formula romance novel (boy meets girls, overcome difficultie...more
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would once I got into it. Let me explain. I picked this up expecting a light easy read, maybe a little romance. What a got was a deep, powerful story of redemption and love. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it, but continued reading, and ended up liking it. The characters are strong, and the changes they make are heartening. It's not just another quilting story. I'm looking forward to the next book, Endless Chain.
This was an interesting story about 3 generations of women, each with their own struggles, coming together, although unwillingly at first, to work together to get Helen, the grandmother,'s house back in order. Through her wonderful quilts, the story of the family is played out, with each of the women having a hand in the title Wedding Ring quilt. The women become a family again and work on their individual challenges. I loved the descriptions of the quilts and it made me wish I had the time to l...more
I love the author's story-telling ability. While a romance is a romance (just great fun!), I've followed the author thru from her beginnings at Harlequin and Silhouette and have found her work full of excellent character development and good humor. Someday, I may get all the books of her's that I've read loaded here, but I can promise you good fun, and interesting times with everything she's done.
The first of the Senandoah Album series. This series uses the art of quilting as the basis for telling the story of three women--grandmother, mother, and daughter--and how their lives evolve. The first in the series. You'll need two large boxes of kleenexes to get through it, but it's not sappy, just very touching in its understanding of human sadness and triumph over adversity.
I read it for book club otherwise this is not something I would have chosen to read on my own. While I can appreciate the underlying theme of the wedding quilt and how the three generations of women are tied to it with their lives and life decisions overall the book felt almost superficial to me. Something is lacking. I saw the book as just a step above beach reading.
I like the idea of novels like this one (Tending Roses felt very similar, though I think I liked that one better). I only wish that I had a podunky little town to visit with my cranky grandmother and needy mother to suddenly work out all intergenerational and family problems in a neat, compact little summer. Sigh.
(Yes, I am probably too cynical for that to work anyway.)
(Yes, I am probably too cynical for that to work anyway.)
Wasn't sure I was going to like this book at the beginning; but when I realized that the story involved a wedding ring quilt I got more interested. There is a lot of character developement in this book. We learn a lot and see a lot of growth in the lives of the mother, daughter, and granddaughter involved in the storyline all intertwined in the making of quilts.
I've just started this book, and already know it will be hard to put down. It involves three generations of women who don't really like or understand each other. They are thrown together for a summer on a remote farm, and you can guess that by the end they will come to know and appreciate one other. Following the path to this end is going to be a real pleasure.
Great storyline and well written but sort of boring to me, I think the pace of the book was too slow for me. The story of three women in three generations who come together for one summer and learn about each other. The women realize that they are more alike than they thought. Loved how quilting was woven throughout the story.
Three generations of women come together and discover family ties, memories and how to put their lives back together. Tess has lost her young daughter to a drunk driver. Her mother, Nancy, learns to please herself, and Nancy's mother, Helen, learns to show the love the feels for her family and friends.
I started this book because I love quilting and wedding ring is my favorite pattern. It was slow starting and I kept thinking "she really needs therapy" about the main characters :-). but once I got into it I enjoyed the heartwarming story of family. You don't need to be a quilter to enjoy this story.
Feb 20, 2012
Patty
added it
Manipulative plot in which characters suffer major traumas and are predictably screwed up but manage in one summer to figure out how to overcome their hang-ups and have their lives and the plot get wrapped up and tied with a pretty bow. Of course, the reader is glad they did, because it made them finally likable.
A lot of emotions ran through this book, with three generations of women, each with their own turmoil, coming together to share a summer. Of course, as the story was tied together by a quilt story, that was just an extra bonus for me. ...The beginning of a series that I plan to read.
I loved this story of 3 generations of women getting to know each other better, years after they thought they knew all there was to know. And getting to know each other better, led them to deeper understanding of their own lives, and the choices they made and could still make for their futures.
Aug 06, 2011
Mya
added it
Quite enjoyed this. I think it was what the "Story of Bees" tried to be - but this one succeeded better. Basically 3 generations (grandmother, daughter and granddaughter) spend a summer together rediscovering the past, each other and themselves.
I loved this book and was really disappointed to find the rest of the series is virtually impossible to buy in paperback. A story about three generations of a family and what strength the bond of love can give.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
I'm the author of seventy novels, both women's fiction and mystery. I'm excited about my newest series, Goddesses Anonymous, which debuts in August 2012 with One Mountain Away.
I've lived all over the country, and right now I'm a vagabond, along with my husband, searching for the next place to move. Florida seems to be taking the lead, the state where both is us were raised and met. I'm an avid gar...more
More about Emilie Richards...
I've lived all over the country, and right now I'm a vagabond, along with my husband, searching for the next place to move. Florida seems to be taking the lead, the state where both is us were raised and met. I'm an avid gar...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“She was afraid to love me," Nancy said. "I never realized it. By keeping her distance, she thought she could protect me. If she didn't love me, maybe I would escape notice. I would survive.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
