Apricots At Midnight: And Other Stories From A Patchwork Quilt

by Adèle Geras

An elderly London dressmaker entertains a young relative with memories of the world of her youth, evoked by the scraps from elegant dresses that she has sewn into a patchwork quilt.

Genres: Childrens, Short Stories, Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Adèle Geras FRSL (born 15 March 1944) is an English writer for young children, teens and adults. Her husband was the Marxist academic Norman Geras and their daughter Sophie Hannah is also a novelist and poet.

Geras was born in Jerusalem, British Mandatory Palestine. Her father was in the Colonial Service and she had a varied childhood, living in countries such as Nigeria, Cyprus, Tanzania, Gambia and British North Borneo in a short span of time. She attended Roedean School in Brighton and then graduated from St Hilda's College, Oxford with a degree in Modern Languages. She was known for her stage and vocal talents, but decided instead to become a full-time writer.

Geras's first book was Tea at Mrs Manderby's, which was published in 1976. Her first full-length novel was The Girls in the Velvet Frame. She has written more than 95 books for children, young adults, and adults. Her best-known books are Troy (shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal) Ithaka, Happy Ever After (previously published as the Egerton Hall Trilogy), Silent Snow, Secret Snow, and A Thousand Yards of Sea.

Her novels for adults include: Facing the Light, Hester's Story, Made in Heaven, and A Hidden Life.

Geras won two prizes in the United States, one the Sydney Taylor Book Award for the My Grandmother's Stories and the National Jewish Book Award for Golden Windows. She has also won prizes for her poetry and was a joint winner of the Smith Doorstop Poetry Pamphlet Award, offered by the publisher of that name.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunt Pinny tells her niece a story each night from memories evoked by the patchwork quilt on her bed. These are stories from when Aunt Pinny was a little girl, each story is a stand alone tale and some of them are really wonderful 5 star stories. I would have preferred the stories to have been presented as a series of memories, we only met Aunt Pinny's niece in bed each night requesting another story so there seemed little point to her being there, but this was a very nice collection of interesting stories from a time long ago. These felt like real memories and they were well told and interesting, this would make a lovely chapter book for a daily read-aloud.

[Rahima · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ‘especially special’ to me because it was my first owned book given to me by my dad at age 9 during my first adventure; a holiday to Bangladesh. The adventures shared between a niece and her great aunt told through stories stitched lovingly together as a patchwork quilt correlated with my experiences of visiting an alien country, which even I hold dear as patches of memories.
With a fantastic cover; colourful, imaginative, even exotic to look at, it really was a book to be judged on its cover. It has hints of stories to come about phoenixes, zebras, peacocks, treasure and a little girl clutching her magical quilt. A treat for any key stage 2 reader it is a formation of short narratives to be relished.
The story is based in London 1960’s where a young girl is left to spend her holidays with her aunt Pinny, a 60 something dress maker always seen with a tape measurer around her neck. She had a more unconventional childhood than my own having grown up with toys which consisted of; ‘brocades and broadcloths, crumplings of cotton and cashmere, slivers of silvery silks, trimmings of taffeta.’ The author successfully creates a vivacious picture of life in the early years of the twentieth century.
Some stories were fun filled of a quilt of a pirate by the name of Captain; adventures which really get the imagination going, with an eagerness to know what other stories the ‘magic patchwork’ quilt held. Some were a little scary with one ghost story about a girl who died wearing a beautiful lace dress, which was now also a part of the enchanting. The book is full of vivid pictures of aunt Pinny’s adventures as a child which transports the reader to share along with the little girl who tells the story in its totality.
Adèle Geras woves a wonderful patchwork of tales in the form of illustrative text, with the culmination of one special patch made of red velvet which tells of a grand ball aunt Pinny watched from the stairs as a little girl, during which her uncle shared with her Apricots at Midnight.

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book several times as a child when I borrowed it from the library. It took years until I could remember the title and I finally managed to track it down. Aunt Pinny tells stories from pieces of material in the quilt. Completely charming and as lovely as I had remembered.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended by an online friend. I LOVED it! It has fun stories all told through pieces of fabric in a hexagon quilt. I wanted to put the book down and start such a quilt. This is a sweet story to read over and over again...

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books as a child. I can read it again and again, and it’s still magic.

[Amy Killeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books as a child.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this book recently after remembering it from my childhood and the joy and whimsy it bought. The narrative premises of a patchwork quilt with each patch having a story is a wonderful way to frame each adventure and leaves open room for imagination. It also really made me want to make my own patchwork quilt to share with my future family. Absolutely darling adventure and family story.

[Varsha Seshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book for children built around a novel idea. Eclectic stories come together in an original way - through a patchwork quilt. I loved the brevity of each story, and the fact that they were all different, but united by the notion that every bit of cloth in an old quilt has a story to tell.

http://www.varshaseshan.com/blog/apri...

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw a copy at the local 2nd hand bookstore and snatched it up - the story of a quilt, told patch by patch from an aunt to her niece. Comfort child reading in the purest, most Anne of Green Gables way.

[Laura Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of stories makes you want to make your own quilt with fantastic stories to go with each patch!

[Emkoshka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a child and again recently as an adult and the magic is still there. Colourful and cosy, just like a quilt. :)

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adored this book as a child and decided to reread 30 years later. Some of the magic was gone for me, but the stories were still generally charming.

[Karys McEwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite books as a child, I desperately want to hunt down a copy and read again!