I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the author relates the theme of sewing to the stories in the book. It's a heartfelt memoir about a Mother-Daughter relationship strained by the events that took place early in her Mother's life during the holocaust. Most of the events take place in Springfield, MA and the east coast. It was really interesting how her mother kept so many secrets from her daughter.... mostly I believe it served as a protective shell for her to keep hidden away inside. Her daughter knew not to ask or pry to much because doing so would crack that protective shell or open "Pandora's Box" so to speak and prove to be too difficult for her Mother to handle. So she pretended not to know and kept the charade of secrecy. I was fortunate enough to meet the author at a speaking engagement. She's very sweet and charming in person as she comes across in the book. She should be proud of the story she has shared and I hope that someday she's able to uncover more of the mystery about her past and that of her family history.