The Basement Quilt (Colebridge Community, #1) by Ann Hazelwood

The Basement Quilt (Colebridge Community, #1) Reviews

• 
  Carol

  Just OK for me. Although I enjoyed the mention of local businesses and events mentioned knowing Author was referring to Main Street (really St. Charles, MO) i.e. J. Noto's Bakery, Michelle's, Festival, etc., and could invision the decorations of the area at Christmas time because I live here, I was quite disappointed the book's ending was "to be continued". I also found "The Kodak Moments" to be a bit much. Sorry Ann.
• 
  Deb York

  
  
  I agree with Susan MO, this one of the most poorly written books I have ever read. Not only is the plot predictable, but apparently no one proofread one sentence. Many grammatical & punctuation errors. Don't waste your time. My 8-year-old grandson could have written a better book!
• 
  Addie

  DNF. I really tried, but gave up by page 110. (About 1/3 of the way through.) This book was written in 2012 but reads as if it was written in the 1980's. The writing style was outdated, boring, and actually... bad.
  
  The author is quite vague in her descriptions and expects the readers to understand what she is implying when characters make odd comments like, "Hmmmm..." to differing circumstances. "Hmmmmm..." explains nothing. It is merely someone's thought in word form without an explanation and I got tired of guessing what those vague comments implied.
  
  Many of the paragraphs ramble on aimlessly, until the ending sentence has nothing to do with the beginning sentence, making it very hard to follow or focus on. Quite ADHD, actually. It was also a very dry read. It felt more like reading someone's shopping list than a story, especially because of the strange paragraph style. I skimmed through the remaining pages to see how certain aspects turned out, but I had no desire to waste more time on it. The storyline was not enough to pull me in, let alone keep me hooked.
  
  Also, the characters make every choice based on either society's rules or boredom. I'm past the point of spending time reading about how lackadaisical attitudes and choices are the main focus in the plot of a story.
  
  This is isolation during the coronavirus quarantine...I need something much more entertaining, uplifting, and worth my time to read to keep me from feeling like I'm going crazy! And this book was not it.
• 
  Marcia

  I picked up this book because of a research project I'm working on, and if I could have tossed it aside, I would have done so before the first page. The author provides a character list and an authorial note to describe the surrounding community--both in such contrived, static ways that neither are necessary as a good writer would have covered those details within the exposition of the narrative. The prose, particularly the dialogue, is halting, grammatically-incorrect, and often antiquated. Furthermore, the characters lack depth and development. The author choses to use stereotypical descriptions, where her protagonist is a slender, blonde, 29-year old woman while her cousin--whom everyone openly pities in fairly condescending ways--is 32, overweight, and plain with mouse-brown hair. The paranormal activity isn't engaging, nor is the relationship between Anne and Ted. Anne spends the first several chapters of the novel actively avoiding Ted and complaining that she doesn't see the relationship going anywhere, but the second she sees him having a coffee with his ex-girlfriend, she dives into a depressive, jealous pout as though she were nine, not 29. Poor writing. Poor characterization. Poor plot development. Shame on the American Quilter's Society for placing this text as one of its "Fiction Series."
• 
  Heather

  Awkwardly written and poorly engaging. I finished the book in hopes that the mystery basement presence would be more than what it was (it wasn't). This made the plot generally dull and disappointing - especially because there was so much potential for more. Characters were fairly standard, with bland personalities that didn't truly capture my interest.
  
  The first person point of view writing revealed antiquated language and a poor sense of the overall family and community that this book was supposedly about. Anne's continous "Hmm"ing seemed a bit too much for me. On top of it, the poor grammar and spelling errors sprinkled throughout were glaringly obvious.
  
  I was disappointed by the lack of quilting that was described - as though the author only had a vague idea on how quilting worked.
  
  Overall, the book seemed rushed and was poorly edited before print.
• 
  Lynette Caulkins

  This was a good selection for me, as a quilter, to read for the Popsugar hobby prompt. Hazelwood's story pulled me in despite glitches. I would still read the next installment if I came across it.
  
  Cons: I found the rhythm of Hazelwood's prose to be unnatural and slightly distracting every couple of pages - a normal use of contractions is neglected, and an overabundance of "so" and "just" pulls me out of the narrative. I also found the protagonist's rude attitude and treatment of her boyfriend to be completely immature for a 29yo, and more appropriate for a high school or young college figure. Lastly, while I love a good ghost story, the happenings in this one are 100% unbelievable.
  
  Pros: What quilter would not absolutely love to have a close-knit family group that meets regularly to quilt together? Immersing onself in this story line gives a little access to that atmosphere. The relationships between family members and coworkers are fun, but you have the tension of wondering exactly what come-uppance is awaiting Anne in the developments going on in her love life. Life Changes that start up in this series-opener promise more interest to come.
  
  This is definitely a women's book. Men are a mysterious factor in this tale, presenting questions more than connections, despite a seemingly perfect whirl of a romance. Additionally, it is about relationships and interactions more than events happening.
• 
  Gloria Mccracken

  The thing about a wildly successful series is that it spawns other similar series. Sometimes they are almost as good, sometimes even better. This is the first in an Elm Creek Quilters wannabee series. It is not as good as that one. But, worse, it emulates one of that series' great faults: Where the writing for Elm Creek Quilters is pretty clunky, this one is dreadful. There is, for example, very little attempt to let the characters show by their words or actions what they're feeling. The author just tells you, over and over again. Good thing, perhaps, because so often words and actions, where they do exist, don't fit with what the author claims the characters are feeling. The plot is also very slender and fairly predictable.
• 
  Kim

  I enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of "spirits" mixed in with quilting. I sometimes felt the time line was confusing. It either went too fast or two slow with regards to the story. I do plan to read more of Ann Hazelwood's books because I did enjoy her story-telling.
• 
  Kathryn

  Book Club 52 Prompt Three More Than 40 Chapters
  
  All the characters do is drink wine.
• 
  Yvonne Spencer

  I would not recommend this book with a good conscience. I have never given a negative review before, but this book was not enjoyable. The storyline was good but not the writing. I finished the book out of curiosity because I know that this book series was very popular with quilters. I am a quilter and I was really looking forward to enjoying this book, but I was disappointed in it and I will not read any more books in the series.
• 
  kc

  Very interesting first book of a series of family, relationships and quilts. There are mysterious accomplishments occurring to Aunt Julia’s quilt when no one is around. I stayed up late to finish this book.
• 
  Sharon Wantuck

  Great read all quietest will enjoy these books just
  
  Fun and relaxing . So glad I decided to read this group of books I will read all the upcoming ones
• 
  Melissa Flanagan

  Narrators voice/reading was not my favorite