A Sky without Stars Book Review

Quilts of Love Series

SUMMARY:  Can a quilt bridge the gap between two cultures?

     After her husband is killed, Frankie Chasing Bear wants a fresh start, a new way of life.  But in 1951, that's not easy, especially for a Lakota woman.  Frankie quickly learns that raising her son, Harold, to revere his Lakota heritage will be a challenge in the white man's world.

     Searching for a way for her son to respect his ancestors but also embrace a future of opportunity, she begins a Lakota Star-pattern quilt - something that will not let him forget where he came from.  As she tells him, "A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars."

     But Frankie's determination is not without trouble.  Federal Agent Nick Parker, for instance, is the last man Frankie wants to trust.  He's not a true Lakota - and he's Christian.  Will Frankie learn that love is the most important for her son's quilt - and life itself?

REVIEW:  While I like the premise behind the book, to me it felt like the story was missing something.  I like Frankie and her determination to give her son a better life than one on the reservation. She rises above the prejudice she faces every day, struggles to make ends meet and put food on the table.  I  liked how a problem that plagued Harold worked out in the end. That said, there were times when I wondered where the author was going with some of the situations Frankie and Harold were in.  This was an okay book but it just did not capture my attention like I hoped it would.

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group for review without compensation.

Linda S. Clare is an award-winning author of books, essays, short stories and poems.  She edits and mentors writers and is a frequent conference speaker and church retreat leader.  She and her husband have four grown children.  They live in Eugene, Oregon, with their three wayward cats.