Sarah's Quilt
A Novel of Sarah Agnes Prine and the Arizona Territories, 1906
by Nancy E. Turner

List Price: $13.95
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0312332637
Publisher: St. Martins's Griffin

In These Is My Words, Sarah Agnes Prine told the spellbinding story of an extraordinary pioneer woman and her struggle to make a home in the Arizona Territories. Now, in this mesmerizing sequel, a three-year drought has made Sarah desperate for water. And just when it seems that life couldn't get worse, she learns that her brother and his family are trapped in the Great San Francisco Earthquake. A heartwarming blend of stubbornness and compassion, Sarah Agnes Prine will once again capture the hearts of readers everywhere.

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1. Why the name Sarah’s Quilt?  And, how does the quilting metaphor apply to the story at large?

2. The story takes place over a mere seven months’ time.  Does the pace seem appropriate for a novel this size?

3. Do you feel the depictions of Territorial life in 1906 were historically accurate?

4. Discuss secondary plot elements such as letting go of the past, the concept of “home”, pride vs. courage, and family as fortress.

5. The book focuses on Sarah Elliot’s relationship with her sons and nephews.  How does that compare with her relationship to her only daughter, April?

6. How does Granny’s mental detachment effect the other characters?

7. Could Mary Pearl really have stopped Esther from eloping?

8. Arriving at the ranch, Willie was given a second chance at his life.  Was it too unlike anything he knew to work?  Was there anything Sarah might have done differently to reach his heart?

9. Why did Willie confess only to the judge?  What in his background led him to make that association?

10. Did Charlie and Gilbert go too far in their teasing Willie?

11. How does Sarah’s want of education color her every decision?

12. What in Sarah’s personality is the trigger point for how she reacts to Udell Hanna?  What role does he serve in the story?

13. Contrast the character of Lazrus with that of Rudolfo Maldonado and discuss how each one threatens or relates to Sarah.

14. Does Sarah really know Rudolfo?  What if she had married him?

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