Nell's Quilt (Point) - Softcover

Terris, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590419145 ISBN 13: 9780590419147

Publisher: Point, 1988

Synopsis

Urged at the age of eighteen to marry a man she doesn't want, Nell delays the event by working on a quilt, slowly starving herself, and observing the unhappy lot of many women in turn-of-the century Massachusetts before arriving at a decision to rescue herself from the brink of death and take charge of her life.Yearning to attend college and work for the women's suffrage movement, eighteen-year-old Nell feels trapped by her parents' inability to manage the farm without her and seeks refuge in the creation of a quilt, in a story set at the turn of the century

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 10-12 Eighteen-year-old Nell Edmonds has no intentions of marrying the man her parents have chosen for her, widower Anson Tanner, although he's earnest and a good provider. Nell desires more from life than the traditional 1899 female lot of tedious household tasks; despite her family's financial problems, she entertains pipe dreams of college and living in Boston. Furthermore, life with Anson and his four-year-old daughter looms drab and confining compared to the amusement she enjoys with her comrade Rob. Nell can't forget, however, that her family perceives her as Nell the Good and Strong who will pursue the dreams which will make everyone happy, so she agrees to marry Anson. During her engagement, she begins an exercise in self-discipline through working a quilt from fabric scraps which she assumes are remnants of her suffragette grandmother's dresses. Nell extends the strict rules she imposes on her quilt-making to her eating habits until she is consuming virtually nothing. Her anorexic behavior reflects her suppressed desire to remain a child. She pursues physical and psychological insignificance to the point of psychosis, signified by a narrative shift from first to third person. Too debilitated to be marriageable, Nell rejects even her beloved quilt when she learns that the scraps of fabric are actually part of a kit, unrelated to her heritage. As she approaches death, the meow of a kitten rekindles Nell's will to live. This is a complex novel which demands a second reading for full appreciation. The symbolism and the complexities of Nell's personality make it fascinating and memorable. Merilyn S. Burrington, Vergennes Union High School, Vt.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

A riveting drama about a young woman about to be forced into marriage by her parents, who believe her only choices in life center around the quilt she's stitching and how much she eatsuntil she almost dies. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Point
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0590419145
• ISBN 13: 9780590419147
• Binding: Paperback