ENDLESS CHAIN

Author: Emilie Richards ISBN: 0778321983 7/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: MIRA

Sam Kinkade is finally feeling at home as a minister in rural Toms Brooks, Virginia, reasonably content with his life and Shenandoah Valley congregation. But his plans to welcome the area's growing Hispanic community to the church are suddenly met with resistance. Fortunately, when Las Casa Amarilla, the church-run community center, is threatened, a stranger named Elisa Martinez walks through his door and Sam realizes he has found a woman capable of building bridges. Elisa is an enigma. Although she slowly becomes involved in the community center, Sam is certain from her guarded manner that she is hiding something. Yet despite their growing friendship, Elisa won't discuss her past. Sam is intrigued with this Latina stranger, a woman who, despite the differences in their backgrounds, makes him only too aware of the intimacy missing in his life. Elisa isn't looking to make friends, let alone put down roots. She has come to hide. But despite her fears of discovery, she is enchanted by the beautiful work of and the friendship offered by the church women who invited her to join their quilting circle. And even though she fears the consequences for both of them, she finds herself powerfully drawn to Sam. As she waits and prays for a reunion that may set her free, Elisa is captivated by a generations-old love story. Will she and Sam repeat the past, or can they find the love and freedom they seek at last?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

ENDLESS CHAIN is an exceptionally written story dealing with one woman's flight from the past and her head-on collision with the here-and-now. Facing one's responsibilities and coming to terms with things we find easier to flee, comes full circle when Elisa decides to stop running and accept whatever the future might bring. It's her love for Sam, her love for her brother, and the love, acceptance and the support of a community which finally awakens Elisa not to what is, but what can be.

Emilie Richards uses racial and ethnic blending and the clashes that many times results, to great effect in this book. There are also several subplots in ENDLESS CHAIN, such as Sam's struggle with his ministry and his engagement to the high-class Christine, as well as a population of fascinating secondary characters whose lives seem just as intriguing as Elisa's and Sam's. The only real problem I have is with Elisa's past, as it's one that seems rather improbable and hard to believe. But with Richard's masterful writing and vivid character portrayals, it becomes easier to suspend that disbelief and remained immersed in ENDLESS CHAIN's intriguing and emotional tangles.

ENDLESS CHAIN is a book for anyone who, just like with a quilt, enjoys the weaving together of the many colors, distinctive fabrics and variety of patterns that make up everyday life. I highly recommend it.

Nancy Davis