The Coffin Quilt by Ann Rinaldi is told by a girl named Fanny McCoy. This is a story of two families’ feud that took place in the 1880’s on the West Virginia-Kentucky border. The story is mainly told of the McCoy affairs at their home on Blackberry Fork in Kentucky.


The main character in this story is an outgoing, brave girl named Fanny McCoy. Fanny was the youngest of the McCoy family. Due to this, no one expects her toknow when her favorites sister, Roseanna, runs off with a Hatfield boy named Johnse. After Roseanna left she soon dicovered she was to birth Johnse’s child. The couple planned to be wed, which Roseanna, another main character, believed would end the feud between the two families.


The main upset of this story is the tention of the Hatfield-McCoy feud increases when Roseanna learns that she is not allowed to wed Johnse as planned. This starts great trouble between the families and even more so when the McCoys learn Roseanna did not wish to return home. Even more trouble boils as the McCoys go and retrieve Roseanna from West Virginia and she begins living with her Aunt Betty and is not allowed to see Johnse. Also, shortly after birthing the baby, it passes and Roseanna becomes depressed.


This book has many themes and morals to it, but one seems to show more than others. This theme is that if you choose to do something you may not be the only one affected by it. All who you may come in contact with may be affected. This could be that it has a positive affect or a negative affect on the people around you and some may be punished for you mistake. An example of this is when Roseanna ran off with Johnse it not only affected them, but also both families in a negative way. The feud exploded and there was war between the two families.


All and all, this book is full of heartbreak, war, adventure, love and disappointment. This book is well worth reading due to all the life lessons and adventure that it will take you on. To find out how the feud turns out and what becomes of the two families join Fanny McCoy in her adventurous childhood story.