In Anne Bartlettspends her days knitting elaborate projects charged with personal meaning. As the two women collaborate on a new project, surprisin...
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reviews
Jan 04, 2010
Rebekah
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Anne Bartlett, who turned out to be Australian, wrote a book about my favorite hobby. It was a novel called, appropriately enough, Knitting. The characters are odd balls and imperfect and don't have anything in common, but you want them to succeed. I will admit she pulls them together in a odd fashion and they grow in fantastical ways, but the reality is we all are imperfect and we all need some fantasy to fix things. I find myself relating to both characters, and hoping to never have to deal wi
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Nov 20, 2009
Anne
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Sep 09, 2011
Linda
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Sandra Feldes, a recent widow, needs something to bring her out of her grief and to help her get back her life. When she has a chance meeting with Martha McKenzie, who has been a widow for many years, they become friends. (Martha has stopped to help an injured pedestrian, and Sandra comes along and helps get the man to the hospital.) Martha is a knitter, Sandra a student of the history of textiles. Sandra becomes obsessed with mounting an exhibition of knitting, and persuades Martha to kni
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Jul 02, 2009
Bridget
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This book has been sitting on my shelf ever since I received it as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago (proving that I actually do eventually get around to things ...). It is primarily a story of two women in Australia who become friends more or less by accident, and what happens in their relationship over a period of a year.
Sandra is a college professor, with a specialty in women's studies. Her husband has recently died, and she is more or less still at loose ends as the book s More...
Sandra is a college professor, with a specialty in women's studies. Her husband has recently died, and she is more or less still at loose ends as the book s More...
Oct 25, 2011
Rachel
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I enjoyed this a lot, it's intelligently written and doesn't seem typical of the knitting genre of novel as there aren't women cooing over each other while they reveal tragic events and knit together as a form of group therapy. I can see why 'Knitting' has been described by a reviewer as a 'Spirited feminist take sure to find favour with women's book groups.'
I wasn't quite sure about the hospital cleaner, the bags and what ensued between him and Martha, nor was I sure what the cherr More...
I wasn't quite sure about the hospital cleaner, the bags and what ensued between him and Martha, nor was I sure what the cherr More...
Oct 23, 2011
Michelle
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This is the story of two women who meet coincidentally, helping a man who has collapsed in the street, set in Australia. Sandra is recently widowed and is having a hard time finding purpose in her life as an academic. Martha, who was widowed young, is a very different type of person, living on small means after she quit her job knitting custom pieces for a design house. She enjoys making unique pieces and trying different techniques with her knitting, but in some ways she is just as troubled as
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Oct 22, 2011
Diana
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This is the story of the relationship between two women. They meet when they both decide to help a man. Sandra has been a widow for 10 months. She has had a lot of difficulty dealing with her loss and being a widow. Martha is also a widow and has been so for a long time. Her attitude is about the opposite of Sandra. They find out that they both knit and Martha encourages Sandra to help her put on an exhibit of knitting. Their relationship develops outside of knitting. Both of these
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May 15, 2009
Kerry
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Mar 23, 2011
Ellen
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I would have given this a 3.5 or 3.75 if that were available. I enjoyed this novel about chance meetings, unlikely friendships and, of course, knitting. This took place in Australia, so I got a kick out of the various turns of phrase used. I was also impressed and somewhat awed by the descriptions of the knitting projects that were described. It's a fun story about two women who become friends despite their huge differences, and despite some rocky times, they're both the better for it.
Sep 12, 2009
Sari Lynn
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What a wonderful story! Who would ever have suspected a friendship would form between two such different people?! I loved how the author used knitting as a metaphor! Poor Martha, lugging her mistakes around with her, unable to let them go! And poor Sandra, unable to express her grief at the loss her husband, and totally unaware of her own tendency to run roughshod over other people. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book by Dr. Bartlett...
Sep 14, 2010
Jessica
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I really enjoyed this book. Its not just about knitting, the hobby, but also about how all of our lives intersect, and how our actions affect others. I found myself able to identify with both of the main characters, which made reading the book more fun. And it made me remember what a wonderful pleasure it is to knit. Anne Bartlett must be a knitter, she describes the joy perfectly.
Dec 18, 2009
Theresa
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I wasn't crazy about the character of the widow. That kept me from loving this book, even though I liked it very much overall. Martha was very intriguing, and my heart stopped when we learned what was in her bags. I enjoyed the plot, the crazy knitted objects, the way the two women came together despite the unlikeliness of their pairing.
Jul 17, 2011
Lynn
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I thought this was a well written book with a good story about knitting and the varieties of people who are affected by this craft in many different ways. Usually I don't like books that use knitting as a hook as so many of them have weak plots and count on knitters to be a ready made audience that will purchase/read the book just because it has knitting in the title. This was a welcome exception with a good story!
May 13, 2011
Marissa
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This is a pleasant read about two women, Sandra and Martha, who meet and learn that they share a mutual interest in knitting. Together, they embark on a project that is supposed to highlight both of their skills in the pastime, but in the end they learn more about themselves and each other.
Apr 26, 2011
Linda
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Having been a knitter for most of my life I really wanted to like this book. I have resisted buying novels with knitting in the title and wish I had done so with this one. I found nothing engaging about the characters not even their sad stories,and was disappointed even with the knitting!
Apr 13, 2009
Sdprince
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Set in Australia, this book explores the lives of two women (and supporting characters) and how their lives become intertwined. Knitting figures as a metaphor, though there's good knit-talk here. Not a great read, but thoughtful, well-written and the characters are interesting. Worth your time.
Feb 04, 2009
Julie
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Now that I understand a lot of knitting terminology, I thought a novel named "knitting" might be appropriate. This was more about the characters, which would have been obvious had a I read the flyleaf, and only about knitting in a less-specific way...good book, however!
Aug 16, 2011
Lisa
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This is a story about 2 very different women who become friends through very odd circumstances. It is also a book about letting go of the past and the mistakes that were made. By letting go, you can move on to something new and wonderful, and grow.
Jul 06, 2010
Snap
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Very different. A book about knitting, disparate people, women's work. there's a sensual, almost mystical feeling to the story. Two very different women who come together in a story about textiles and knitting. A little too heavy for a beach read!
Apr 02, 2010
Vikki
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This is a novel by a new Australian writer. A great story of two women that have just met. One is putting on a show about textiles, the other woman is a knitter. Mental illness and high stress are two subjects in this book. Very good.
May 12, 2009
Leslie
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I found this at the Butler Library and it was such a wonderfully written novel. I list this as one of the top 20 I have read for sure. I keep meaning to look up what else she has written. It is and isn't a book that only a knitter would enjoy.
Jan 18, 2009
Beverly
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Not too bad. Set in Australia, this is the story of a widow struggling with grief who meets a quirky knitter. Heavy on knitting symbolism. Introduces fire imagery at the end out of nowhere; goes over the top with it toward an abrupt end.
Feb 12, 2009
Anne
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I read it because it was about knitting. I like reading fiction stories about people who like to knit or crochet because right away I know I'll be able to relate to some aspect of the characters as I like crocheting, too.
Apr 15, 2009
Carol
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I kept hoping something in this book would grab me, but it never did...Somehow I pushed myself to finish this book, but I should have given it up after the first 25 pages. I just couldn't bond with any of these charactors
Feb 21, 2009
Tammy
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I guess I superimposed myself into this novel. I identified myself with the perfectionism of Sandra expectations and the perfectionism of self with Martha. Maybe the two women are different sides of the same character?
Feb 20, 2010
Lilyhollidaycomcast.net
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This book got me knitting again! The way it was presented in the book was fascinating. Good portrait of two very different women, colliding into friendship.
Oct 16, 2010
Tacowsh1t
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So I couldn't get into this book. There was no pickup to it. Chapter three was as far as I allowed the torture to go and I had to move on.
Feb 12, 2010
Kim
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Beautiful writing. Nice character development. I enjoyed the contrast between the main characters. Slow moving, but worth the time.
Feb 01, 2011
Mom
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The details and creativity of the knitting compared to the basic story (which really wasn't about knitting) were so inviting.
May 20, 2009
Sarah
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More substance that I was expecting. I think I'm done with novels about widows for the time being, though. Two back to back is enough.
