Knitting

By: Anne Bartlett

Narrated by: Beverley Dunn

It's been 10 months since Jack died, and Sandra, a tightly wound academic, copes with her grief by immersing herself in the history of textiles. When she and Martha, a gifted knitter, meet over an unconscious body on the footpath, the unlikely threads of their lives tangle into each other. Sandra invites Martha to join her in a professional collaboration, but what begins as a working relationship becomes something deeply personal. Martha seems at ease with herself, in spite of her own experience of grief. But what does she carry around in those three large bags?©2005 Anne Bartlett

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Inspirational/Spiritual, 2007

"A brief, sweetly winning tale." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Bartlett has created an enthralling story about the healing power of friendship." (Library Journal)
"Enriched by knitting details, each stitch along the way seems unremarkable, but the finished product has a subtle beauty." (The Washington Post)

Naration was good

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The description of the story used to entice the reader.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Erase it and start over.

Which scene was your favorite?

I didn't have a favorite.

Could you see Knitting being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no.

Any additional comments?

The story was ok. A bit sad. It would be nice if the description of the story (any story) indicated the tone. I didn't agree with the description. It lead you to believe that even though the main character's husband died, she found a new life. There was not a happier ending. The sadness/sense of loss was from start to finish.

Very Enjoyable

The book and narrator seemed a bit quirky at first, but I found it refreshing and enjoyable.

An enjoyable listen

This is an enjoyable listen, with a meaningful, layered story I enjoyed listening to, while knitting :) The character development is okay, but I'd have preferred more insight into the women early in the story line. The two main characters, Sandra and Martha, begin with one seemingly strong and sympathetic and the other talented but seemingly flawed. By the final scene, the descriptions have switched between the characters, but still with too little real insight into Sandra as a person.

My primary hesitation comes as a knitter. The knitting details do not always ring true, despite the acknowledgments section at the end where the author professes to be a knitter. I'd also love to know if the "feather" stitch is in fact "feather and fan" and more definitive information about the other stitches mentioned - none of which are referred to with an American name - and not even one that comes up when googled. Why the tease?

Enjoyed this book

If you could sum up Knitting in three words, what would they be?

Melancholy, tender, redeeming

Any additional comments?

Not the most exciting book and sometimes even felt a bit slow but wrapped up very nicely and left the listener with things to ponder. Narrator was excellent and used different voices for each character.

insight

Such sharing such a story, it was not what I was expecting. Light reading about one of my textile passions. It is so much more, it showed me to look at my self through thru honest eyes, Thank you.