Knitting: A Novel

In Anne Bartlett’s engaging novel, a chance meeting sparks a friendship between two very different women who share a fascination with knitting. Sandra, a rigid academic, struggles to navigate the world without her husband, whom she has recently lost to cancer. Martha—a self-taught textile artist with her own secret store of grief—spends her days knitting elaborate projects charged with personal meaning. As the two women collaborate on a new project, surprising events will help heal them both.Library JournalKnitting, the hot new trend, serves as an intriguing theme in Bartlett's first novel. Set in southern Australia, the story revolves around two very different women: the recently widowed Sandra, an academic interested in the history of les and women's work, and the much younger Martha, also a widow. Martha is a gifted knitter who tried knitting for a living, but the pressures to produce on demand turned her greatest joy into a mechanical duty. Now she knits as she pleases. The two women meet one day at the mall when they are the only ones to stop and help a man who has fallen. A friendship develops, and Sandra soon creates a project to showcase Martha's knitting skills and occupy her own grieving mind. The project, an exhibition of vintage and contemporary knitting, challenges both women in more ways than they could have imagined. Bartlett has created an enthralling story about the healing power of friendship, enriched by knitting details. Highly recommended for most public libraries.-Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.