Synopses & Reviews
"Spinning, weaving, knitting, all part of the long tradition of womens work, skills that had survived even the efficiency of the industrial revolution. Why did people still do it?"
Its been ten months since Jack died. For his widow, Sandra, a tightly wound teacher who thinks long and hard about such questions, the months have tested her belief that she can continue her ordered life without Jack. She feels as though shes covered in ice-cold glass and will never be warm again. Knitting is the story of what happens when Sandra meets a woman who is her polar opposite on a sidewalk when they both stop to help a man in distress. While Sandras grief has constrained her spirit, Martha -- who lost her husband years before -- appears to wear her grief lightly. Sandras talent for the domestic arts lies in studying them; Martha is a brilliantly gifted knitter, a self-educated artist. When Sandra persuades Martha to help her mount an exhibition of retro and contemporary knitting, the two womens lives tangle, with astonishing ramifications. What begins as a professional collaboration becomes something transformative and deeply personal. Anne Bartlett weaves a story that is seamless in its exploration of healing, grace, and the search for meaning, both within oneself and in the larger community. Readers will find much to admire in Sandras struggle to break out of her shell and much to wonder at in Marthas visionary spirit. Knitting marks the debut of a writer whose work puts her in the company of writers such as Carol Shields, Barbara Kingsolver, and Louise Erdrich.
Review
'Bartlett has created an enthralling story about the healing power of friendship, enriched by knitting details.'
Review
'...a brief, sweetly winning tale... a spirited feminist take sure to find favor with women\'s book groups.'
Review
'\"...each stitch along the way seems unremarkable, but the finished product has a subtle beauty.\"'
Review
Bartlett has created an enthralling story about the healing power of friendship, enriched by knitting details.
Library Journal
...a brief, sweetly winning tale... a spirited feminist take sure to find favor with women's book groups.
Kirkus Reviews
"There is alot in this book for anyone who ponders the big questions of life: the nature of friendship, the need for meaningful work, the comfort of sharing grief." Bookpage
"...each stitch along the way seems unremarkable, but the finished product has a subtle beauty." The Washington Post
Review
"A moving story about true love and haunting grief." --Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap
"A love of the handicraft in question is not a prerequisite for appreciating [Knitting] . . . The finished product has a subtle beauty." The Washington Post
"Compelling . . . There is a lot in this book for anyone who ponders the big questions of life: the nature of friendship, the need for meaningful work, the comfort of sharing grief." Bookpage
"A quiet, literary book exploring grace, loss, suffering, community, and forgiveness." --Christianity Today
"What could be better than a good story about knitting? Anne Bartlett's Knitting fits the bill." --Creative Knitting
"Well-crafted . . . thoughtful and genuine." --Australian Book Review
"A beautiful novel that is, at its heart, about forgiveness." --Book Sense Notables
"The believable, well-constructed dialogue captures the tension and tenderness of friendship. And the words the characters don't share with each other electrify the scenes." -Sydney Morning Herald
"A sweetly winning tale." --Kirkus Reviews Kirkus Reviews
"An enthralling story about the healing power of friendship." Library Journal
"I loved Knitting. It's simply magnificent. The relationships are beautifully, delicately offered and the story is as reaffirming as anything I've read in years." --Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog
"Reading Knitting is an experience as sensual and mystical as plunging your hands into skeins of wool and color . . . A joyful narrative of creating and connecting." --Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife
"A wonderful tale . . . both beautiful and deeply satisfying." --Connie May Fowler, author of Before Women Had Wings
"In the tradition of Anita Brookner and Barbara Pym, Anne Bartlett has written a sly, stirring look at women's lives." --Meg Wolitzer, author of The Wife
Synopsis
In Anne Bartletts 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. Marthaa self-taught textile artist with her own secret store of griefspends 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.
About the Author
Anne Bartlett spent her childhood in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. While raising her four children, now grown, she worked as an editor, a ghostwriter, and a feature writer as well as knitting original creations for clothing designers. She recently finished a Ph.D. in creative writing at the University of Adelaide. She lives with her husband, who has been a pastor for more than twenty years (a background she has drawn on for this book), in South Australia.