Monday, September 01, 2008
Knitting by Anne Bartlett
I have just finished reading Anne Bartlett's first novel, Knitting, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I had picked it up from a display table at the public library when I was looking for something new to read, something light and not too demanding for these last days of summer.
There is a lot of knitting in this novel and will appeal to those of us who like to indulge our imaginations as we knit "in our heads". It is actually a slice-of-life novel about the relationship between two women: Sandra who has recently become widowed and Martha, a free spirit who likes to help people. Martha carries her knitting everywhere and knits for others as she recognizes their needs. This unlikely pair form a friendship that develops when Sandra, a textile historian, decides to mount an exhibition of historical knitting.
The book is very well written and I found myself not wanting to put it down, even though the plot itself is not exciting, just true to life. Knitting becomes a metaphor for the stages and challenges of life. I had expected it to be somewhat corny, but in fact, it works. Bartlett is a skilled writer and I look forward to reading her future novels, whether they are about knitting or not.
For more about Anne Bartlett and her novel, you can visit her website: www.annebartlett.com .
