#1: The Knitting Circle

I just finished "The Knitting Circle" by Ann Hood. It is not the type of book I would have picked up on my own, so big thanks belong to my mother in law for loaning it to me to read.

I think the easiest comparison I can give this book is to the movie "How to Make an American Quilt." So as an easy review, if you have seen that and enjoyed it you should enjoy reading "The Knitting Circle."

For those who actually would like to read my thoughts on this book, here it is. The book is about a group of people who gather together to knit. The main character of the book is the newest member of the circle, Mary. Mary has recently lost her daughter who was only five. When she enters the knitting circle, Mary is closed off and wallowing in her despair. She also has the same idea as most people who are deeply grieving; she thinks that she is the only one who has it as bad as she does.

As Mary learns to knit and begins to learn to make new items and use new stitches, she learns the stories of the other members of the knitting circle. Each of them has their own story. They all turned to knitting to cope with something, but all of their reasons are different. The stories of the other women are interspersed throughout the chapters and filled in by "real-time" chapters that show what is going on in Mary's life.

Obviously, by reading what I have written, it is clear that this is kind of a "chick book." The focus of this book is very feminine. It is about how women can lean on each other to heal, the relationships between mothers and daughters, and grief of the highest level. Another point that is illustrated by the book is that everyone has problems.

Mary looks at the women in the knitting circle with jealousy at first. She thinks that they could not possibly understand her pain and she envies the "perfect lives" that she thinks they lead. She quickly learns that while their problems are different, she should not have judged them so quickly.

"The Knitting Circle" explores all manner of relationships. Mary's relationship with her mother is looked at as is her relationship with her husband. Even her relationship with her co-workers is addressed.

Human relationships can be fascinating. I often find myself looking at people that appear to me to have "perfect" lives and wondering what the real story is. Fortunately for me, I have never been to depths of grief that Mary is dealing with in the book. However, I have my own problems and have had my own hurdles in life. I find that when I read stories like this one, I look back on my life and think of the times that I was jealous of someone for not having my problems. All that it takes is that one moment of reflection to realize that while I have problems, I have many blessings as well. All that it takes is that one moment of reflection to realize that you can relate to the character. It's when you relate, that you begin to get absorbed in the book.

While "The Knitting Circle" is not a page turner in the suspenseful sense, it does make you want to turn to the next page. There is a well-defined element of curiosity for the reader of the book. There is a sense that one of the characters is going to be "revealed" and it's not hard to become anxious to see what will be divulged.


I genuinely enjoyed reading "The Knitting Circle." I will admit that it is not going to become a book that I would read over and over again. However, I would gladly add it to my book shelf and lend it out when a friend needs a good recommendation for a book.