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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Guest Review & my thoughts: The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society: A Novel

Sometimes life has to unravel before you can knit it together…

On the third Friday of each month, Eugenie, Ruth, Esther, Merry, and Camille meet at the Sweetgum Christian Church to enjoy the two things that connect them: a love of knitting and a passion for books. Their camaraderie remains unthreatened until Eugenie, the town librarian, introduces an angry teenager into their midst. Eugenie also gives them a new reading list: the classic novels of girlhood that young Hannah has never read. Little Women. Pollyanna. Heidi. Books that remind the women of the hopes and dreams they have lost along the way.

With each click of their needles, the ladies of the Knit Lit Society unravel their secrets: A shadow from Eugenie’s past haunts the controlled order of her life. Merry’s perfect little family is growing again–but will she continue to feel her identity slip away? Camille dreams of leaving town but is bound by ties of love. And the sisters, Ruth and Esther, must confront a lie they have lived with for over thirty years.

As Hannah is reluctantly stitched into their lives, the women discover the possibility that even in sleepy Sweetgum, Tennessee, they can still be the heroines of their own stories.

This was a cute book. A bunch of women meet for knitting and book
discussions. Each woman has private problems in their lives, despite
their meetings taking place in a church. A new teen member joins
their meetings and throws a wrench in their meetings and lives;
however, Hannah quite agrees that she does not belong in their group
either.

With the author being a minister, I was expecting a more Christian
fiction book. It just seemed to be a plain fiction book. It was a good
read and makes me want to read Heidi and The Little Princess - "the
classics that every girl should read."

I'd give this book 4 out of 5 stars

Amy K.

I'm rather at a loss for my opinion of this book. I have read beyond dozens of rave reviews for this story telling of how it is a fun, cozy, and light read for lovers of Christian fiction. I really just do not get that from it at all. I read Christian fiction for an uplifting escape from the whoas of my current day. This was a story that made it feel like I've never experienced anything bad in my life ever before, especially nothing in comparison to the characters of this story. It in a way reminded me of my split feelings toward Tracie Peterson's A Slender Thread. The whole book was a continuous detailed account of what was wrong in each individual's life and I just felt more and more depressed with reading about them. Once I had gone so far and was not sure if I could continue the book ends with a good three chapters giving a solution to most of all the issues at hand.

I know that life can be difficult at times. I know that I personally suffer from a severe depression with no cause of rhyme nor reason. The problems in their lives are real life issues that cannot just be wished a way. I do not see any benefit from reading this story, where it seems to be mope mope mope until there is a surprise solution for most things. Many times in life the solutions never come along, especially not all at the same time and as easily as they did in this story. Sometimes miracles do happen and greatly so. I just felt more depressed than uplifted with this story, so I just cannot really recommend it. But many have read it and loved it. So please make your own judgment of it.


To purchase, or find more information, check out the RandomHouse page.

*This book was provided by Danielle Douglas for review.*

1 comments and creative thoughts:

Sheila Deeth said...

Interesting conflicting thoughts. It was nice to remember childhood reading as I read this review.

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