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| The Friday Night Knitting Club | 
 enlarge | Author: Kate Jacobs
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Category: Book
Buy Used: $58.75
Used (2) from $58.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  198 reviews
Sales Rank: 1740486
Format: Import
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.7
ISBN: 034092294X
EAN: 9780340922941
ASIN: 034092294X
Publication Date: April 5, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 193 more reviews...
 Knitting is a Nice Device, But . . . March 9, 2007
106 out of 119 found this review helpful
The idea of a knitting group--a group of women gathering on a regular basis forming bonds of friendship and sharing life experiences--was the alluring premise of this book, and the reason I bought it. That's definitely what this book is. But is it a riveting story? Did I fall in love with the characters and turn pages with eager anticipation to see how the story would play out? No and no. I struggled turning pages of this book as much as I'd probably struggle trying to knit a sweater. This was like the waste of expensive yarn, a piece crafted with a big idea and little talent.
The writing isn't bad, but I wouldn't describe this effort as "well-written." It's average at best, lacking originality or memorable prose, and I felt it was littered with cliches and contrived dialog. As for story, it's primarily character-driven with focus on the main character, Georgia Walker, a single mother who owns a yarn shop/knitting business on the upper west side of Manhattan. The club consists of her daughter Dakota, a bi-racial 12-year-old, who flits in and out of the club with baked goods and entrepreneurial ambitions, and is as charming and annoying as any 12-year old; a widow named Anita who is Georgia's "mentor;" an "academic" named Darwin (who annoys everyone in the club as well as this reader); a 40-year-old single woman (who I believe works on a documentary about the knitting club) who fools a date into getting her pregnant; an aspiring purse designer and part-time worker in the shop; a woman in her mid-40s hoping to get into law school; and probably the most entertaining character, Georgia's childhood friend Cat (nee Cathy) who is an uptown socialite on the verge of divorce. When she's on the page, at least there's some conflict you can sink your teeth into.
Dakota's father, James, returns to Georgia's life in this tale, and is a cardboard character who fails to charm the reader as much as he seemingly charms everyone else. And Georgia's grandmother, a 90-something Scottish sage comes into play as a touchstone to...something. I think Georgia's visit abroad is supposed to be really important but it wasn't until page 260 when Georgia receives some life changing news that the question, "What IS this book ABOUT?" had an answer.
The Friday Night Knitting Club is a debut novel and I believe it has a first novel feel. It made me think, "nice effort and good for the author for getting it published;" however, I cannot recommend it. There was, however, one quote from the book I thought was rich, and this was in regard to mother-daughter relationships: ". . . what these daughters really wanted was to be able to bare their souls to the one person in the world who would love them without restraint, whose approval was priceless, who would find them and their myriad life issues endlessly fascinating." If my daughter wrote this book, I would indeed be proud of her.
Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club
 Inviting, Cozy Book August 6, 2007
40 out of 44 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this book so much that I'm rather taken aback at how divided the reviews are. I found the book to be like a blanket, warm and cozy and something you want to curl up in. I don't knit, but the references to the wool and the process made it seem very inviting.
The characters were diverse - of varying ages, walks of life and economic circumstances - and written so vividly that I began to cast them as if for a TV show. Overall, the book is about love and friendship and finding ourselves, with the store and knitting being the central theme that brings most of the characters together.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was sad to see it come to a conclusion, ending my connection with the colorful and enjoyable characters. Like some of the other reviewers, I would have liked a different ending because I'd grown attached to everyone, but I did see it coming and the author did tie it all together well.
My biggest disappointment in the book was discovering it's Kate Jacob's first and now I'll have to wait for the next one.
 Disappointed March 23, 2008
34 out of 36 found this review helpful
I read this novel while stuck in an airport during a long, long layover. On the positive side, it passed the time. The negative list is much longer. The characters were never developed and the minor ones seemed like they were drawn from a checklist. Senior citizen, check. Mixed race character, check. Asian character, check. Rich unhappy character, check. The book has the feel of a Lifetime movie, "Brave single mother raises daughter and then ... tragedy strikes." Been done many times before and much, much better
Does she knit? February 1, 2007
26 out of 35 found this review helpful
I received this book as a gift and enjoyed it. It was well written and she developed her characters very fully. My problem is that as a knitter and teacher of knitting, I was surprised at the lack of real knitting information. I know that the shop was the background of the story, but I have belonged to several knitting clubs and no one comes who does not knit or want to knit. The advise given at these meetngs was meager. Anyone who spends 2 hours teaching one person to do the seed stitch, has no real knowledge of knitting. The book could have been about anything that brought these women together. No real knitting knowledge was imparted. I think Ms Jacobs has a good career in writing books, but I would bet anything that she is not a knitter. I also did not enjoy the ending and felt it added nothing to the story.
My heart bled March 22, 2007
26 out of 33 found this review helpful
I thought the book was fabulous. I met the author and then read the book having no idea if it was good or not. Just went as a avid knitter. One of the excerpts she read from her book was about knitting but that not everyone knits with yarn. That idea took on new meaning for me and struck me to the core.
I do have to say the book broke my heart since it really didn't have the fairy tale ending, but maybe it hits closer to home for all the women out there who have been touched by cancer. It will make you cry, and that is ok. We sometimes need that release.
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