[.ca] Friday Night Knitting Club (ISBN 0425219097)

COZY, WARM, AND FRIENDLY:
A bit reminiscent of Ann Hood's The Knitting Circle we are again introduced to a group of women who meet to knit and find that they've stitched strong bonds of friendship. What raises Jacobs's debut novel above the average women-support-women tale is the author's finely crafted prose and a sterling reading by Carrington MacDuffie. A recording artist and spoken word performer, MacDffie vitalizes a disparate cast of characters from Georgia Walker, a single mom and owner of a yarn ship to daughter, Dakota, to Darwin Chiu, a militant feminist, to shop staffer Peri, to Anita, Georgia's stalwart friend and helper, and more. Her narration ably reflects the different ages, backgrounds, and personalities involved. The Friday Night Knitting Club is a cozy, warm read peopled with characters we'd like to know. It's easy to lose oneself in the story and feel very much a part of the group, as we hear: "Without ever putting up one sign or announcing the creation of a knitting club, these women began regularly appearing in the evenings and, well, loitering. Chatting with each other, talking to Anita, gathering about the large round table in the center of the room, picking up where they had left things the week before. And then, one Friday last fall, it became official. Well, sort of. Lucie, a striking woman with short, sandy-colored hair, who favored tortoiseshell glasses over her big, blue eyes and colorful, funky outfits, was an occasional shopper at Walker and Daughter. She came in every few months and was always working on the same piece, a thick cable knit sweater--a man's garment. There were a lot of these types who came in to the store, folks whose knitting ambitions were out of line with either their ability or with whatever mysterious comings and goings kept them from sitting down and getting the job done. " And so it began. All seems to go smoothly until the reappearance of Dakota's dad who wants to move back into Georgia's life, and unexpected events in the other women's lives. Jacobs is a deft storyteller and along with the laughter and tears she has surprises in store. The Friday Night Knitting club is an affectionate, engaging story of female friendship and will soon be found on the big screen starring Julia Roberts. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke

Enjoyable read:
The Friday Night Knitting Club is a nice read. At times, it felt that the book dragged on just a bit, but it is such a relaxing and heartwarming story that I kept on reading and found that it picked up further into the story. It actually reminded me of a New York version of a Maeve Binchy-type story.

The most 'chick-litiest' of chick-lit:
I want to start off by saying that the third star for this novel was given simply out of admiration for keeping so many balls in the air. Ms Jacobs chose to tell a story with multiple character plotlines, and I know how hard this is. Keeping track of things, making sure everyone gets their due, 'seeing' everything along the way to the story's conclusion; a daunting task. However... It's a 2-star book. As I infer in the title for this review, it takes what is stereotypical for a chick-lit novel and pushes it all front-and-center. It deals with 'woman-centric' issues...but does it in a way that's really patronizing. It maintains a decidedly low-brow approach to the exposition, as if the reader either needs or prefers to have everything spelled out ('Tell, don't show!'), and even then, does it in an extraordinarily pedestrian way. Almost as if- Well, as if Hallmark Cards had commissioned it. There is no deftness of touch. (In fact, it's ham-fisted most of the time.) There's little subtlety involved. (In fact, everything is in bright neon, billboard-huge.) And aside from getting everything in, getting all the necessary facts related, the author doesn't seem to have much to say. That is, she's lacking a clear voice. What voice there is, seems more typical of a high school writer wanting to declare world views. 'This Is How I See The World'. In truth, there was a lovely novel in here. The premise was great. But it was beyond Ms Jacobs' abilities. What's displayed within the pages of 'The Friday Night Knitting Club' is talent relating to writing similar to that of a vocalist aspiring to be a singer. Many, many times, I found myself shaking my head at the lubberly way she expressed even the simplest aspects of story, or of character. It was, in the end, a triumph of will that I achieved a full reading of the book. As I've expressed elsewhere, in other reviews, I really wonder at the editors' roles in all this. Seriously; this is the book version of the movie that people exit from muttering 'How did THAT ever get made...?'

OK, If You Like Sweets:
A very sentimental, syrupy sweet story, that I found almost embarrassing at times. This book tries hard for the brass ring and sadly misses it. The characters never quite make the third dimension even though the author shows us a lot about their traits and past lives. The story is predictable. I finished the book just to finish the book. I won't pass it on to a friend because it's not up to my personal standard- maybe I'll donate it to the library. I'm sure someone will enjoy it.

Disappointed:
I continued reading the book past the first few chapters despite being irritated by the "writing down" to the reader and the poor character development because of the hype that I now realize was manufactured. I didn't find it a warm woman's read in any way. The twist near the end was melodramatic and unnecessary. I kept reading past the half-way mark because I was slightly invested in the outcome of a sub-plot for a minor character (Darwin). The twist near the end was melodramatic and unnecessary. My take on the book was that it was an early draft of the possibility of a good published novel. I gave it 2 stars rather than 1 because of that one minor character that had some dimension.