Customer Reviews

The Friday Night Knitting Club (Friday Night Knitting Club Novels)

5 star:		(111)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(68)
2 star:		(63)
1 star:		(66)

 

 

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.

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

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 clichés 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 Irish Twins

This could have been a great vacation read . . . I started it on the plane on my way there, had something to read in the evenings before going to sleep, and came close to finishing it on the flight home. However, when I saw the direction the author was taking, I saved the last chapter for home (and played games on my PDA for the remainder of the flight!)

This is not great literature, but it was a fun read. Unlike some other reviewers, I found the characters enjoyable and identifiable, perhaps because as a knitter and a quilter, I know individuals with similar characteristics and can appreciate the author combining quirks to keep the number of characters manageable (and trackable).

The author certainly packed lots of living into the pages of this book --- the trip to Scotland, while it gave the author (and main character) the chance to share the wisdom of another old woman, it seemed too contrived. But the turning point for me was my huge disappointed in the ending --- part of which could not come as a surprise to anyone picking up on the clues.

SPOILER ALERT! However, the finality of the ending has stayed with me, not because of the writing or even any emotions triggered by the ending, but because it seemed so senseless, so unnecessary.

It would seem that especially as a first novel, with a solid well-rounded (slightly flawed, but well written) character and a delightful setting (and fergoodnesssakes, a durn web page!) --- the ending just continues to seem so wrong. These are people I would have liked to visit with again, to have the chance to know from perhaps another point of view, and even better developed the next time. There was a depth that it would have been nice to have, even if only as a background characters that pass through and touch the lives of another main character in a future book.

I know that life is not simple and it doesn't always come nicely wrapped with all the loose ends tied up. I've certainly suffered my share of losses (haven't we all). I just do not see why the author found it necessary to go in the direction she went with the end of this book.

I would have rated this book five stars as a beach read, four stars for just a quick read . . . but because I'm so disappointed in the ending, I not only cannot rise above two stars, I cannot recommend this book to friends (even knitters and quilters) --- and THAT is probably the MOST disappointing of all.

I hate to leave a bad review for a book - particularly a first novel, but I had to speak out about this book. The premise of this book was promising and I certainly wasn't looking for an intellectual read, but this book had some of the worst writing I have ever seen. Since when did the excessive use of parentheses become acceptable in a novel? Using them in emails or casual writings might be okay, but they were extremely distracting in this book and, to me, represented sloppy and lazy writing.

The characters were extremely shallow, unrealistic, and simply not likeable. What converted James from an insensitive cad to a model boyfriend/father 12 years after he abandoned Georgia and her daughter? What in the world attracted a wealthy widow with children and grandchildren to this single mother? And why, after knowing the deli guy for years, did Anita all of a sudden agree to go to dinner with him and then, a few pages later, move in with him?

Silly plot, sillier characters, horrible writing. All in all, an awful book. Save your money.

I don't know how Kate Jacobs did it, but she managed to fit every storyline and character contrivance in literature into 384 pages. As a book lover and knitter, I couldn't wait to pull out my favorite pair of number 8s and a nice fluffy ball of mohair, and settle in for a good cozy read. Well, the knitting part went swimmingly; the read was a compendium of dropped stitches. My primary complaint was that nothing and no one in this book rang true - lily white, conflicted main character Georgia; the resident yente Anita with nagging sons and daughters-in-law; the kindly bachelor deli owner Marty (who just happens to be around recently-widowed Anita's age! Can you believe!); Georgia's ex-lover James (not actually the jerk we're led to believe he is, as Georgia finds out a decade later when she uncovers remorseful letters he's written her over the years. Can you believe!) - lacked any pith or generated real emotion. Oh, and if anyone has raised a tween daughter, 13-year old Dakota - the biracial lovechild of Georgia and James - will be more alien to you than My Favorite Martian. I don't know about your kids, but I think I'd drop dead from shock if mine cooked and baked for company, was virtually always polite and understanding, chronically loving to others and self-reflective without a trace of puberty (except for "budding breast buds" Can you believe!). Yes, I might want to throttle my children on occasion, but at least they're a reasonable facsimile of human. This kid must have been conceived in a Xanax-related stupor. Since I usually finish a book that I start, even though I might not like it, I did slog my way through the hackneyed, treacly, triteness that is The Friday Night Knitting Club. At least I have a nice mohair afghan to show for the effort...

I was very excited to read this book thinking it would be a good story about female friendship and I am a knitter myself, so I thought I would enjoy that aspect. I bought it for a vacation read assuming that it would be a light read...however, I found it to be so light that it wasn't even enjoyable. The characters were not well developed and storyline was boring, I had to push my way through it to finish.

There are so many books on my list to read... I'm disappointed that I wasted my time reading this.

I have been reading some of the reviews on this book. I must say, I agree 200% with everyone that says the character development in this book is REALLY lacking. I also think that some of the more emotional points in the story are completely left out. Let me explain.

If you are pregnant and suddenly abandoned by your lover, what would you do? If it were me, I would hate that person FOREVER. I realize that many people are quite forgiving, but not me. Also, Georgia is described as being such a feisty woman, but I just do not see that in her. If it were me, I would have put James through his paces. I would have made that man go the extra mile to gain my love.

This is the problem that outlines everything that is a little off about this first effort from Jacobs. The characters are just NOT deep enough. I do not see them as real people. I see many of the characters and the scenarios being described here as reminiscient as a fairy tale land. I have been to New York - food, rent, the basic cost of living - it just IS NOT cheap. It is expensive and rough. Its not an easy city to live in if you are poor. So, I am to believe that a 24 year old girl who likes to knit creates some lifesaving business off of a knitting hobby with help from some nice older benefactor? WHATEVER. I live in the real world, and this crap just does not happen.

I was deeply dismayed by Georgia's demise. It is really not set up well. The entire book seems to be built on a foundation of "no worries, all will be okay" and then the main "heroine" just conks out. Death and disease are a part of life. It is sad and unfortunate, but there you have it. However, it is seemingly clear that the author wanted to write a typical chick lit type of book - sad times, then good times. Then, she changed her mind and opted for a deep book with tragic loss. It is uneven and wholly unsatisfying. I myself just do not get it. I was rooting for Georgia - so it saddened me.

I think the idea here is that she is a woman with a heart of gold that bounces back after life has dealt her a raw deal. Wonderful. Fabulous. If you are going to write a novel like this, the best thing to understand is that your readers are expecting a fable. They want happy endings and gooey sugar kisses.

In any case, I feel like I am reading a book that was destined to be a movie from the onset. I am taken back to that scene where some random girl comes into the knitting shop blathering on about "Robbers" (?) and looking for Julia Roberts. I can see where the author was going here...paging Julia Roberts. Lights, camera, action. Sure enough, by sheer coincidence, Julia Roberts is now producing the film. I am ever so shocked.

In any case, I will sum this up. The book is a good read for a vacation, cruise, or a long waiting room visit. Do not count on this for an in-depth read.

Meh. This book didn't really grab me to begin with, but I soldiered on, then ended up skimming the second half. I realize other people loved it, and that's fine, but I felt it left a lot to be desired. I don't enjoy reading detailed descriptions of a screenplay, and that's how this novel came across to me.

I never got into the characters. I read a lot *about* them, and I read *about* their conversations, but nothing they did or said made them live in my mind. They all had identifiable characteristics that were stuck on them like labels, and they were presented in too cerebral a way.

I found the main character unappealing in many ways. Oh, she was feisty and strong and all that jazz, but she was really all about herself and how she was wronged by everybody and that gave her special rights. For example, did it not occur to the character (by way of the author) that her daughter's father would have some basic legal rights, especially if he acknowledged paternity? The law stands regardless of what arrangements the parents do or do not make. That plot point, as well as many of the others, was too contrived to get past.

The book is sloppy with details. I laughed out loud when I read about Georgia growing up on a Pennsylvania farm, then about her attendance at "Harrisburg High." There is a LOT of farmland in the area of Harrisburg (I live 40 miles away, in Lancaster County) but I doubt any of it is in the city of Harrisburg's school district. How did an editor miss that? Most 4th graders know that Harrisburg is the capitol of Pennsylvania and likely to be a bit more urban.

I didn't buy for a minute Georgia's designing and knitting one, let alone two stunning evening gowns. The work involved is mindboggling, yet she accomplished this while running a store, raising a daughter--did anyone sit down and think about how many stitches were in those dresses? And if she was that good a designer, why was she struggling and living from day to day? These questions are only a few that popped up in my mind as I slogged through the novel.

Overall, I felt as if the author was trying to manipulate the reader: feel this way about Georgia, that way about Darwin, this way about Anita or Lucie. I didn't. Furthermore, Jacobs gets a little heavy-handed in the life lessons department. The bits relating knitting to life are nice enough, but others, such as Stephanie "Yarn Harlot" Pearl-McPhee do it oh so much better.

First, the book is obviously written for Julia Roberts' acting skills and movie career. It's a perfect followup to Steel Magnolias now that she's older and adds in the hot crafty trend for the younger audience. That fact was a little too blatant for me throughout the book. And that ending was very obvious about two-thirds into the story and seemed to be the entire meaning of the book. I'm sure it will earn her at least an Oscar nod next year.

Second, the characters are difficult to like. I didn't enjoy reading much about any of them except Gran and occasionally Anita because they're all so typical. It's the standard group: the socialite who hates herself & her life, the single moms who struggle with everything, the older, wise, benevolent women who are the wonderful godmothers to everyone, and the angry younger women who have lost their way but find it again. I didn't warm up to any of them like I normally do when reading a book of this type.

Third, the knitting scenes are so unrealistic that they're amusing. I agree that no one could learn to knit from anything in this book because the knitting is very much a backstory plot device. The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood & the Debbie Macomber Blossom Street series have much more to offer true knitters. And I wish someone would see me reading or knitting and offer me a loan to open my own shop!

2.5 stars because it's not the worst but it wasn't the best nor was it worth the hype. It's not a book that will be worth reading again so I'll give away my copy to make room for more knitting books. Not a bad book to read through a weekend but I've read better lately. I'll be interested to see what Ms. Jacobs writes for her second attempt.