Customer Reviews

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Sweetgum, Tennessee, the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society consists of women who have been hurt in their relationships, but share their love of knitting and formed a book club. Sexagenarian librarian Eugenie Pierce has never even tasted love. Sisters Ruthie Allen and Esther Jackson will probably take sibling rivalry to the grave. Twentyish Camille St. Clair may not have the years of kicking the can experiences like the others, but her life is currently on hold as she cares for her dying mother. Merry McGavin seems happy with her loving family, but loving family means hiding the truth behind a façade as she is overwhelmed. Finally there is newest member thirteen years old Hannah Simmons, who has no future except to repeat the ugly past culminated with a temper fit in the library tearing out pages from books. As each faces a personal crisis caused in part by secrets they hide, their knit lit pals encourage and support one another.

This Yada Yada crowd meets the Elm Creek quilters in a Mossy Creek like Tennessee small town is a fine ensemble tale starring fully developed women in personal crisis who finds their knit lit members being there for them. The story line is well written, but though smooth, the author never explores deeply any of the ensemble cast while touching on all of them. Fans will enjoy the sisterhood as each helps one another.

Harriet Klausner

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Patillo is the newest in a flourishing genre of chick lit books focusing on a handicraft. In this case knitting, plus a book group. Eugenie, the long time town librarian runs the society with an iron fist, so when she brings in teenager Hannah, troubled and caught tearing pages out of a library book, to do penance by attending the meetings and cleaning the library, all of the other members are changed by her presence. Esther and Ruthie are sisters who couldn't be more different. Esther is picture perfect, but her husband is in love with free-wheeling Ruthie. Camille is only 24 but has given up her dreams of leaving small town Sweetgum to take care of her ailing mother. Merry is an overstressed mother with a faltering marriage and a surprise pregnancy. These different women all come to the society for their own reasons and find the same thing: family, acceptance, and love. But only after Hannah forces them to drop their facades and really see each other and themselves. Not too much attention is paid to the books read or the knitting, just enough to keep the plot moving without dragging. These women were so real; they shop next to you in the grocery store and sit next to you in the church pew. Patillo captures their hopes and dreams and makes all of them (even Esther) sympathetic. I hope that this is only the first in a series, because I want to know these characters better and watch them grow.

This book is so much better than the Friday Night Knitting Club, the Shop on Blossom Street, the Jane Austen Book Club, or any other knitting/book club book out there -- and I've read them all! The characters are true, interesting, quirky, and far less than perfect. The Christian theme is very subtle, and the plights of these characters kept me up way past my bedtime as I turned pages to see what would happen. I will be reading more of Beth Pattillo's books.

I found the story solid, yet lacking at the same time. Each character had her own tale to tell but none were done with significant depth. There were also few surprises in the story, though many characters lives were intertwined in many ways. I liked the story and will read the sequel, but it is not a Wow book.

There are many books with groups of women coming together for a purpose, such as a knitting group or book club. This book combines both interests and does a good job of tying the knitting projects into the book theme. I enjoyed that element very much. What I missed was each character's greater depth and introspection that I have seen in other books. Overall an easy read.

I have been getting in a knitting craze lately. Not actual knitting mind you (I can't even thread a needle to save my life) but reading about it in books. I've found that a lot of books use knitting as a way to tie together a group of women and tell their stories. The knitting metaphor is used as a way to combine them all together, otherwise separate they just unravel and get destroyed.

This book features six different female characters - all at different stages in their life. Even though they meet once a month for knitting, reading, and fellowship they all have secrets that they are keeping from each other. Some of the secrets are small, while others will destroy relationships. I found Ruth and Esther's stories fascinating as they deal with a woman who is love with a man who loves her back, but is married to her sister who only wants him for status and money. The whole plot line revolving around them was very intriguing as it was a story that had gone on for years and involved betrayal, deceit and misunderstood intentions. Connected loosely to that tale is Camille's story which involves a secret affair where there can never be true happiness. The other stories are woven together beautifully as well. The only thing I was a bit annoyed at was Merry's daughter and how she treated Hannah. I just got annoyed with her throughout the book. I know that Merry was going through her own problems but I was dismayed that she took forever to notice what was going on between the two girls.

I was a bit worried that some of the stories would end up with cliched story lines but was pleasantly surprised at the unexpected resolutions. This book is not your typical Christian fiction book. Not all the characters are Christian. In fact, even with subtle mentions of faith and church issues, this book is comparable to general market women's contemporary fiction. The characters are intriguing and their stories keep you drawn in. I also love books that feature book clubs and it was fun reading about all the great children's classics. I wish I could be a part of the group, except that I would probably have to get someone to knit my stuff for me or just learn really fast. I couldn't put the book down and am eager to read about the group's next adventures, both in reading and knitting.

I've seen many good reviews of this book, and nearly every one praises it. I received the second book as an ARC and figured I should read this one first. It's a nice story: a group of women get together once a month to talk about the latest book and knit. Sounds lovely. Predictably, each woman has a crisis of some sort in her life and by the end of the story, everything has worked out.

While the characters are probably true to life, I didn't really find them likeable: Esther and Eugenie are downright prickly. There wasn't really anything that drew me to any one of them. The chapters alternate telling each story and showing what happens at the latest meeting. The friendship aspect was really lacking. Other than getting together once a month, these women really had nothing in common and little contact outside the Knit Lit Society.

I did appreciate how the author tried to tie in each month's book with what was going on in these women's lives: especially choosing childhood classics to help Hannah, the young teenager they reluctantly all adopt into their circle.

I'll read the sequel and hope I find it more enjoyable than this one. Light Christian, but unfortunately there was nothing stellar about it. A promising story that fell flat. Many other people enjoyed it more than I did, so you will find a lot of good reviews out there, too.

Take five women, skeins of yarn, and a few good books, and you have The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society. Eugenie, Camille, Merry. Ruth and Esther meet once a month at the Sweetgum Christian Church to discuss two of their passions, reading and knitting. Eugenie, the town librarian, coordinates the group, chooses the books and assigns a knitting project to go along the theme of each month's reading.

Add Hannah, a surly 13-year old, whom Eugenie catches tearing up a library book--a library book which just happens to be about knitting. As her punishment, she is to help Eugenie at the Library and, to Hannah's dismay, she is to go with Eugenie to the Knit Lit meetings. First viewing Hannah as an intruder and then as a challenge, the ladies find they can learn as much from a teen as she can from them. Her troubled life causes them to re-evaluate their own.

This is not an extraordinary story, but it is a good story, one that bears telling and re-telling. Ms. Pattillo has written of everyday life in small-town America, but the setting doesn't matter so much; it could be here or there or anywhere. For this is all about the human condition: we all have problems and sorrows to deal with, just as we all have happiness and joys. It is when we are afforded the privilege of sharing another's burden and cares that our own seem to come into perspective. This is the story of the Knit Lit ladies.

They met every week but knew very little of the private side of one another's lives. When Hannah calls them to task for being phony, they are taken aback. Slowly they open up and find that their lives are enriched, their feelings deepen, and they are better able to see the blessings in their own corner of the world. Although their meetings are held in a church, this is not necessarily a story of religious faith. Some of the ladies are church-goers, some not. Essentially, this inspirational tale is about faith in one's self and faith in one another. It is all about the necessity of belonging, and the importance of having a safe place to tell one's story.

by Susan Ideus

for Story Circle Book Reviews

reviewing books by, for, and about women

A Book Review by Audrey Hebbert:

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society

By Beth Pattillo

Waterbrook Press

February 2008

ISBN-978-1-4000-7394-8

Trade $15.99

This sweet story, set in sleepy Sweetgum, Tennessee, knits together the lives of five typical smalltown residents and one angry teenager named Hannah. They meet the third Friday of the month to discuss the book of the month and display the knitting project assigned by librarian Eugenie. In the meantime each character wrestles with her own issues, and puzzles out a conclusion for her life. Along with their own issues comes a realization of Hannah's huge problems, and a conclusion for her, too.

Part of the conflict is a long-held secret between the two sisters, Ruth and Esther, and the satisfactory conclusion. Shadows from Eugenie's past haunt the controlled order of her life and she meets new challenges with unusual courage. Merry's perfect little life meets major roadblocks. Camille is held by strong ties of love to the town she longs to leave.

In her fourth novel, Pattillo skillfully ties all the threads together at the end, pouring in forgiveness, true love and a takeaway for the reader's life. I cheered long and hard for Hannah, the one "impossible" thread, that tucks itself into the knot at the end. Nothing surprising here, but a comfortable read that inspires the reader to be more kind and generous to those we don't fully understand. No high tension either, but a satisfying, challenging ending that any reader needs to encounter. Sometimes we become too complacent with our own lives and forget to consider strangers who may need us.

"The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society" by Beth Pattillo is a heart warming read about five ladies who meet once a month to discuss books and knit. When one of the ladies, Eugenie, brings troubled teenager, Hannah, to the group, she changes the reading list to incorporate wonderful classic titles for the young girl. As the ladies revisit these classics from their own childhoods, they are confronted by the life issues that they have left unresolved.

This charming, heartfelt novel showcases the value of friendship, love and the grace of God. It is laugh-out loud funny and a good, cathartic cry all rolled into one! This novel helped to remind me that angry young people are frequently hiding pain and that it only takes one person to take an interest and truly make a difference in their lives. There is even a shawl pattern included for knitting. This would be a great selection for your book club.

I really enjoyed reading this book. When I first started reading it, I could picture our local librarian as Eugenie. Our librarian is much more relaxed with those in her library though. Thank goodness since my family enjoys visiting and we aren't the quietest bunch.

I could absolutely relate to wanting to help Hannah, what some would deem "trailer trash". Those are the kids I love because I want them to know how precious they are. So, I wanted the Knit Lit Society to really rally around her. They had the same response to her as many adults do to these kinds of kids. Beth really understood how Hannah was being viewed by each of the Society members.

Speaking of Society members, there are a lot of storylines going on and Beth handles them fluidly. First there's Eugenie, who basically runs the group. She's the librarian that likes order in everything, including her life. Of course, what would a great book be without undoing the put together one? Then there are the sisters; Esther and Ruthie. These two take sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Well, at least Esther does. Beth made it very easy to dislike Esther! And next is Merry, mom of 3 and wife to Jeff. I could absolutely relate to her; the hecticness of her life and the disdain she recieves from her daughter. Camille is the young one of the group. Taking care of her ailing mom has kept her from leaving Sweetgum. She dreams of shopping in Paris, but is relegated to running her mom's small clothing shop.

When Eugenie brings Hannah into their knitting and reading group, she turns the group upside down. They're all prepared for the reading that was already planned for the next 6 months. She instead changes all their reading to Classic novels such as Little Women and Pollyanna. Beth did a wonderful job picking books that would reveal a struggle each of her characters was going through. Seems like a daunting task if you ask me.

Each of these characters works through something in this book, although when it comes to Esther I'm pretty sure she hasn't learned anything. Man I wanted to reach through the pages of my book and wring her neck! I wish there were a 2nd book so she would get her come uppance! It would be great to see Hannah's life turned around, Camille make it in the big city, and Ruthie find love in this late period of her life.

My one issue with the book was Eugenie and Paul. *SPOILER ALERT* Because he's a pastor of the church, I find it hard to be okay with them having a relationship. The Bible tells us not to be unequally yoked. The only time Eugenie steps into a church is to have her book club. As we dive more into her past, it seems she wants nothing to do with the church. So, decades have gone by and she has no desire for God, or so it seems to me. You would think Paul, having been a pastor for his entire adult life, would know that this relationship would be a poor example to his congregation. I know, I'm being critical on this point when I truly enjoyed the entire book. Pastors are to be an example and to lead their flock. That was the stickler for me.

So, aside from that one issue, this was a really well written book. It was very emotional and tugged at my heart stings on so many levels. It's a book that will make you think of how you've lived your life and how you still want to live it.