Didn't anyone tell you that divas don't knit?
Knit-one Jo Mackenzie needs a new start and jumps at the chance to take over her grandmother's wool shop in a small seaside town. Purl-one But it's not going to be easy with two young sons to cope with, an A-list actress moving into the local mansion and a knitting group addicted to cake. Stitch and Bitch! Gil McNeil's funny and uplifting novel turns prejudices and assumptions upside down, telling it how it really is in the world of knit-one, purl-one.

I've had bad experiences in the chick lit category, so I normally avoid the genre. But it is about knitting and yarn... and I figured I could always put it down... but actually, I had a hard time putting it down. I really did want to see what would happen next.

On the negative side, there isn't much plot in terms of a major goal or challenge to be overcome. Rather, it's "slice of life" storytelling of the collective, ongoing daily challenges of widowed mother Jo navigating a new residence, a new job running a wool shop, and a new life with her two small sons. Normally, this type of rambling non-plot would irritate me, but Jo and the other characters are very likeable, and Jo's first-person narrative is humorous in all the right places. Jo has a good set of friends who help her and who she helps in return, and what I liked best is the natural way the author portrayed these friendships without getting too preachy or sweet. There are a lot of supporting characters, so some seem more two-dimensional than others. I only wish that one or two of the antagonistic characters had been fleshed out beyond the caricature level and that one storyline involving one of these "villians" (they're not quite bad enough to earn the label without quotes) had taken precendence over some of the other plotlines.
Well, it was lot's of fun and I want to read the sequel now too :-)

lending to Sabina :-)

Thanks for bringing, Rianonne!

What a nice and cozy story!!! Although it is very British (and I normally prefer American), it is such a nice read to find out about Jo, her family and friends. Even the part about her two boys was cute. Again, I am happy to have no kids on my own, but Archie seems to be such a cute little boy... It is a pity there were no knitting patterns for the projects mentioned in the book, nevertheless it was a good read!!!
Thanks for the book, Rianonne!

returned to owner

Back home again :-) Thanks!
The sequel is already on my Mt. TBR ...