Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Review: The Knitting Diaries


About the Book:

Knitting is many things to many people.

Knitting is a way of life

The Twenty-First Wish by Debbie Macomber
Anne Marie Roche and her adopted daughter, ten-year-old Ellen, have each written a list of twenty wishes—on which they included learning to knit. Like many of their wishes, it’s come true and now they knit practically every day. But Ellen has quietly added a twenty-first wish: that her mom will fall in love with Tim, Ellen’s birth father, who’s recently entered their lives.…

Knitting is a passion

Coming Unraveled by Susan Mallery
When Robyn Mulligan’s dreams of becoming a Broadway star give way to an intense longing for her childhood home, she decides it’s time to make a fresh start back in Texas, running her grandmother’s knitting store. But the handsome, hot-tempered T. J. Passman isn’t making it easy on her. If he can learn to trust Robyn, and overcome his tragic past, they just might discover a passion like no other.

Knitting is a comfort

Return to Summer Island by Christina Skye
After a devastating car accident, Caro McNeal finds healing on Oregon’s sleepy Summer Island, where she’s warmly embraced by a community of knitters. She also finds meaning and purpose in the letters she exchanges with a marine serving in Afghanistan. But when life takes another unexpected turn, will Caro untangle her fears and pick up the threads of hope, opening her heart to wherever it takes her?

My Comments:

What could an anthology of three short romances by these authors be but sweet?  All feature knitters, and all three stories are preceded by knitting patterns.  The Twenty-First Wish is the continuation of Macomber's Twenty Wishes (my review) and like Macomber's recent work, it is squeaky clean.  With its short length, I didn't really get a feel for the characters, but since I "knew" them from Twenty Questions, it wasn't a problem.  Without that background, it is simply a predictable story with an overused plot--should she go for Mr. Steady and Reliable, or Mr Makes Her Heart Go Pitter Patter.  

The hero and heroine in Coming Unraveled are better developed than Macomber's characters.  Mallery's characters begin the book disliking each other but end it....  Both are hurting in their own way, each brings healing to the other and Grandma and her friends make this as cozy as a hand-knit scarf.  It is the only one of the three stories with an intimate scene, and I'd describe it as moderately graphic.

Return to Summer Island is about a young woman recovering from physical injuries and a young Marine she meets on the day before he is to return to Afghanistan.  While a bit unrealistic, the story was heartwarming, and if you are an animal lover, you'll be glad to know that a dog and cat are major characters.

While I doubt any of these stories will make any list of classic literature, they were all fun reads and if you like these authors and/or clean romances, give them a try.  Grade:  B-

Thanks to the publisher for making a complimentary review copy available to me via NetGalley.  I was not obligated to provide any review, much less a positive one.

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