The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood

The Knitting Circle

The Knitting Circle  is a story of a mother, Mary, losing her only child.  Mary finds herself a part of a knitting group and through this new experience she finds healing. 

Through the knitting circle Mary meets a group of new friends.  As each of them tells her their story she starts to live through her grief. 

This was a beautiful, touching story.  It was well written and the characters were developed nicely.  There were parts that brought tears to my eyes, but the book made me feel good too.

4-1/2 out of 5 stars

Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller

Lost in the Forest

Lost in the Forest is the story of Daisy and her extended family.  Set in Napa Valley wine country, the book begins with the tragic and sudden death of Daisy’s step-father, John.  The story (told by Daisy, her mother, Eva and her father, Mark) follows their life after this event. 

Mark realizes he still has strong feelings for his ex-wife and imagines them having a life together again. 

Eva struggles to deal with her grief, while raising her and Mark’s two daughters and the son she had with John.  She worries about her young son, Theo, who witnessed his father’s death but seems to be unable to understand it.  She is also concerned about her middle child, Daisy.  Sullen Daisy seems to not have properly dealt with her grief.  Eva is ambivalent in regards to Mark’s feelings for her. 

Daisy has a hard time fitting in with her family and the rest of the world.  She’s at an akward age.  She doesn’t have the same interests as her classic, perfect older sister.  Sudden interest from her mother’s best friend’s husband leads to an affair between the two. 

This book was a fairly quick read.  The story being told between the three people kept the pace up.  However, this also made me feel as if there wasn’t enough time for each character to develop.  Daisy’s feelings regarding the inappropriate affair were hard to relate to.  For someone her age (15) it didn’t seem realistic.  The book seemed to end rather abruptly.  There was no closure for me. 

For me it was a 2-1/2 out of 5 stars.