Search - The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club (Jo Mackenzie, Bk 1)

Not at all what I expected -- full of humor and brightly drawn characters. When Jo McKenzie's philandering husband tells her he wants a divorce and promptly drives off into a tree, she doesn't know whether to consider herself a widow, a divorcee, or just a young woman suddenly thrust into single-parenthood. Her journey through the first year of this new life is full of self-deprecating humor. Parental pitfalls, and the obligatory New Man. Oh, and knitting.

Type: {Weekend Read: a book to curl up on the couch with}
Rating: {An Unputdownable: Couldn’t eat or sleep until I finished this book}

Why You’re Reading It:

British humor cracks you up
You like a bit of depth with humor, and some otherwise chick-lit staples
You are a single mom, were raised by a single mom, or know a single mom
You dream of moving to a quirky seaside community and starting your own shop
What I Thought:

I wonder if the fact that I am now craving tea everyday, took up crocheting again, and am dying to get back to England means that I was influenced by the charming book The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club. Gil McNeil gives us a story about Jo, who after being told by her husband that he has had an affair, loses him in a car accident. McNeil spares us the agony of going through the tragedy and allows us the uplifting glimpse of Jo’s life, with her two young boys, as she rebuilds after. She moves to the English seaside, takes over her grandmother’s yarn store, makes new friends (including an international movie star) while keeping close contact with her refreshing and witty best friend and rebuilding her life with her two (quite funny) adorable boys. I devoured this book in a big gulp, and can’t wait for a second helping. You can almost hear her boys as you laugh out loud at them, and see her seaside house which I imagine is a bit shabby chic and utterly comfortable. Her life and story are charming and real. Thanks to Hyperion/ Voice for this pleasant little surprise in my mailbox. I would giveaway a copy, but I won’t because I’m not ready to part with mine… I plan on reading it again (kind of like comfort food and your favorite movies combined).

Lucky for us, this book has a sequel: Needles and Pearls.

I loved this book, and not just because I'm a knitter. Although that probably helped a little :-)

The knitting group that Jo starts meeting up with was awesome. I felt the camaraderie between the women, even though they were all so different. Much like the knitting group that I used to meet with every week. These women were there for each other no matter what, and were always willing to lend an ear and a hand. They added a bit of drama and quite a bit of comic relief to the story.

I also liked Jo, she was a strong women, and yet she had her weak points. I love characters like this, that are slightly "flawed". Since I know I'm no where near perfect it really helps me relate to them. What I liked most about this story is that despite everything Jo goes through she never gives up, even when she really wants to. She faces some tough situations and yet she keeps herself together for her children.

The small town that Jo moves her family to was also a good part of the story. I've never lived in a small town like this but the book describes this town exactly as I would picture a small town. The nosy neighbor, the really friendly neighbor, and the neighbors who are just good neighbors. Some of the neighbors even added a bit of comedy to the story.

This was just a very well written book and I loved it.

I really enjoyed this book! It is evocative of life in England, and up-to-date in the way that the author portrays knitting, its resurgence and modern-day applications.

I enjoyed the novel...am looking for the sequel.