Knit in Comfort

March 1, 2010
Sharpe's ("As Good As It Got") latest novel attempts to follow the literary examples set by Kate Jacobs and Debbie Macomber by employing the theory that knitting can solve every woman's problems. Megan has a husband who is distant, an unpleasant live-in mother-in-law, children who don't appreciate her, financial problems, and a nagging unhappiness that there is much more to life. One day, Megan rents a small garage apartment to the outgoing Elizabeth, who may shake things up. Knitting does play a part in the tale as past and present generations meld together with love over painstakingly knitted shawls. But it seems more like a literary gimmick to tie the flashback scenes and present-day chapters together. VERDICT Both knitters and readers looking for good women's fiction will be disappointed. There is just not enough knitting here for a knitting-themed book and not enough angst or original, well-drawn characters for a woman's-issue sort of novel.Margaret Hanes, Civic Ctr. Lib., Warren, MI

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