The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs - #11

I loved this book. Georgia Walker owns a successful yarn shop, Walker & Daughter, in New York City. She began the shop with the help of her dear friend and mentor Anita, a rich widow. The daughter part of the shop is Dakota, now 12 years old. Georgia has raised Dakota on her own but now Dakota's father, James, has returned. He has decided that he made a mistake in leaving Georgia when she was pregnant an now wants to make it up to both ladies. As time goes on in the shop a group of core women come together to create the Friday Night Knitting Club. KC is a publishing executive and old friend of Georgia's who has recently lost her job. Lucie, a 40-something woman who works a dead end job and wants to have a child, with or without a husband. Darwin, the feminist doing research for her thesis. Her husband lives is doing his residency in LA and she commits a betrayal he may not forgive. Cat, Georgia's best friend in high school turned miserable wealthy trophy wife. As the months go on these women all meet their own challenges and problems but they always know they have the support of their knitting group to fall back on.

This book was a pleasure to read. This was Kate Jacobs first novel but it feels like she has written 100. I love how she takes the acts of knitting - selecting yarn. casting on, ripping it out, etc - and uses them as a theme for the chapters in that section. However, even if you do not knit I think people would enjoy this book. I normally do not like books that shove "we are women hear us roar" themes down your throat but this one was the perfect balance of feminism and reality. There is a movie version of the book in production starring Julia Roberts as Georgia.