Beth Pattillo's Sweetgum Knit Lit Society ~ Reviewed

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
By Beth Pattillo
Published by WaterBrook Press
ISBN-10: 1-4000-7394-4

Back Cover:

On the third Friday of each month, Eugenie, Ruth, Esther, Merry, and Camille meet at the Sweetgum Christian Church to enjoy two things that connect them: their love of knitting and their passion for books. Their camaraderie remains unthreatened until Eugenie, the town librarian, introduces an angry, vandalizing teenager into their midst. Eugenie also gives the ladies a new reading list: the classic novels of girlhood that young Hannah has never read. Little Women. The Little Princess. Books that revive old dreams and hopes for each of them.

With the click of their knitting needles, the ladies of the Knit Lit Society unravel their own secrets., A shadow from Eugenie's past haunts the controlled order of her life. Merry's perfect family is growing again. Camille wants to escape but is bound by ties of love. And the sisters, Ruth and Esther, are forced to confront a lie they have lived with for over thirty years.

As Hannah is reluctantly woven into their lives, the women discover that even in quiet Sweetgum, Tennessee then have the potential to be the heroines of their own stories.

Review:

A more unlikely cast of characters you won't find, but Beth Pattillo knits them together seamlessly in this heartwarming story. The implausible becomes believable as the plot unfolds. Hannah's negligible home life is made more complicated by her mother's boyfriend, while the Knit Lit Society ladies try to fill that void in her life in any way they can. An unpredictable end turns The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society into a memorable tale. One I recommend for your summer reading list.

Reviewed by Ane Mulligan

Bonus Review:

Pull up a chair, grab a glass of sweet tea, and introduce yourself to the Sweetgum Society. Patillio has created a setting that is heartwarming to read about and characters that capture the heart. I enjoyed the book discussions that went on in the story. It made me want to go back and read the girlhood classics explored in the book. The discussion questions used by the librarian in the story or some I hope to use in future bookclub discussions. I look forward to reading the next Sweetgum Society Knit Lit book that comes out.

Reviewed by Shellie Powell