A Good Yarn

If I hadn't read the first in this series, I may not have understood a few things. I don't think the author explained things she brought from the first book. But it was still a good read.

This is such a great book. I had read this book several years ago and it had been long enough that I couldn't remember how the story went. I did remember that this was one of my favorites in the series. I love the characters in the story which are Lydia, the owner of the knitting shop called “A Good Yarn” and Brad her man in brown who delivers UPS packages to the area. It took a lot to get Lydia to relax and accept Brad's request to take her out for a drink because she was afraid the cancer would come back. She had survived cancer twice, the first time when she was only 16, and she wasn't sure she would be able to go through that again. They are dating now but there are some rocky waters ahead for them. Lydia's sister, Margret, who recently warmed up to her sister since her last cancer scare is having some financial trouble and is in danger of losing her house. She keeps all her troubles buried inside and doesn't confide in her sister but the news finally comes out and Lydia is hurt that she didn't confide in her but also wishes there was a way she could help.

Lydia offers another class, this time on knitting socks, and the three people who sign up are all different ages and dealing with their own problems. It didn't seem possible that this class could work. Courtney is a teen that recently lost her mother in a car accident. She has to move in with her grandmother in Seattle and attend a new school for her senior year while her dad works overseas to try to make ends meet. Then there is Bethany, who is about the age Courtney's mom was and is recently going through a divorce which completely turned her world upside down. She also has two teen-aged kids who are having a hard time dealing with their father leaving them, especially her daughter Annie who is full of anger towards the other woman. Elise is the third student and about the age of Courtney's grandmother. She put her retirement money into having a house built and the company went under. She isn't sure she will ever get her money back and currently has to live with her daughter. She is upset when she learns that her ex-husband, who is a professional gambler, comes back to Seattle and moves in temporarily with his daughter so he can be closer to her and his grandchildren. Elise still has feelings for him but she is still hurt and doesn't want to have anything to do with him. She knows he is a charmer and that it will be hard to resist him. There is something she doesn't know though... about why he has come back.

These people are all very different, much like Lydia's first class but a lot happens in this story and their friendship grows.

This story is great for anyone who has experienced divorce, either as the other spouse or as a child involved. It is also about love and about random acts of kindness.

I enjoyed this book, although I'm not sure quite why. The characters seemed very unrealistic, especially the ending. I'm not one who has to have realistic reads all the time, but the ending was so “that would never happen” that I found myself rolling eyes at points. I suppose that I really like the character of the shop owner, Lydia, and that is what will keep bringing me back to read more about the Good Yarn shop. Plus they are easy reads that don't take too much brain power.