A unique storyline ...

Emotionally compelling, pushing us to the limit. You'll laugh as well as sob as you read your way through this heart warming story. Characterization is great, dialog natural, conclusion satisfying.

Janet Sue Terry - CEO
JMB BOOK PUBLISHING COMPANY
www.jmbpub.com
Author of Contemporary Romance Novels "Possibilities," and "Resolutions," as well as, "Just Our Best Short Stories 2005."

Sweet

What a sweet and delightful novel this one is. Very romantic, full of love and generosity....as well as the women in the knitting class. Debbie Macomber has given us a delightful read. One in which i did not want to put down
also read: Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich and the hot-Fire In The Ice by Katlyn Stewart

No one does Women's Fiction better!

Debbie Macomber is one my favorite authors. No one can write about women, for women better (in my opinion!!). A GOOD YARN is no different from any of her other books on this subject. It's not her best novel (BETWEEN FRIENDS has that honor!), but it's certainly a pleasant read, and would make the perfect "beach companion" or poolside read this summer.

The book is a sequel (or follow-up) to last year's SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET, with the story revolving aroud the main character and shop's owner, Lydia. This year's knitting class teaches us how to make a pair of socks (an actual pattern is included inside the book), while Lydia meets and becomes friends with a new group of three women. The three characters from last year's book (students from her first knitting class) make "cameo" appearances, but the story focuses on Lydia and her three new students.

Written from the point of view of all four characters, the chapters once again alternate between narrators (which is actually typical for a Debbie Macomber novel). While this can become confusing or even a nuisance under the pen of other writers, Debbie Macomber does it flawlessly and effortlessly, so that readers get to know each character on an intimate level, and can actually see themselves becoming with friends with one or all of all of the book's main characters.

Lydia is the shop owner and the one who brings these women together (through her knitting classes which she offers at her shop). After battling illness for most of her life, she's given a clean bill of health and finally found, what she believes is true love with Brad (the handsome UPS guy!) and has made a connection with & become much closer to her sister, whom she has battled with for nearly as long as she's battled her illness.

Bethane is a recently divorced mother of two, who is learning how to live life on her own, discovering who she is, and what it is she can offer to those around her, all the while trying to deal with the emotional roller coster her children are on due to the divorce. Elise is also divorced, whose gambling ex-husband comes to town to re-accquaint himself with their now grown and married daughter, while trying to mend the fences with the one & only woman he's ever really truly loved. Courtney is a teen-aged girl who is new in town and has recently come to stay with her grandmother. After losing her mother in a car accident, her father to his work, and her siblings to marriage, Courtney must deal with a new school, making new friends, and all the other trials & tribulations that all teens go through, all without the guidance of a parent close by to lead the way. Each character has their own individual story to tell, while at the same time, we see how their paths cross and how each affects one another's life and help each other along.

The stories are fairly predictable, yet the familarity of each character with their trimumphs and tragedies makes this a comfortable, enjoyable read that most readers will certainly identify with and feel like one of the friends in the book. I'm sure many will be wishing that a similar shop existed in their own neighborhood!

My only "negative" thought about this book, and the reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5, is that I felt the characters & stories were too similar and parallel to the characters & stories of last year's SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET. While most of Debie Macomber's books have a familar feeling to them, since most deal with the friendships of women and are often told in a similar way, I'd prefer to meet new charcters with new stories and go on a new journey. It didn't make this book any less enjoyable, it just left me with a feeling of "been there, done that."

I still think Debbie Macomber is one of the best authors of women's fiction today, and her stories and characters feel very real with many true-to-life experiences. If you enjoy stories about the love of friends and family with a little romance thrown in, you're certain to enjoy any one of Debbie Macomber's HC releases.

You don't have to have read SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET to enjoy this book, but it will certainly help fill in some of the blanks. Once you've finished this book, if you're left wanting more, I highly recommend BETWEEN FRIENDS, which was written by Debbie Macomber and released about two years ago - it remains one of my favorite books of all time!