Ann Hood

The Knitting Circle

A Novel

“An intelligent, moving read” (Pages) and “a testament to women’s friendship and to Ann Hood’s talent” (Hilma Wolitzer).

After the sudden loss of her only child, Mary Baxter joins a knitting circle in Providence, Rhode Island, as a way to fill the empty hours and lonely days. The women welcome her, each teaching Mary a new knitting technique and, as they do, revealing their own personal stories of loss, love, and hope. Eventually Mary is able to tell her own story of grief and in so doing reclaims her love for her husband, faces the hard truths about her relationship with her mother, and finds the spark of life again.

“Acutely moving. ... In heartfelt, unfussy prose, [Hood] allows the harsh realities of their hurt to shine through.”—Allison Lynn, People

“A heartbreaker.”—Elissa Schappel, Vanity Fair

“Emotionally charged. ... touching.”—Vogue Knitting

“A wondrously simple book about something complicated: the nearly unendurable process of enduring a great loss.”—Carrie Brown, Washington Post Book World

Ann Hood is the author of seven novels and a short-story collection, An Ornithologist’s Guide to Life. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.