The Friday Night Knitting Club

Ehhh...this book was okay. To be sure, it wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but I just felt most of the characters weren't well-developed, and the storyline just didn't grab my attention. I don't know about the author's life, but I feel like she wasn't writing from anything she knew from personal experience. This isn't necessarily a bad literary technique; Sara Gruen didn't live with a traveling circus in the 1930s, but while reading Water for Elephants, the reader is so entranced by her narrative that you know she was actually there, living out every detail she penned. But when the reader feels as though the author is guessing at what would really happen instead of relating the events with utmost confidence and authority, said reader is not overtly happy with the novel because it just doesn't flow, and it's not very convincing. The concept behind the book is an interesting one, but I definitely do not whole-heartedly recommend this book. If you've got some time on your hands, however, reading it won't necessarily kill you...and there are some very funny and redeeming moments sprinkled throughout the novel.