Books
The Past Cannot be Mended
New York Times bestselling author Lucy Adlington’s latest book began with a garment she couldn’t forget: a little red sweater in the Imperial War Museum in London.
“Knitwear doesn’t often survive collections. It’s not considered glamorous necessarily, or it tends to be only spared if it is glamorous. So here was this very, very ordinary looking sweater,” Adlington said.
“I decided I wanted to find out whose was it, where did she get it from? Why did she wear it? Why did it end up in a museum collection?”
Those questions led Adlington to Four Red Sweaters: Powerful True Stories of Women and the Holocaust, which was released in March. Most American readers may know her from The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women who Sewed to Survive.
Adlington, a historian who lives in Yorkshire, England, has two decades of experience with these kinds of questions. She learned that little red sweater belonged to Jock Heidenstein, a German Jew whose mother packed it when Jock was lucky enough to be sent to the UK on the Kindertransport in 1939.
A modern replica of Jock’s sweater Adlington commissioned for the book.
Jock’s sweater’s story is about separation, kinship, and, ultimately, survival. But the other three sweater stories aren’t nearly as rosy.
“It was sad to trace the fate of Jock’s school friends and to think, well, there but for luck and chance or fate, those other little girls with their little red sweaters were on the train going the wrong way,” Adlington said.
From the book, in late 1942, “Regina and her family clambered onto horse drawn carts. The destination was a neat compound near the village called Sobibor. A man in SS uniform…ordered women who could knit to step forward. It wasn’t exactly a rare skill among girls and women at this time, but most were reluctant to move. Why single themselves out? There could be safety in the crowd.
“Golda Feldman shoved her daughter forward, saying, ‘You can knit.’
“‘That was the last time I saw my family,’ Regina later mourned.”
Knitting kept Regina alive long enough to see the end of the war. She made warm clothes for the S.S. from yarn recycled from clothes left behind by people sent to the gas chambers.
Another girl, Anita, takes her red sweater from a similar pile of clothing in Birkenau. That sweater, too, increased her odds of survival because it protected her from the bitter winter.
The fourth sweater is Chana’s. She survives in occupied Poland because of her work as a stocking maker. The Germans shipped piles of clothing to Chana’s town. The townspeople use their skills to outfit the German military, who are killing Jews like Chana at scale.
Grafted among the four red sweaters are stories about everyday knitters during the war. Adlington was struck by how resourceful knitters could be. When supplies ran short—wool was needed by the military for uniforms—knitters unraveled, reknit, and repurposed.
“I’ve read so many stories of women knitting in bomb shelters, women knitting on public transport and meetings, women knitting in detention camps and concentration camps. That idea that it somehow keeps you going as well as producing things that you can wear or gift or sell,” Adlington said.
“I have a wonderful knitted blanket that was sent over from Boston during the war. This was part of a charity initiative to help people who’d been bombed out in Britain during the Blitz. All of the patches presumably were knitted by a group of knitters and then stitched together to make a patchwork blanket.
“I think that’s lovely. It’s got a few moth holes, as these things all do,” she said.
Adlington herself isn’t a knitter, not really.
“I can only knit squares,” she said. “I love the actual process of knitting. I love the tactile element of it. I love yarns. I love watching people knit. I love listening to it. I just can’t bloody do it.”
Recently, Adlington gave a talk about this book at the National Holocaust Museum in the UK. Afterwards, as she was signing copies for the audience, a woman asked “Can you sign the book, ‘Just knit’?
“I said, ‘Well, what’s the story there?’
“The woman started talking about her mother who always said, ‘Whenever you have a problem, whether it’s a war or bereavement or stress: Just knit. Just knit.’”
Four Red Sweaters isn’t an easy read but it is an important one. As Adlington points out, the past cannot be mended like a sweater. These lives were irrevocably changed and frequently ended because of a fascist regime.
“But the sweaters are not just emblems of atrocity, and they are far more than evidence of inhuman crimes,” Adlington writes.
“As the stories will make clear, they embody love. A love of life. Deathless mother love. Deep bonds of sibling love and loving friendships.
“The woolen yarns may be fragile, but the love endures, indestructible as long as the knowledge of it is kept alive.”
We have five copies of Four Red Sweaters to give away to MDK readers. Drop the name of the last book you read in a comment by April 28 at midnight eastern. Winners will be randomly chosen.
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What a lovely story. I’m reading Grace Livingston Hill’s ‘Dawn of the Morning’ just now, on Gutenberg.
If you like that book by GLH, you might also like a trilogy she wrote: Marcia Schulyer, Phoebe Dean, and Miranda. Same general time period, and set in New York State.
The Twilight Garden by Sarah Nisha Adams is a wonderful book. I laughed and cried
The Long Flight Home by Alan Hlad An interesting story based on homing pigeons during WWII
This sounds like a great read.
Last book I read was “Southern Woman ,Yankee Spy” by Elizabeth Varon.
I just finished The Last Flight
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister, it’s a novel about how books affect people. Very good!
Liverpool Bank Robber to Hollywood Butler by Terry Morgan. Crazy but true story!
The Last Devil to Die
A People’s history of the United States by Howard Zinn.
This in addition to Carl Hiaason’s books. He definitely has a way of expressing his love of Florida ecology, which is now lost to massive overdevelopment.
I don’t remember the last time I had time for fiction, but I am currently reading The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver, MD. It was recommended by a couple people and I am going through it right now. I’m about 3 chapters in, and I already wish I’d had access to this information 10 years ago when I started showing perimenopause symptoms without realizing what they were.
Four Red Sweaters does sound like a book I’d read; I like to broaden my view of history by way of personal stories like these. I’m curious what knitted items from right now might show up in museums in 50 years. I can think of a couple.
I am reading “Judaism is about Love” by Shai Held, which seems to be the point of the above blog article.
What a fascinating story, and so appropriate for MDK.
I’ve just finished reading Old Baggage by Lissa Evans. An old suffragette, still living with her thrilling past and trying to find her cause. Funny and sad, and full of charming observations and descriptions.
I tried to write a comment but it seems to have vanished… I’m not sure the previous book I read, it’s been a while because I’ve been knitting instead. I am currently reading The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver, MD. It was recommended by a couple people I know, and I am going through it now. I wish this book had been available 10 years ago.
Four Red Sweaters is the type of book I would read. I find it fascinating to get a closer look at what life was like for everyday people in different places and circumstances. I don’t bother with fluffy reading any more; I believe life is too short for anything that isn’t beneficial in some way. (And no, I am not pushing my views on anyone. If you like to read fluffy stuff, go for it! This is just my perspective.)
James by Percival Everett
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister, it’s a novel about how books affect people. Very good!
54 Miles, by Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Democracy Awakening, Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson. I highly recommend it.
I last read ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah
Your articles are wonderful, Adrienne. The idea to “just knit” is reminiscent of the beloved quote by Elizabeth Zimmerman: “Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises.” I will add “Four Red Sweaters” to my list!
The last book I read was “West with Giraffes” by Lynda Rutledge.
I’m currently reading “The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett.
The last book I read was The Lost Letter.
I was recently knitting while attending an online League of Women Voters meeting and someone asked if I was knitting in secrets for spies like resisters in WWII – that’s a lot a to live up to!
I last read a charming folk tale of sorts novel – The Tiger Wife.
Knitting and listening to audiobooks are wonderfully compatible activities. I’m currently listening to What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman. I will seek out Four Red Sweaters for my next read/listen. Stories of the Holocaust seem especially vital during this era when so many deny.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The last book I read was The Lost Letter.
Eileen Miller
The Nightingale – also a difficult read.
I just finished, “By Her Own Design: A Novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer;” an historical fiction by author Piper Huguley.
Ann Lowe was the designer of Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown.
I recently read the Anne Lowe story too! So good!
I recently read “Sipsworth” a book by Simon Van Booy. An unlikely friendship between a mouse and an old lady doesn’t sound like the book that will have you rushing to your local bookstore or library…. But take the time to discover why it should be just that book. The unlikely friendships forged because a mouse entered into a lonely older lady’s life are heart warming. The authors style of writing brings you instantly into the main characters home, where you can learn a friend can be found just about anywhere you are willing to open your eyes and look for one! Enjoyable read!
I knit the entire time my husband was undergoing chemo for pancreatic cancer. I still have that completed hanging in my bedroom; he is gone but I have this visual reminder of our love and persistence. Knitting was, and is, my way of surviving.
❤️
Thank you, Adrienne. The last book I read: Dream State by Eric Puchner
Those Who Knew by Idra Novey. Such a great book
Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody
Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon It’s a historical novel, based on the diary of Martha Ballard, an 18th century midwife. A fascinating look at her life and experiences.
The last book I finished was Murder, She Knit by Peggy Ehrhart. Fun little murder mystery that has a knitting component.
The Breaksway
Dream Count, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche.
The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore
I’m on the last few pages of Onyx Storm
“Here One Moment,” by Liane Moriarty. (Recommend!)
I belong to a “Crafty” book club. We read a variety of fiber related books and spend the evening knitting and discussing the topic. We are currently reading “Threads of Life” by Clare Hunter..A History of The World Through The Eye Of A Needle. I’m going to recommend “Four Red Sweaters” to our group.
Good recommendation! It is now on my list. I am reading The Accidental President. Excellent book and easy to read with fascinating facts about Truman becoming president and the problems he inherited from FDR. Not to mention WWII!
The Night Window by Dean Koontz
I am reading mostly fun escape books and just finished Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coban. Currently listening to, Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson.
Qigong Master Jim Nance.. my life story led me here. By Jim Nance and Naomi Joy Nance
The last book for me was”A Path of Sorrows”, special edition byPhillip Brescia. It’s about the passion of Christ written in the first person.
Just about finished with The Galton Affair by Ross MacDonald.
Nightwork by Nora Roberts
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Wonderful. My new favorite chapter of all time is the first one titled “Sally”.
Yes! Go, Sally!
I honestly can’t remember the title of the very last book I read- a coworker gave it to me and I didn’t have the heart to refuse it- and it was not bad a good break between denser books. I’m getting ready to read The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson about Churchill also recommended by another coworker.
Sometimes anymore I shy away from books on Holocaust but then I think oh my goodness they lived it you’re just reading it and we should honor them by remembering.
“Four Red Sweaters” sounds like a fascinating read!
I’m currently reading “This is the Story of a Happy Marriage” by Ann Patchett.
Cloth Lullaby
I can’t wait to read this book.
Last book I read all the way through is “Moon of the Turning Leaves” by Waubgeshig Rice (2nd of a 2 book series & FABulous! The 1st book is “Moon of the Crusted Snow”).
I’m still working my way through “Life of Pi” which I’m finding to be a good book, but I’m still struggling to really get into it. Watched the movie while partially through &… WTF? Why did they make the changes they made in the script?!?!
Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder.
Just finished Who’s That Girl by the fantastic Mhairi McFarlane. Perfect stress relieving read.
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A Silent Death by Peter May.
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods is the last book I read. I loved it!
As I was reading this piece, I stopped and added Four Red Sweaters to my library queue. This book sounds fascinating. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy!
The last book I read was:
The Game
By: Laurie R. King
Series: Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes , Book 7
The entire series takes you all over the world in great detail. An amazing series that I will listen to again.
The Women by Kristin Hannah.
Book I read “The Warmth of another Sun”
This book looks amazing, if that word can be used in conjunction with such horrors. Last book I read was “A Spy in the House of Loud” by Chris Stamey (of the dBs).
The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood
The Paris Daughter
Thank you for posting this article. Beautiful…and sobering. One of the last books I’ve read is “Independent People,” by Halldor Laxness. Everyone was knitting!
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
Will recommend Four Red Sweaters for our library.
I just finished-The Tiger:A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant.
“The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon. The real 18th c. hero Martha Ballard, a midwife and keeper of an extraordinary diary, knit (and accomplished oh so much more too!!).
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford, best book I’ve read in ages, but no knitting
Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear
We All Live Here by JoJo Moyes
The Wedding People
Just finished My Brillant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Starting on the second book, such a great series. The HBO series based on the books was excellent.
The Borrowed Life of Benjamin Fife
I’m reading I Seek a Kind Person.
Murder jn the Rue Dumas by ML Longworth
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Last sweater that I made was Ranunculus.
Last read Yellowface by R. F. Kuan (disturbing but compelling) Currently reading James by Percival Everett, but interrupted it to read Understood Betsy by Dorothy Carfield Fisher (originally published in 1917! I found a scholastic edition on my sister’s table – it survived a purge of old belongings – but I found it on kindle for .49) I’ll put the four red sweaters book on my must read list – thank you
My last read, and a Great one at that, was “The Thursday Night Murder Club” by Richard Osman. I read the full series which was a wonderful, and funny at times, exploration of very distinct characters.
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
I read “The Usual Desire to Kill” by Camilla Barnes. A very funny English novel recommended by Maureen Corrigan.
Thank you for sharing this book title, I can’t wait to read it. I find knitting to be soothing during time of stress and duress. The last book I read was Sweetland by Michael Crummey, a tale of survival and love of place in Newfoundland, but alas no knitting in it.
The Lion Women of Teheran by Marjan Kamali. A fascinating look into Iran. I have a friend who helped to survive Auschwitz by knitting and reknitting the same yarn over and over again.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Daring greatly
One Day by David Nicholls
Blackout. Historians from 2060 time travel to go back to WW2 England to observe. The segments about the Blitz are horrifying.
My book club just read By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. We also recently read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Loved them both.
Demon of Unrest by Erik Larsen about the beginning of the Civil War— very good.
A Line in the World, by Dorthe Nors…..a. Danish writer describing her part of Denmark. Thanks for this. I will read the Four Red Sweaters, but everyone else’s suggestions are also wonderful to have.
The last book I read was The Tell by Amy Griffin
A Wagon Train Weekend by Stephanie McGee.
Will read this book! One of the last books I read was After Annie by Anna Quindlen
I’m looking forward to starting a series called Knitting in the City by Penny Reid. Each book is about one of the members of a knitting club!
James – incredible book and so powerful in these awful times.
The last book I read was The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence.
Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner. If you love books and the places they can take you – and let’s face it, we all need an escape from time to time – add this to your TBR list. Transport yourself to post-war London and a bookshop that hasn’t changed the way it does business in over 100 years. The three women who work there, each with her own backstory, decide Things Must Change at Bloomsbury Books. It’s a well-plotted, heartwarming and testament to the power of books to change lives. I loved it.
The American Agent, by Jacqueline Winspear
Last book I read is 33 Place Bruggmann by Alice Austen, about the residents of an apartment in Brussels during German occupation. Some are Jewish, others have different reasons for fear. Now I’m reading One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter about two women, one Greek, one Italian during German invasions of Greece and Italy.
The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton Thank you for a wonderful article! I would love to win this book! I will read it even if I don’t win it.
Inspiring stories. Would love to win a copy but happy to purchase on my own.
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
The Help for the second time.
I forgot to mention the last book that I read was Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
Scrublands by Chris Hammer
Muir vs. Muir by Kari Lie Dorer . I am part of a zoom Bokprat at Vesterheim. I discovered I have some ancestors from Norway. Through these books I am learning about the lives of people from Norway. Part of my ongoing learning new things to enrich my life. Wanda
Everything is Tuberculosis
The Berry Pickers
How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeleine Martin
“Same As Ever” by Morgan Housel. Non-fiction; easy read; good foundation for understanding risk and logic.
Inspiring article, perfect for our times. My last book was The Secret War of Julia Child. And I highly recommend for all knitters Three Bags Full — a mystery whose detectives are a flock of sheep!
The Reading List. Wonderful article.
Knot Dead Again by Betty Hechtman
Well, I have enough drama in my life, so i only read children’s books. The last book I read was, “My Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World”, by Malcolm Mitchell. I read to a room full of kids, while wearing my police uniform, through our local Reading Buddy program
Today’s letter is beautiful and poignant. Thank you. The last book I read (on my way to Japan) is « the restaurant of lost recipes »
I just finished, “How Does That Make You Feel Mates Eklund” by Anna Montague.
I just finished listening to Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver also read by her. I love listening to her voice. This one about monarch migration.
I last read The Echo Wife which is fiction about the ethics cloning people.
Just finished Beautiful Ugly.
I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart
What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange
I just finished “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf “ by Rebecca Romney. So interesting! About the famous women writers who preceded JA, and how many of them were forgotten or discounted, even though wildly popular in their time.
I honestly can’t remember the last book I read, but I have The Nine waiting for me at the library today.
The Moviegoer for book club and The Barn for me.
“Open season” by Jonathan Kellerman
“All in the Family”, by Fred C. Trump. Knitting is sure keeping me sane in these times. I would love that book.
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Also a tale of survival but in a much different way. I loved it.
The last book I read was The Antidote by Karen Russell – highly recommend.
I just read It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. Written in 1936, it tells the story of an authoritarian president and the chaos that he created. Very scary to read now.
Just read Norwegian by night by Derek Miller. Fell in love with the main character, an 82 year old Jewish American Korean War vet who has just moved to Norway.
The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara Donati
Dear Edward. Great read, bit knitting in it!
Reading The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah —- a suggestion from The Lounge topic on books. Have so many books in my “ to read” from all the suggestions ! Thank you for that discussion!
This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter
I’m reading Eternal Life by Dara Horn for my synagogue book group. I’m definitely going to suggest Four Red Sweaters for our reading list next year.
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. We meet and care about individual families who stayed on the High Plains and survived during the thirties.
The Women
The Lambing Season by John Connell
I’m just finishing When the World Fell Silent – an interesting novel set during WWI in Halifax at the time of the Halifax explosion. There’s even a touch of knitting in it. Thanks for introducing me to Four Red Sweaters
The Women
Currently reading The Wedding People by Alison Espach. My book club recently read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn and By Any Other Name by Jody Picoult. Loved these books!
The Four Winds
Currently reading and enjoying A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell—fascinating bio of an American woman (and former socialite) who worked in France for a British spy organization during WWII, all the while wearing a wooden prosthetic leg. a real-life thriller!
My last book: knitting pattern essentials by sally Melville – yes I read non-fiction for enjoyment and entertainment.
I just finished read The Atomic City Girls, which was about 2 women working in Oakridge Tennessee during WW2, working on a government project (which turned out to be the atomic bomb.)
The World’s Fair Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
Last book I read was The Act of Disappearing. Hope to read this one soon!
The Women
I don’t want a copy of the book–I’m currently reading a copy from my local Library. I’m just commenting to encourage others to read the book. I find it very moving to read their specific stories, and to be reminded of the way clothing was experienced differently during the war years than today’s fast, or even slow fashion. So far, a good read.
I’m currently reading Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki. It’s historical fiction about Margaret Fuller who was a writer and contemporary of Emerson and Thoreau. She was an advocate for women’s rights and the first female war correspondent. I was taught to knit by my grandmother whose presence I feel when I’m holding needles and yarn!
Winter’s Tale, by Mark Halpren, an ode to New York City and my imagination, and for my hands, The Geometry of Hand-Sewing, by Alabama Chanin.
I just finished reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, which I purchased at Parnassus Books, as a(nother) souvenir from my trip to Nashville for the NYFest. When I read about WWII, it is the personal stories that are most meaningful to me, so I’m looking forward to reading Four Sweaters. Thanks for the recommendation!
My last book was Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I recommend it!
I’m late to the game, but finally have the time to start the Hillary Mantel three-book series starting with “Wolf Hall”. Absolutely drawn in from the start!
The Boxcar Librarian
The English Understand Wool, by Helen DeWitt. Loved this short story!
I am listening to “Demon of Unrest” by Erik Larsen while I KNIT. Excellent nonfiction account of the the years leading up to Fort Sumpter and the Civil War.
Hello, Just finished When We Left Cuba, the second book in the trilogy by Chanel Cleeton.
Just finished “Slough House”, the last in the “Slow Horses” series, about a group of misfits who screwed up in the Secret Service in the UK. It’s weirdly comforting.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo A tome. But so much more than the stage and screen that I also love.
The Woman Who Could Not Be Silenced Currently: Stanley Tucci’s What I Ate In A Year
Currently reading “How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?” By Anne Montague.
I’m reading MARCH by Geraldine Brooks. Knitting plays a role here too. His daughters and wife knit for him during the civil war.
I love the kind of books that take a small slice of everyday life and amplify it. Knitting is my salve now as my husband battles cancer. I too, ” just knit”! The last book I read was The Women by Kristen Hannah.
Last book read: The Wonen by Kristen Hannah
Kristin Hannah’s The Women. Powerful story of nurses serving in Vietnam.
Last book read, A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Towes. The Past Cannot be mended will be going on my to read list!
Just finished a book of short stories by Jill McCorkle called “Old Crimes.” She’s one of my favorite authors. I own every one of her books. I’ll most certainly read “Four Red Sweaters” whether I win it or not, and “Dressmakes of Auschwitz” was already on my “to read” list.
What an important book at this moment of our lives. Thank you. My latest read, another about times of conflict, was Elephant Company.
The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA by Liza Mundy
Tell The Rest by Lucy Jane Bledsoe.
Pelican point
My last book was The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. The 2nd book was The Glass Chateau by Stephen P Kiernan
“O Jerusalem” by Laurie R King. The series is about a young woman who befriends an older Sherlock Holmes and becomes his apprentice.
Just added this book to my TBR list. I just finished re-reading The Great Gatsby in honor of its 100th anniversary.
Four red Sweaters is another view of knitting and history that needs to be told. So much hatred in our world then and now. Last book I read was A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde
I just finished “North Woods” by Daniel Mason.
“The Rose Code” By Kate Quinn. It’s about 3 women who broke codes at Bletchley Park in WWII.
The last book I read is The Last Train to London, by Meg Waite Clayton, about a related topic-saving children during the Holocaust. I would love to read Four Red Sweaters.
Adina
Thank you, MDK and Adrienne Martini, for highlighting this book! Coincidentally, I’ve just reread The Diary of Anne Frank, after experiencing a very emotional visit to her family’s WWII hiding place in Amsterdam in March.
My last book was Confessions of a Forty something F*ck Up, very good read!
The book I just finished is “The Last Chinese Chef”
Can’t wait to read Four Red Sweaters
My last book is The Brier Club by Kate Quinn and the book before that is The Glass Chateau by Stephen P.Kieran. The Brier club takes place in Washington DC in early 1950’s in a boarding house. The 2nd book takes place in France after WWII and how a man in the Resistance finds meaning for himself Very much enjoyed both books
The last book I read is Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara. A funny and inspirational book for all women over 50 who feel like they are no longer seen
Thank you for bringing this book to our attention. I’ve have added this to my Libby list (3 month wait!). I just finished reading (audiobook) ‘An Unfinished Love Story’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin. (Highly recommend) and currently re reading Ann Hood’s ‘Kitchen Yarns’ (also wonderful).
All the Colors of the Dark
The Women by Kristin Hannah.
The last book I read was The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I needed a light book after reading 1984!
A World of Curiosities by the fabulous Louise Penny…
May I please live in Three Pines???
In My Time of Dying by Sebastian Junger. From surfing to quantum physics. A fascinating read.
All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Brinkley. Highly recommend!
Prayers in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep, by Tish Harrison Warren.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson. This was the second book in a murder-mystery series which is has a lot of comic relief. Perhaps others will find it enjoyable as I did.
I definitely want to read Four Red Sweaters! My grandmother was from the UK and in London during the Blitz. She was the first person to teach me to knit and I treasure the few hand knitted items I still have that she knitted for me as a child.
Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
The Many Loves of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
Last book I read: Fly Girls
Truman, by David McCulloch. long book, but a brilliant look at the Truman presidency, and Truman, the man. The last man to become president without a college education, but a very practical guy who governed with heart.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-little-red-dress
I’m reading the Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese — a recommendation from the Lounge.
The last book I read was Happy Land by Dolen Perkins Valdez. Is there a pattern for the sweater?
I finished Outlander for the third time. I needed Jamie and Claire story in my mind again.
James by Perceval Everett
I just read “Black Cake” by Charmaine Wilkerson.
Ironically I just finished A Castle in Brooklynn, a story about Polish survivors in the US. I believe it is historical fiction. The author’s parents were Holocaust survivors.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides. It is the story of the last voyage of Captain James Cook. Being from North Yorkshire I have always been fascinated about him. Sadly his wife destroyed all his letters upon his death so we will never really know the “personal” man. I listen to audio books so I can knit at the same time.
This reminded me of the red coat in Schindler’s List.
The last book I read was Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (an oldie) – not my favourite, but not every book can be great.
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin.
The Black Bird Oracle
A Mind to Murder by PD James.
Small Things Like These by Clare Keegan
A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym
Boys In the Boat
My last book read was The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.
The last book I read is John Boyne’s “All the Broken Places.”
Read the Oedipus trilogy (Rex, at Colonus, Antigone) after avoiding it for 40+ years. Why did I think these stories would be difficult? They’re relatively short, poetically written, and cover familiar subjects. There’s road rage, the inevitability of the oracle’s pronouncements, and a person with kindness and a deep moral center.
Every Valley by Charles King. A book about how GF Handel came to write the Messiah, his life and fascinating details about many of the people who worked with him and their governments. It’s about a whole society, what people struggled with and for, their philosophies, their fears, their contacts with people in other countries. I’ve stopped reading and gone back to read it aloud to my partner!
Behind the Scenes by Elizabeth Keckley
It’s about an enslaved woman who bought her freedom through sewing and became Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker.
I just finished The Island by Elin Hildebrand. Loved it!
This book sounds amazing. Must read.
The Coat Route
My “books to read” list is filled for the near future! And so many fond memories of books I’ve enjoyed. Book I am currently reading is “When the Going Was Good” by Grayson Carter, the former editor of Vanity Fair. It is great bedtime reading as each chapter is a short-ish essay. Prior to that I went back to an old favorite: September, by Rosamund Pilcher.
Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
Knitting is historic! I’m reading The Ride of Her Life, James and The Book of Alchemy.
The last book i read was Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Go As A River
Just finished listening to Last Twilight In Paris by Pam Jenoff. Love this author’s focus on all women have done during wartime!
Thank you for the review of this book that I’ve just put on my Read Next list. I’ve just read An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alexander Tresniowski. So many wonderful books to read!
Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton. It’s a beautifully written account.
The last book I read was “James” by Percival Everett. Both of the books mentioned will go on my “books to read” list.
“killing Jews at scale” is an odd and incomplete phrasing.
I worked on textile objects that were in a Kindertransport exhibit that has traveled around the US … the objects that mothers lovingly sewed or knitted (or used their talents to hide objects inside linings of coats) was beyond touching, it was tear inducing.
I restored a dress that was a combination of knitted panels and silk that a mother made for her daughter, and apparently the mother cried the whole time she was making it. Most of these children never saw their parents again. Mounted armbands for display … working with these objects is chilling.
Knitting wise, the Holocaust Museum in DC has a green knitted sweater whose story has been told and has been patterned … I believe it is on Ravelry as well.
Objects tell stories. And so many are so sad; yet their existence tells us that we can, and must, never forget.
That phrase stopped me too so I googled “at scale”. The definition is does mean “on a large scale” which one would assume but I never heard that shortened version before.
Perhaps it is a British literary expression….
forgot to add: last book I read: “The Ghosts of Rome” by Joseph O’Connor about the Escape Line in WWII Italy.
The Promise by Damon Galgut
The Color of Water
The last day of the dinosaurs. I know but I’m retired now and do knit every day! Very interesting article!
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig. It was a favorite in my book club. It is a lovely, uplifting story.
These comments are a wonderful book list and would keep me busy for a long time! I’m reading The War Pianist by Mandy Robotham. Must read Four Red Sweaters, sounds so good.
I just finished “There’s Something About Mira: A Novel” by Sonali Dev.
Reading now:
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
Fly Girl by Ann Hood
My sister the serial killer
The last book I read was “Summer” by Edith Wharton. It is a gem among Wharton’s many other works. I found it haunting. I still cannot stop thinking about it, so I find it difficult to move on to other books that I had planned to read.
I just finished teaching a college class on the short story. Probably the last complete book I read was Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.
I am very happy to learn about this book because I will be teaching a class on knitting in the fall (for an Art credit!), and Four Red Sweaters will be an apt addition to the reading list.
Looking for organizations that want knitted donations for my students to contribute to, so I’d love to hear about those.
I certainly want to read both of her books! Currently I am on a little mystery ‘kick’ and started Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache mysteries.
I saw Four Red Sweaters for the first time yesterday and today I find a review!
The last bookI read was The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James.
The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel.
All the Colors of the Dark is the last book I read.
Will definitely read this one
Carless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
I just finished reading All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me, by Patrick Bringley. Lovely memoir.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
I love this! “Just knit.”
Earlier this week I finished The Antidote by Karen Russell. Still thinking about the characters. Highly recommend it – it’s a unique story of motherhood and survival in 1930’s Nebraska.
The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin – a biography-adjacent look at the unconventional creator of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
I re-read The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. Currently considering my next book, since Life Hacks for a Little Alien is proving to be a bust.
Coincidentally, I am in the middle of A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed by the Rise of Fascism. Highly recommend. Frightening parallels.
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Thanks for this wonderful letter!
Wow, what a powerful read that must be. Would love to get a copy!
I’m reading The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns.
The Women by Kristin Hannah about women nurses/soldiers during Vietnam War. Eye opening historical fiction about the role heroic women played during this tragic time in American History.
Last book I read —
The Desire of Ages
Wonderful book about how Jesus lives and saves us.
Almost done with the book by Patty Lyons Knitters Bag of Tricks. I highly recommend this book!
Timely article, as I have Four Red Sweaters on my list to read.
Just finished Black woods Blue sky by Eowyn Ivey – interesting read, well written.
Stories of the Holocaust must never be erased! I would very much love to read this book!
The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff. A wonderful book and if you are so inclined the audible version is fantastic!
Just finished Louise Penny’s The Brutal Telling & while waiting for the next book in the series am reading a non-fiction book The Empire of Deception by Dean Jobb
I have recently read five books I highly recommend: American Bloomsbury by Susan Cheevers, James by Percival Everett, Horse by Geraldine Brooks, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kinsolver, and Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki. I have loved each and for different reasons.
I just finished Simon the Fiddler. This book seems like one every knitter should have on her shelf.
Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Beautiful life stories.
I last read Knit with Love by Lisa Bogart.
The last book I finished was called Healing the Modern Brain: Nine Tenets to Build Mental Fitness and Revitalize Your Mind by Drew Ramsey. Next on my list is Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change by Cady Coleman.
I just finished “Emotional Agility,” by Susan David on the recommendation of a friend. It was literally a life transforming read. She helps you re-evaluate your life experiences and “downsize” your life by letting go of unrealistic attitudes, people and obligations to live an authentic life. I recommend it to others to “learn the heartbeat of your own why.”
The last book I read was: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
What an important story to remember the brutality of human history and endurance of love.
My last book read: Who Is Government? by Michel Lewis. My favorite essay was about Jared Koopman, The Cyber Sleuth at the IRS.
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Lett
The Luminaries by Eleanor Cotten
I’m listening to Robert Caro’s Master of the Senate (5 hours into 54+). And I just finished David Sheff’s The Buddhist on Death Row.
Here’s hoping our new friend Lucy Adlington might be a great candidate to knit Log Cabin squares? Thank you for this lovely column today!
I am listening my way through Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache Series. I just finished “ THE NATURE OF THE BEAST” and now enjoying “ A GREAT RECKONING “. Audio books are my best friends as I am struggling with some vision issues. ( Right eye healing. Left surgery TBD) . Once glasses get sorted reading an actual book will be possible! But listening and knitting heavenly .
I read “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon. Based on a real woman, it tells the story of an amazing midwife in 18th century Vermont. This was a woman who took care of the women in her community while maintaining her own home and raising a family. Cooking canning, sewing, and candle making all had to be done at home while traveling on horseback to deliver babies in icy weather. Her strength and integrity as a woman in that time remains a testament to women of will, courage and immense faith.
The last book I read is called Pilobolus. It’s a history of the decades old American dance company.
I just finished listening to the audiobook of The Waiting, by Michael Connelly.
Little Wartime Library by kate thompson
I’m just finishing The Underground Man by Ross MacDonald. Please put me on the list for this interesting book! Thanks.
Just finished Twist by Colum McCann. Highly recommend.
“James” by Pervival Everett
The last book I read is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. It is simply exquisite.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Thank you for this. I just bought the book. Now more than ever…..
Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora.
I just finished “The Foundling” by Ann Leary. Currently reading “We All Live Here” by JoJo Moyes.
Whether I win or not, this is going on my Goodreads list. History, fascinating and tragic.
Playground by Richard Powers
My Jewish community in Huntsville, Alabama does a special program every year for Holocaust Remembrance Day to which the whole community is invited. Also, the University of Alabama at Huntsville always does a program, and before the current administration, the Redstone Arsenal always did something. This year it was canceled. We have to never forget the horror and atrocity of the Holocaust, but also recognize that there was resistance and the courage of those who fought to survive.
James Madison by Lynne Cheney
I finished James by Percevil Everett yesterday. It was so good, and powerful.
The last book I read was Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club. Wonderful book and highly recommended!
It Must be Beautiful to be Finished by Kate Gies
Empress of the Nile, by Lynne Olson, non-fiction although almost unbelievable biography. Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, who dared to become an Egyptologist in the 1930s, fought her way into academia and the Louvre, was in the first cell of the French Resistance, as Louvre staff undertook huge effort to move and hide the collection from the Nazis, archaeologist and major force behind moving monuments out of the path of Egypt’s Aswan Dam—which is why the Temple of Dendur is at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC and not under water in Egypt.
“A Mind Unraveled: a true story of disease, love and triumph” by Kurt Eichenwald
Thank you – What a wonderful list of books – and for the “Four Red Sweaters” story.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. I am inspired by strong, independent women as heroines.
Just finished Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (who my husband taught in high school!)
Murder on an Irish Farm by Carlene O’Conner
I just finished listening to the book Women by Kristin Hannah. I had read the book when it first came out and wanted to read it again.
I just finished “Where Shadows Dance” by C. S. Harris, a series with Sebasian St. Cyr, a 19th century Inspector Lynley (from BBC TV). He solves murders, and this one is about the beginning of the War of 1812. Great reading!
Thanks to all for the book recommendations, and to MDK for the drawing.
The last book I read was Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. It was fantastic!
The Siren’s Call by Chris Hayes.
What a wonderful cache of books to read in these comments!
I know… Gotta stop reading collections of “books I’ve read” because it always makes my TBR lest blow up! 🙂 Seeing lots of favorites here, lots of titles already on my TBR list, and a few that just jumped on there as I was reading…
So many books. So little time!
Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray The story of Frances Perkins the first female cabinet member. Excellent read
The Dutch House by Ann Patchet
I just finished Harlan Coben’s great new book “Nobody’s Fool” this morning. It is, like all Coben’s books, an exciting read, but it’a also a story of many kinds of love. No knitting in it, though.
I’ve just finished reading “But You Don’t Look Autistic” by Bianca Toeps, at the request of my daughter.
The last book I read (just finished) is “In the Footsteps of Sheep”. Loved it! I learned a lot, too.
“Clock Dance” by Anne Tyler
The lost girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
Radar Girls – another WWII story
Thank you for this article. The last book I read was “The Soul of an Octopus “ by Sy Montgomery.
Three Days in June
By Ann Tyler
A lovely respite!
33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen
I just finished reading The Vanishing Fleece. It is a great book,which explores the changing wool production business in the United States.
Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Last book I read: Horse, by Geraldine Brooks (no knitting involved).
The last book I read was “The Women” by Kristin Hannah. Another great book about women.
The Nightingale by
Kristin Hannah
The last book I finished was “The Secret Life of Sunflowers”. Enjoyed it!
My last book was “James” another story of survival
The last book I read, rather than listened to, was by Richard Osman – The Last Devil to Die. Although a work of fiction, it also deals with how to cope with dementia in a very poignant way.
I last read ‘Demon Copperhead’, Barbara Kingsolver’s novel based loosely on ‘David Copperfield’ and set in modern day Appalachia, a region near and dear to the author’s heart. I did not want it to end.
Last book read was The “Lost and Found Bookshop” by Susan Wiggs. Asks the question, “If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be?”
I hate to admit it, but I cannot recall the last time I’ve read for the sheer pleasure of reading a book. This does sound like a book I’d be interested in — thanks for the review!
Demon Copperhead. Great book
Just finished The Shell Collector, a collection of short stories by Anthony Doerr. I’m currently reading an autobiography of a Navajo Code Talker, Chester Nez
Demon Copperhead
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
quote from George Santayana in “The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress”
Knitting and history are my great passions!
Last book read: “Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War” by Friederike Baer
The last book I read was in my queue for years, The Book Thief. I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. Now to find the movie . I will add the Four Red Sweaters to my queue.
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel–a great addition to watching the Masterpiece series.
The Road Years
Tottering in my Garden by Midge Ellis Keeble. An absolute delight that I re-read every two years or so.
Thanks for writing about this book. It sounds very interesting. The last book I read was Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver. Also a hard book to read, but a great voice for the main character and a page turner.
Just finished “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War” by Karen Abbott
Last book read: The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Lawson
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Nightingale
The Genius of Birds, by Jennifer Ackerman
Oddly enough, the last book I finished was “Sisters Under the Rising Sun”, by Heather Morris. It also features women (mostly Australian army nurses and British citizens) caught in the fall of Shanghai early in WWII. These amazingly resourceful and resilient women, interned in Japanese detention camps for over three years, used music rather than knitting to form community bonds.
p.s.s.- The Husband just sent me this article about the book; it has more illustrations and a schematic of a sweater in it; worth a read to those who are interested.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/clothing-historian-stitches-together-holocaust-history-by-focusing-on-womens-work/
The Little Green Sweater:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-green-sweater
https://www.ushmm.org/collections/the-museums-collections/curators-corner/a-cherished-object-kristine-kerens-green-sweater
The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
This book has passed down through my family. I was probably the last to read. But none the less, grateful. A truly inspirational read. Thank you.
Adrienne, you always have such interesting things to talk to us about, and they are so varied and fascinating. Thank you for sharing this book with us. I look forward to reading it!
I just finished reading The White Ladder, by Daniel Light, which led to Lost Explorer by Conrad Anker & David Robert’s, which led to my current read, Mallory, Irvine, and Everest by Dr. Robert H Edwards.
Howl’s Moving Castle – finished reading it to my kids last weekend.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Reindeer of Chinese Gardens. I will add Four Sweaters to my reading list.
I just finished the Bainbridge and Sparks mystery, “An Excellent thing in a Woman” by Allison Montclair.
wow what a story.
last book I read was,
the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James mcbride
The Bone People by Keri Hulme
Four red sweaters sounds like an amazing and important read!
The last book I read is: The book club for troublesome women by Marie Bostwick.
Life on Svalbard by Cecilia Blomdahl. Beautiful photography along with the narrative.
Last book read: The Library Book
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.
Historical fiction set in Cypress and narrated by a fig tree.
A History of the Big House
Just finished Fatherland by Robert Harris – published over 30 years ago, and somehow still relevant today…
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Wonderful book.
I’m near the end of The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods. It brings in the WW2 regional history, including the transport of the Jews on their way to the camps. This is the third book by Evie that I’ve read. She also wrote The Lost Bookshop and The Story Collector.
I just finished “Tell Me Everything” by Elizabeth Strout. But gosh I’d love to win a copy of Adlington’s book.
I just finished rereading The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacob’s, and am halfway through the sequel, Knit Two.
The Goddess of Warsaw
The Cavelier: The Story of Le Chevalier d’Eon
Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik
Just finished reading Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree by David George Haskell. Thanks for sharing such an interesting book with us.