THE KNITTING CIRCLE gets my vote when it comes to reading a good book about people and their lives, the kind of book I most enjoy.  Was this book perfect?  Well, maybe not, but it the kind of book that kept me reading on into the night to find out what the next person's story was.  I was somewhat reminded of HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT (Whitney Otto) in which a group of women also have individual stories to share with the young woman.  But these stories were different from those and even though it was a bit sad, it was definitely well written, as are all of Ann Hood's books.