The Great Christmas Knit-Off
By Alex Brown
4/5
()
About this ebook
In the tradition of Trisha Ashley and Jenny Colgan, this first book in a new series by Alexandra Brown—author of the popular Cupcakes at Carrington’s series—tells the hilarious, heartwarming story of a jilted bride who anticipates a lonely Christmas but instead finds herself in the tiny village of Tindledale, where the residents share her obsession with knitting.
When life unravels, it’s time to knit…
Sybil has always taken comfort in her passion for knitting, creating beautiful knits stitch by stitch. But her world suddenly unravels when her fiancé ditches her for her identical twin sister at her Star Wars-themed wedding, leaving her sporting a Princess Leia do. Then things go from bad to worse when an incident at work jeopardizes her job.
Hoping to escape her woes and forget that she’ll be alone for Christmas this year, she visits her friend in Tindledale—a winter wonderland of quaint shops and snowy rooftops. When she arrives in the idyllic town, she can’t help feeling like she’s in a Hallmark greeting card. She’s embraced by welcoming—if eccentric—locals wearing handmade knits that remind Sybil of her own creations as well as her unrealized ambitions of selling them. So when the vintage boutique asks her to make an assortment of knits for their display window, she’s thrilled. The hot town doctor has even taken an interest in Sybil, hoping to heal her broken heart.
But just when Sybil thinks she’s going to have her fairytale Christmas after all, an unexpected turn of events threatens to unspool her happily ever after.
Alex Brown
Alex Brown is the International No. 1 bestselling author of twelve books including the hugely popular Carrington’s series, The Great Christmas Knit Off, The Great Village Show, The Secret of Orchard Cottage and A Postcard from Italy. Her uplifting books are published worldwide and have been translated into twenty languages. She lives by the sea inSouth East England with her husband, daughter and two very glossy black Labradors.
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Reviews for The Great Christmas Knit-Off
43 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you love crafts, Christmas and romance, this is the perfect book!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Great Christmas Knit-OffByAlexandra BrownWhat it's all about...Poor sweet Sybs! Her evil twin sister has run off with Sybs fiancé...literally moments before their wedding. Star Wars themed...a fiancé name Luke and invitations that read...May the Fourth Be With You! Heeheehee! Sybs and her loyal goofy dog Basil run off to stay in the country with her friend Cher...Sybs is also in a wee bit of trouble at work. So...she and Basil leave for a nice country visit and a whole bunch of knitting and a chance to forget! Why I wanted to read it...This book had everything that I wanted in a book right now...snow, Christmas, a lovely little town, a pub, a handsome country doctor, a cool Inn owner, a little Scottie dog and a knitting shop in desperate need of a rescue...including its fragile owner...Hettie! What made me truly enjoy this book...The characters and their situations were delightful! I wanted to cheer on Sybs and Hettie and boo Sasha...the evil twin. I also wanted to boo poor Hettie’s obnoxious money grubbing nephew...who also wanted her land as well as her shop! But...leave it to Sybs and Basil to get strong and hopefully save the day!Why you should read it, too...I loved this book! The knitting was fun. The characters were fun. I could easily read more knitting books...especially if they are set in this sweet little town.This is my book! I bought it, read it and loved it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The story is told from the point of view of Sybil, a woman in her early thirties. She decides to go and spend the weekend in a place called Tindledale. Things start to go wrong right from the start... Most of the book takes place in this picturesque (albeit somewhat caricatured) village where everyone knows and cares about everyone else. There are a lot of people in the book despite it being such a small village, and I found myself getting confused at times; not that it mattered unduly. The main characters were nicely drawn, though; I could certainly believe in Sybil and also in the somewhat klutzy (but very handsome) doctor.I liked the knitting aspect, although I wasn’t entirely sure I believed in the ability of the group of women to do as much knitting as they had to towards the end of the book. Nor was I impressed with the single small pattern offered at the end, for a Christmas pudding; the simplistic instructions clearly didn’t match the picture that went with it. Still, it's a pleasant story with some mildly amusing sections, and one or two quite moving ones. Recommended in a low-key way for those who enjoy undemanding women’s fiction.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sibyl flees the various disasters of her London life to visit her friend in a tiny country town... and when Cher isn't there, she ends up staying at a B&B and getting involved in village life, and acts as something of a catalyst for some of their problems.This is a sweet, heartwarming, holiday read, with no pretense to be anything more; pure basic chick lit. The characters are well-drawn enough, but there's a higher level of flamboyance and eccentricity than I think would be likely in such a small town.; still that makes for a more entertaining read.A couple of quirks in Brown's writing grated on me, too- especially "grin" as a synonym for "say"- used once or twice such can add flavor, but regular use gets annoying.The knitting content is there, but not all that important- and the pattern in the back does not even reflect its own picture there, since the pic is all knitted, and the pattern uses felt and beads instead of various knitted components. Disappointing!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5My first attempt at reading anything by this author was Cupcakes at Carrington's. I only read about three chapters and put the book down. Despite my efforts of trying that book I just could not get into it. To be honest when I picked up this book I did not recognize that it was the same author until I saw the list of titles in the beginning of the book. Yet I have to say that this book is ten times better than the prior novel. I now have a different reaction to this author and will probably check out more books by this author in the future. This book is a charming, fun read. It really does get you into the holiday spirits. Everyone at Tindledale is so friendly. If this town existed I would want to visit it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You might just be saying to yourself - Christmas books already Luanne?! Well, I've had snow at my place already. And yes, I'm going to say it.....only nine weeks 'til Christmas. I absolutely adore reading Christmas stories in the weeks leading up to the 25th.And here's one feel good read you absolutely need to put on your Christmas reading list - The Great Christmas Knit-Off by Alexandra Brown.Sybil's life has unraveled - she's been jilted, left at the alter by her ex-fiancee - who took off with her twin sister - at work, she may be the one responsible for a large amount of missing money, transferred with a mistaken key stroke - and more. When her bestie takes over running a wee little pub in the village of Tindledale, Sybs decides to visit and get away from her life for a weekend.Uh huh, you know what's coming don't you? Warm, wonderful, friendly, quirky characters inhabit the village of Tindledale and Sybs is immediately welcomed. When she discovers a wool shop, she knows she's found a kindred spirit in Hettie, the aged owner. But Hettie's nephew is determined to put her in a home and take over her property. Oh, and did I mention the handsome (single) village doctor?Sybil is a character the reader is immediately drawn to - she's someone you'd love to have as a friend. The reader can't help but cheer her on as she starts to reclaim her life and move forward. There's a lovely sense of community as the residents work together to save Hettie's store. Romance of course figures into the plot - with the requisite missteps, mistakes and miscommunication. Good and bad (that nasty nephew) battle and there are many poignant moments with Hettie as her past is explored and revealed.Me? I'd love to be part of the knit and natter group. (There's also a pattern included at the back of the book for one of Sybil's projects.) Or settle in for a pint at the Duck and Puddle and catch up on the latest. Make yourself a warm cup of tea - or better yet a cup of cocoa - and settle in for a perfect, heartwarming Christmas read. (This is the first book in Brown's new series set in Tindledale.)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5"The Great Christmas Knit-Off" by Alexander Brown is the first novel in her new Tindledale series. What makes this novel intriguing, is that it is written in a style that reflects the current cultural background of modern-day Britain. The character Sybs is a joy to read about. She teaches a lesson to the reader to stand up for yourself, and your dreams.Her dream is to own and manage a haberdashery shop for her love of knitting.I enjoyed this novel very much, and plan to re-read it just before Christmas again. It would make a great Christmas tradition to read "The Great Christmas Knit-Off" every holiday season.I received a copy of this novel from the Goodreads Giveaway from the publisher, William Morrow, to review.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sybil's year is not going well, her fiance left her on the altar for her twin, there's a mess in work that might have been her fault, her mind really hasn't been on the job and her mother keeps pressurising her to go back with her finance or talk to her sister, or both.She runs away to the picturesque village of Tindledale, where her friend runs a pub. There she finds a variety of characters and I felt like I had read this before, not a bad read but not original, light but didn't give me a real feeling of place