Casting off was one of the warmest books I read during these holidays. In a way, it felt like a really nice Christmas present too - it was just what I needed. I liked just about everything about it - except maybe for the dialogues, as they can be a little stiff and artificial - but I've noticed that this is a very common thing in American books, so perhaps it's understandable. Other than that, the book offered a safe-feeling atmosphere which I happened to be needing at the time I received it. I really liked the theme of letting go - because, incidentally, I was facing similar thoughts at the time. There were at least two instances when certain passages in the book seemed to refer to my situation and suggested commentary, which in turn made me think about certain things more deeply, of course.
Another thing I really liked about the book is how knitting patterns were used in the beginning of every chapter. Although - I have to say - it is regrettable that they're only explained and not drawn or photographed. I caught myself googling the patterns numerous times, trying to imagine them better!

Now for the actual tale.. The book is layered very nicely - parts of the story happen in the current time, parts of it intertwine with memories of the past. You don't really find out what happened in the main character's past almost till the very end - although you do have your suspicions. Both the stories of the main character Rebecca and and the old man Sean are touching, yet sad. Although Rebecca has no way of facing her actual past, Sean's history is used in the book to act as the 'other side' of what happened - through the similarities of their lives - similar disaster, yet different side of the experience. Both these stories are nicely tied together by the innocent affection and understanding of a small child (Rebecca's daughter) - the unconditional understanding that most adults will have lost the capacity to give because of preconceptions and past experiences.

Generally, if you're looking for hope, warmth and reassurance - this book is the book for you. It's the kind of book you'll want to read curled up on the sofa by an (imaginary, perhaps) fireplace with some hot cocoa in your mug.. trying to delay the ending as long as you can.

EDIT: I wonder if I mentioned anywhere that I received this as a Firstreads giveaway. In case I haven't, I'm mentioning it now :) ( )

This book was chosen by my knitting group. The object was to read the book and then put together a swap parcel based on the book.

Luckily it is pretty easy to put together a lovely swap parcel on Ireland, because if it was based on the book I would have a nearly empty box.

Each chapter began with a definition of a type of stitch found in a 'gansey' - a typical Irish Fisherman's sweater. That was interesting.

The chapter itself dealt with the story and lives of a young woman and her daughter who were spending the summer in Ireland to research these sweaters and their history. That was not.

The characters in this book - all of whom had great potential were very two-dimensional. The story was extremely predictable - but charged in a straight line from beginning to end. There was no nuance. There were no winding paths. There was very little explanation of how these characters came to have the personalities the did. They just were.

On the whole - this book felt like a high school girl's attempt at writing a great love story and it fell flat. Shame - because it could have been a pleasant romance novel. ( )

Loved this story. The sense of place and the characters of the story were so vividly described and just came alive for me; reading it was like watching a movie. It kept me reading because I wanted to know what happened to everyone but I really didn't want the book to end. And you don't need to know anything about knitting to enjoy the story. ( )