Anne Bartlett
Anne Bartlett is a South Australian writer.
She is best known for her novel Knitting; a novel, published in 2005 by Houghton Mifflin USA and Penguin Australia, and in 2006 by Penguin UK, and written as the creative component of a creative writing PhD at the University of Adelaide. It is also available as a Bolinda audio book. Knitting was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award 2006.
She is currently working on a new novel, The Tiger Game, set in the fictitious Murray Mallee town of Harveston. For more information see Blog page.
Anne spent her childhood in the Murray Mallee and then the Adelaide Hills, where she now lives with her husband, on the border between suburbia and orchards, and where koalas climb a tree in her front yard. She has four children and ten grandchildren, which is enough for anybody.
"A moving story about true love and haunting grief." –Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap
"A love of the handicraft in question is not a prerequisite for appreciating [Knitting] . . . The finished product has a subtle beauty." –The Washington Post
"Compelling . . . There is a lot in this book for anyone who ponders the big questions of life: the nature of friendship, the need for meaningful work, the comfort of sharing grief." –Bookpage
"A quiet, literary book exploring grace, loss, suffering, community, and forgiveness." –Christianity Today "What could be better than a good story about knitting? Anne Bartlett's Knitting fits the bill." –Creative Knitting "Well-crafted . . . thoughtful and genuine." –Australian Book Review
"A beautiful novel that is, at its heart, about forgiveness." –Book Sense Notables
"The believable, well-constructed dialogue captures the tension and tenderness of friendship. And the words the characters don't share with each other electrify the scenes." –Sydney Morning Herald
"A sweetly winning tale." –Kirkus Reviews
"An enthralling story about the healing power of friendship." –Library Journal
"I loved Knitting. It's simply magnificent. The relationships are beautifully, delicately offered and the story is as reaffirming as anything I've read in years." –Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog
"Reading Knitting is an experience as sensual and mystical as plunging your hands into skeins of wool and color . . . A joyful narrative of creating and connecting." –Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife
"A wonderful tale . . . both beautiful and deeply satisfying." –Connie May Fowler, author of Before Women Had Wings
"In the tradition of Anita Brookner and Barbara Pym, Anne Bartlett has written a sly, stirring look at women's lives." –Meg Wolitzer, author of The Wife.