Book Review: “Summer on Blossom Street” by Debbie Macomber

Debbie Macomber’s summertime entry in her Blossom Street series, titled simply “Summer on Blossom Street”, is a sweet story about a tight-knit community in the heart of Seattle.

Optimistic cancer survivor Lydia Goetz runs a yarn store called A Good Yarn. As she and her husband Brad await the arrival of a baby to adopt, Lydia  advertises for a  class to be taught in her store called Knit to Quit. It will be a knitting class with a twist; everyone in the group is there to substitute knitting for a vice they’d like to give up.

The book proceeds to follow the story of each person who signs up for the class. Alix is trying to quit smoking so she can have a baby;  Hutch needs to give up his workaholic ways and learn to relax; Phoebe is doing her best to get over a breakup with her cheating, manipulative fiancé. We also get to know Ann Marie, who isn’t in the class, and isn’t really trying to quit anything. She is, however, dealing with the unexpected appearance of her adopted daughter’s biological father, a recovering alcoholic, who has managed to track the girl down and wants to be included in her life.

Lydia’s own life is not without conflict. While waiting for news of a baby, she and Brad are talked into taking in a troubled 12-year-old foster child named Casey.

The stories intertwine and unfold at a leisurely pace as the characters interact with each other.

This is the first book I’ve read by Macomber, and I can see why so many readers become engaged by her writing. Her characters are intriguing and believable, and her plot is plausible. She uses an interesting technique in this book, and I assume the other books in the series. Lydia’s chapters are written in first person, while all the others are written in third person. I assume this is done to draw us closer to Lydia, and to ensure that we understand she is the central force of the book. Personally, I found this a bit jarring, but I think that’s a matter of personal taste.

People who have enjoyed Macomber’s books, and others who are looking for a light summertime read that isn’t too challenging will appreciate this book. Oh, and if you’re a knitter, you’ll receive the bonus of the scarf pattern taught in Lydia’s class, and several knitting resources plugged into the book. Personally, these inclusions at the beginning of Lydia’s point-of-view chapters drew me out of the story, but for readers interested in knitting, this might not be a problem.

Visit Debbie’s website at: http://www.debbiemacomber.com/

“Summer on Blossom Street” is available in paperback:

And on Kindle: