Friday, October 19, 2012

Book review: Firefly Lane


Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Description from Goodreads (below) can be found here along with other reviews. Linking up with Blonde... Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday. Holy long description, Goodreads! I shortened it a bit.

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.


I really really liked this book.

I have a friend who tried to read it and I guess she didn't get too far. It doesn't start fast and is never really full of action. It's more a story of relationships, of friendships, and of figuring out what you want in life.

But I identified very strongly with Kate, from beginning to end. She starts out as not a cool kid, which was me. And she has a very solid family. (Hi mom.)

The book takes place over 30ish years, I think. That's rare for a book, and maybe even rarer that it's well done. 

As Kate grows up, we see that she's not overly ambitious or competitive in her career, which is also me. She wants to have a family and she loves to write. I kept relating to Kate very strongly. (not that I don't want a career; I'm just more people-focused than ambitious)

These characteristics play out in an interesting and awesome way for Kate. See, she's part of a generation in which women were finally empowered to have a career and want something other than a family. So deciding you didn't want a career at that time was kind of considered going backwards as far as women's rights.

Anyway. This book is thick and it is slow and it is lovely. I really enjoyed it and I cried at the end.

Have any of you read Firefly Lane? What did you think?




6 comments:

Victoria said...

this is probably my favorite KH book, it had me in tears at the end (and that rarely happens!).

her newest novel was really good too.

happy friday!

Julie said...

I love Kristen Hannah and I haven't heard of this one - adding it to Goodreads.

Stopping by from Book Club!

Cassy said...

Ooooh, new book for the 'to read' list!

On a different note, you are SO a cool kid!

Katrin said...

I haven't heard about that book but it sounds awesome. I will definitely put that on my list because you don't really find lots of books like this one. Thanks so much for sharing! Have a great weekend, sweetie!

Anonymous said...

hi ab. :) I think I would like to read this book if I can sit still long enough...is there such a thing as old-age-ADD? I post anonymously because I forget my id and passwords (2 of them!). Happy hundred.

Wiz said...

I loved this book. It was my first Kristin Hannah book and I really liked it. I never really thought it was slow. There was something about it that just made it hard to put down. I always wanted to know what happened next. I have only read one other Kristin Hannah book but plan to read many more!

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