Firefly Lane Review

Title: Firefly Lane 

Author: Kristin Hannah 

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit

Published: February 5, 2005

Pages: 479

Published: St. Martin’s Press

The Carpenter Confessions Rating: ★★★★☆

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . .

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey 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.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn't know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she'll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she'll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone's Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it's the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you'll never forget . . . one you'll want to pass on to your best friend.

THE CARPENTR CONFESSIONS REVIEW

Firefly Lane is another amazing book by Kristin Hannah and she’s becoming one of my favorite authors! This book encompasses the love, hardship, and growth of friendship. This book had me crying and laughing all at the same time. It is a book full of meaning beyond friendship, just life in general. So glad I decided to read this book because it was a great one. 

Thirty years of friendship is a long time, a lot of people don’t last that long, but Tully and Kate do. They definitely have their ups and downs that either has them not speaking or they are living the best life. No matter the circumstances they always are the friends that met so long ago at fourteen. I loved how this book was written from the time they were fourteen and on. It was all in order and you felt like you were living their life with them. This book showed real friendship and how hard it can be, let alone the hardness of life. The journey Tully and Kate go through has so much meaning and it was a beautiful story. Kristin Hannah does an amazing job writing emotion into all her books, you become invested in the story. 

I didn’t give this higher than a four star because I didn’t feel like it was a great story till later in the book because their friendship didn’t grow and you didn’t see how years make things better. Also, I didn’t love the relationship between Tully and Kate completely because there were parts that I didn’t love about their friendship. At times it felt slightly manipulating and verging unhealthy. Overall their friendship was true, I just felt it wasn’t always the best. I also wished we could have seen Tully and Kate’s life individually, not about how they are involved in each other’s life. It got to the point where it felt they became dependent on each other and couldn’t be individuals. Other than those slight things that are an opinion, I really liked the book. 

WHO I’D RECOMMEND TO:

If you’ve read other Kristin Hannah books you’ll like this one, it is a lot like her other books. If you haven’t read any of her other books, anyone who likes Contemporary books or books filled with emotion and real life with its hardship. This book made me cry so if that’s what you’re into, this is a book for you. This book is slightly more grown up, teens may not like this as much, but more for older like young adults and on. 

FORMAT:

Physical book, EBook(Kindle Paperwhite)