Bookworm Review: “Firefly Lane” by Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
St. Martin’s Griffin
2008
Format: Paperback, 479 pages

First Line: They used to be called the Firefly Lane girls.

From the back cover: In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-place 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.

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.

My Thoughts: This is a novel about a beautiful friendship. It follows Kate Mularkey, a somewhat shy girl who’s dream is to simply be a stay-at-home mom, and Tully Hart, an ambitious, spitfire who wants nothing short of fame and wealth. Their friendship starts at age 14. Kate has been raised in a Catholic family who has loved her unconditionally while Tully was raised by her Grandmother after being abandoned (several times) by her hippie, drug-addicted mother. They grow into beautiful, smart and ambitious women but take separate paths when Kate decides to quite her job and make a family. They’re secretly jealous of each others lives and separate a few times, but their friendship always outweighs their differences.  Through their ups and downs their friendship never fails.

If you’ve ever had a best friend, you will be able to relate to this story. Sometimes friends go their separate ways, but in the end, they are always a phone call away. The message I took from this book is that true friendship never fades. This book made me laugh and made me cry. Overall it was a good read. I give it 4 1/2 stars.

(I purchased this book)

Happy Reading!