Jaclyn’s Review: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane #1)
written by Kristin Hannah
published by St. Martin’s Press, 2008

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Apple Books, Target, Kobo, Book Depository, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book? Kristin Hannah got me again! This one had a long wait list at my local library and is being made into a show/movie for Netflix, so I was pretty anxious to get my hands on this book. This story follows Tully and Kate from their first meeting through their impossibly close friendship spanning multiple decades. As a mom, I really identified with Kate and had a hard time when reading the story from Tully’s point of view. Her life just seemed so fantastic, it was nearly unbelievable (even for a work of fiction). Kate came across as a real person who faces situations that I would face and makes decisions that I would make. I think this is why the ending was so completely gut-wrenching. I spent the last few chapters sobbing uncontrollably. I would have to put the book down and settle down because I couldn’t see through my tears to read! It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that made me FEEL so much!!

Would I recommend it? Hands down, you should absolutely read this book. A tearjerker may not sound appealing right now, but this is just such a wonderful story about friendship and family. I cannot say enough positive things about this book. I cannot wait for the Netflix version!
 

 
About the book – from Goodreads: 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 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.

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.
 

 
 

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** This post first appeared on Every Free Chance Books (everyfreechance.com) on January 13, 2021.