Firefly Lane

I recently read The Nightingale, which I thought was absolutely brilliant and one of a handful of books I would consider to be the best I have ever read. I thought I would try some other books written by this author. This book is DREADFUL, with really bad writing, implausible things going on etc. The dialogue between the characters is very cringey, unbelievable and downright childish. I have read about 60 pages, hoping that it would get better - it doesn't, so I am giving up and taking it to a charity shop. It is absolute DRIVEL. I am glad I only wasted £2.69 on it from Amazon, although still unhappy that I wasted any money on it at all. I just cannot believe all the 5 star ratings this book has been given. Perhaps other readers' expectations about this book are much lower than mine....... One piece of advice to any other potential readers - DO NOT BOTHER, IT IS DIRE....

This was the first of Kristen Hannah’s books I have read, and I am now looking forward to reading more. This story was really beautifully written; the author paints such a colourful picture of her characters that I totally absorbed myself in this book, and for that time, they were my friends and this was my world. It was the kind of book from which I require a ‘recovery’ period, if you know what I mean. There were times, maybe 2/3rd - 3/4 of the way through, where I felt that Tully’s storyline in particular was beginning to get a little too far-fetched, and I was on the verge of knocking off a star from my mental review. I think the writing was at its best when it simply focused on simple people and their simple lives - that’s when the beauty really shone through for me. However, before I had time to get too irritated, it just became brilliant all over again, and oh so moving. It was such a pleasure to read that I couldn’t give it less than 5*.

Storyline flowed well to begin with - although I did find the characters somewhat unbelievable - perhaps that’s just the cynic in me though. A good female friend is precious, of course, but one who takes over your life and death is (in my opinion) a tad undesirable. The ending was all rather sickly sweet and just too trite - although pretty much in keeping with the rest of the book. Such a sanitised version of a tragic death. I finished the book but wish I hadn’t bothered. Wouldn’t recommend - especially if anyone is going (or has gone) through something similar.

Firefly Lane is the kind of book that makes you feel all of the emotions. You laugh, you cry, you feel angry, and you constantly find yourself smiling. And oh boy, did I cry.The book takes you on a real journey that is filled with the warmth of memories and nostalgia but also of the pain of regret and disappointment. You experience all of the highs and lows so it’s no wonder that this is a relationship that sticks with you.Stupidly, for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to read the Author’s Notes before starting this book, which is a really bad idea. Don’t do it if you haven’t read this book yet, because you find out where the book is heading so I spent a lot of my time waiting for that to happen. But it didn’t really affect my reading, though, as the final few chapters completely broke my heart and left me in a puddle of tears, even though I knew what was going to happen.For most of this book, I didn’t think I was going to love it as much as I did in the end, so I understand a lot of the opinions about the characters feeling quite one-dimensional. I don’t agree with this in regards to Kate at all, but I do think that Tully is a difficult character to warm to. But then that’s not necessarily the fault of Kristin Hannah, as some people are as narrow-minded and selfish as Tully. But I can also understand why Kate sticks by her. Friendships like theirs don’t come around often, which is why it’s so easy to forgive them for their wrongdoings, no matter how frequent.I loved Kate’s character, though. I constantly found myself relating to her as I know all too well how easy it is to lose yourself in motherhood. I especially love how her relationship with her daughter was explored with how hard it can be to clash with one of your children yet be desperate for them to see how much you care. I also loved Johnny’s loyalty to her and didn’t expect to feel so connected to their relationship at the end was a welcomed surprise.I love Kristin Hannah’s writing. While I feel like the story itself is quite weak compared to other books I have read by her, she does a remarkable job of investing you in her characters. Again, the end completely broke me, especially as I lay in bed reading this with my little one asleep on me. I gave him a little squeeze and reminded myself to make the most of life a little more.As soon as I finished this book, I went off to Netflix to watch the new Firefly Lane series. I won’t talk about there here because I wasn’t impressed, but I will write up another post about my feelings regarding the adaptation soon.I would definitely recommend this book, though. It’s a brilliant depiction of friendship with so much to invest in. It’s certainly a book that will stick with me.

I read this book in just two days. When I first started it I thought it would be a challenge but one chapter in and I was fully immersed in the story.This book was easily able to span decades, telling the life story of two women in just a few hundred pages.I've never read a book that depicted a more realistic relationship between best friends.The ending was sad but not in a way that left me feeling miserable.All in all a great read. I would recommend this to anyone to read and gift your best friend.