Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane
by Kristin Hannah
Pub. Date: February 2008
Genre: Fiction
496pp

Synopsis from BN.com:
In the 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 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 mainstay of their lives.

Why I Picked It:
I've been looking at this book for a while. Looked like a story of a great friendship, which I'm always fascinated by people who can remain super close for decades to the people they knew when they were young. While in a store, I'd pick it up, read a few pages, and remember how it really felt like a story that would stay with me. I ended up racking up some unused book credits on Audible, and last week I downloaded it for my ipod listening pleasure.

My Review:
I think I've been very lucky with my book choices as of late. While this one fulfills my "H" requirement for 2009, it is a decent story that at times had me stopped in the middle of what I was doing, completely still, staring across the room, absolutely mesmerized by the story. Since this was an audiobook, I want to mention that the narrator was brilliant, and the story started off feeling incredibly personal, well-developed. Throughout, the narrator truly became the characters, passionately acting out the dialogue in some of the more climactic scenes.

About the story. Tully and Kate couldn't be more different, or come from more different backgrounds. Tully's mom abandoned her, choosing instead to be a drug addict, but would from time to time reclaim Tully only to leave her behind again. Tully was off and on raised by her loving Grandmother. Kate came from an intact, loving family, and they became quick friends when Tully moves in across the street on Firefly Lane. While outwardly they were so different, they each were desperately needing someone. Deep inside, they were so much the same. If only we all realized when we were young how everyone else had the same insecurities we did, no matter what it looked like on the outside. I'm forever telling my son to relax and not be so self-conscious. No one else even notices the things he is stressing out about because they are all so worried about their own perceived short-comings. But I am just wasting my breath. I think it's just part of the rite of passage of the adolescent.

But despite this, they become fast friends building a friendship that will last as we follow them through the next three decades of choices, life storms, culminating in a betrayal that will test everything.

Thoughts while reading....

Tully is the more honest friend, more honest person, and I really wanted more for her personally throughout the book than her focused career-driven existence. Kate, though incredibly loyal, seems to hold a lot of resentment for her own choices. She's always afraid to ask for what she wants, voice her own opinion, but then when she does, I find myself feeling proud of her. I relate most to Kate, which is why I think it funny that I'm so annoyed by her at times.

The story took some predictable turns, but throughout, the characters were enjoyable, believable, and the story was entertaining and fast paced. I was continually finding time to plug my headphones into my ears so I could listen. Luckily, I did a lot of driving this week and that's the best time for me to listen. :)

Another good summertime read!! (Okay, fine, good summertime "listen"!) But in terms of staying with me, like a haunting "that was such an amazing book you gotta read it!" sort of feeling... not so much. Enjoyable, but not the earth shattering deep soul wrenching sort of read I expected. Even if I did catch myself wiping a tear at one point....