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Kate and Tully have been best friends since their 1970s childhood, growing
up on Firefly Lane, when Tully came to live with Kate and her stable family
to escape her drug-addicted, screwed-up mother. The girls make a pact to
always be best friends, become famous journalists, and work together
always.
We’ve all had childhood friendships, and we all know that most friendships
can’t play out this way—and the same is for Kate and Tully. As they grow
older, their lives take different paths, but at the center of both is a
man, who becomes the cause of some conflict. Tully claws her way to the top
to become the famous journalist she always wanted to be, while Kate gets
married and becomes a stay-at-home mother. Each woman thinks she’s happy,
but each woman has things that haunt her. Each also wonders if either
of them is missing out on something—like maybe everything the other has.
Maybe I’m just cynical. Maybe my idea of friendship is different than
that of those reviewers who gave this book rave reviews. But while Firefly Lane is supposed to be about the triumphs and sorrows of friendship, I saw it as a
story of betrayal and jealousy. More than once, Tully shows herself to be
a false friend. If a friend did the things to me that Tully did to Kate,
she would no longer be my friend.
But, hey, that’s just me.
Fans of Kristin Hannah will certainly enjoy this book. There are happy
times, difficult times, and sad times that might make some reach for the
Kleenex. Hannah accurately describes the eras through which the story
passes, nailing the 1970s and 1980s spot-on—the songs, television shows,
clothes, and other descriptions that will refresh the recollection of those
who lived through them. I expected more, though, given the length of the
book. I found the characters lacking, in that Kate and Tully seemed to
have a hard time growing up and facing the challenges of an adult life.
But the fact remains—the story’s been done before. And it was called
Beaches.
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