Firefly Lane

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah is one of the best books I have ever read. It breaks your heart in the first few pages, keeps you emotionally involved through the entire novel, and delivers a very powerful, emotional ending. Fantastic read that makes you laugh, remember your youth and cry out loud (downright sob, in my case).

Firefly Lane is about two girls who are very different from each other, but find their way to becoming best friends. The novel starts when they are grade school age in the 70s and takes you through their college years together and on through careers, relationships, marriage and kids. It is a novel about friendship at is core, but it is also about the relationship between girls and their moms, husbands and wives, and later about the relationship between moms and their girls. It gives insight into how our familial background shapes who we become as adults, and how our choices, even early on in life change the course of our lives.

The novel became very personal for me at the end. I found myself seeing the situations as a mother of a little girl who is the most precious thing to me, and also as a daughter of a mother with whom I have unresolved issues and very limited time to resolve them. I also found the model of the mother I hope to be in this novel. The passage of time in this book is marked by the fashions and music of the different eras and that was fun to relive.

It is a remarkable work that will remain with me for a very long time, and has become one of my favorite books. The characters and situations will not be easily forgotten. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this book was. I will be recommending it to all of my friends who also love to read. I borrowed it from a friend, but I will probably buy it so that I can add it to my collection and share it with my daughter when she is older.

Happy Reading!