Firefly Lane

Firefly Lane is apparently Kristin Hannah's fifteenth novel, and given the quality of the writing contained therein, I'm not certain I want to imagine how the earlier fourteen must read. This book reads as if a thirteen-year-old girl has set out to pen the saddest, most heart-wrenching story in, like, EVER. Alternately, it reads like online fanfiction for some television series you've never actually watched: the characters are obviously well-rounded, complex, and likeable to Hannah, but convey all the dimensionality of a sheet of notebook paper.

Put plainly, Hannah can’t show a story to save her life, so she tells it to readers, over and over and over and over again. Indeed, what little development the characters display, they gain show more through the sheer stultifying weight of Hannah's endless repetition of their informed attributes. I'm hard-pressed to conceive of two more unlikable protagonists: one so passive and spineless readers will long to reach into the pages and smack her silly themselves, the other so obliviously self-absorbed it defies the limits of suspended disbelief.

As for the plot, it's as if our author got ahold of every episode of every soap opera produced in the last three decades, stuck them all in a blender, and hit puree. It's all here, folks: deadbeat teenage druggie mothers and the abandoned children who love them, date rape, parents who "love my friend more than me," May-December romances complete with "what could have been" bittersweet endings, wise mothers dispensing cliché-ridden life advice, best-friend love triangles, emotionally distant lovers, bosses, and children; war trauma, miscarriage, best-friends-forever torn apart by implausible misunderstandings beyond their control, gut-wrenching betrayals, tearful reconciliations, and a bonus cancer "tragedy" at the end that forces readers to grit their teeth and slog through over one-hundred pages of protracted deathbed scenes.

In conclusion, this book resembles nothing so much as a fast food hamburger: you consume even though you know it has no nutritional value whatsoever, it causes mild discomfort to your digestive tract, and then you forget all about it. show less

This was my first Kristin Hannah book.

I felt there was not enough emotional development until it was too late and some of the plot was derivative (To be honest, I hated that an author testimonial on the back mentioned Iris Dart’s “Beaches,” because half way through the book I knew how it would end 😤); However, I disagree with some of the more scathing reviews that indicate the characters were too one-dimensional to relate to them.

I have known Kate’s and Tully’s, and although we can focus on the lack of emotional growth (as individuals, which honestly was minor considering “growth” IS a lifelong process), and the codependence of their friendship, they still felt “real” enough for me to appreciate their struggles with show more the inherent feelings of love and betrayal. Kate and Tully are so different, but it is their differences that allowed them to rely on one another’s strengths and/or enable the other. They were also there for one another at the drop of a hat. “That was the thing about best friends. Like sisters and mothers, they could piss you off and make you cry and break your heart, but in the end, when the chips are down, they were there, making you laugh in your darkest hours.”

The writing was good and the end was definitely worth the read even knowing where it was heading!

The mother-daughter relationship theme is explored throughout the book. The damage created by lack of bonding and nurturing, the strength created by proper bonding and nurturing, and the inherent difficulties in “growing” children into adults.

I grew up in the 70s/80s and the musical and fashion references made me chuckle.

The ending though…I did some ugly crying there. Some have said that it’s too long. I found it to be perfect, as it realistically depicted what a drawn out and devastating process some life experiences can be.

Favorite quotes:
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Kate: “I often find myself more interested in what comes after the story than the story itself. I’m better, I believe, at long-range thinking and planning. Details, rather than broad strokes.”
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“Motherhood at times like this – most times – was about the steel in your spine, not the bend.” show less

This beautiful story of family and friendship left me struggling to read the last two chapters through tears. The book begins when Tully's drug addict mother claims her from her grandmother and moves to a rural house across the street from the Mularkey family. The girls are in junior high school and Kate Mularkey feels unpopular and unhappy. Tully, who Kate sees as rather glamorous, befriends Tully and a life-long relationship begins and continues even though their adult paths are quite different. I found the characters both very real and very sympathetic. I will definitely seek out more book by Ms. Hannah.

This warm, heartfelt read beautifully captures the highs and lows of a thirty-year friendship. This was my third Kristin Hannah novel, and her writing continues to impress. She has a way of making the characters feel like friends and that their lives are so familiar. Each time I picked it up, I felt cozy and connected, yet entire chapters had me sobbing because the friendships and emotions are so richly portrayed. It’s a nostalgic, relatable story that feels both epic and fleeting, and though it didn’t change my life, it was a charming reading experience. I recommend it for a cozy, feel-good read!

When I started reading Firefly Lane, I was immediately drawn into Kate and Tully's world. No, seriously, for some reason, I always thought that this book would take a while to get into. It didn't at all. I knocked out about 50 pages in 40 minutes when I first opened it. Not bad at all. The fact that Firefly Lane was a page-turner was what really saved it for me.

My main issue with Firefly Lane were the actual girls themselves. Kate was semi-meek and I kept yelling at her to grow a damn backbone. But Tully, My God, does Tully take the cake as not only the most annoying, but the worst friend ever. She was such a bitch. Now, I've read my fair share of chick-lit type friendship novels ( The Myth of You and Me: A Novel, Something Borrowed, show more Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons) and it's always expected that one of the women is going to be a bitch. I'm a woman and I know that all of us have the capacity to be that way to our friends one time or another. However, a good friend is supposed to recognize that they're being a bitch (eventually, although sooner rather than later is best) and then apologize. Tully never did this and boy did she have a lot to apologize for! By the time it actually came, it was a little too late for her to be reedemed in my eyes. I actually had to put the book down for a little while because Tully was pissing me off and I kept thinking "She must know what she's doing! No one is that blind!"

Another thing, this book was looooong. Don't read it if you want to know the basic details of a friendship. Kristin Hannah just gets into every single detail. However, long as it was, it was never boring. Sure, after a while I was a bit exhausted by Kate and Tully and their angst-filled worlds which took place mostly after their teenage years, so really they had no excuse for said angst, but for the most part, I was entertained like you wouldn't believe. Every single time I had to (and I really mean HAD TO otherwise it wouldn't have happened) put this book down, all I could constantly obsess about was getting back to it. I HAD TO know what was going to happen.

Something did actually happen. Sure it was full of cliches, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't cry. Okay, screw crying, I was full out blubbering and sobbing (I say with not an ounce of shame. Maybe just an iota). I tried to calm down but I just couldn't. If you're even contemplating on picking up Firefly Lane, have the kleenex handy. I mean it, you'll cry (or at least you'd better. Otherwise, I'm going to feel more ashamed for crying and we don't want that, now do we?). This book wasn't my favorite friendship novel (that honor goes to The Myth of You and Me and Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons), but I thought it was an okay read. Mostly because I started it yesterday and finished most of it today (after reading 400 pages in about three hours and a half. I love days when I don't have classes...). It was such a quick read and definitely not a bad way to spend your time. So, I'm choosing three stars (I was debating for four, but what can you do?) and the literal GR meaning of that which is "liked it" because really, I kinda did. show less

nostalgic trip through the decades: the '70s through the 21st century's start via two women: Kate and Tully, who met in jr high via the road they both lived on (Firefly Lane). Poignant friendship that grows into a lifelong commitment, weathering all sorts of challenges, life circumstances, personal and professional choices and crises. Hannah is at her best with interpersonal conversations and character development, esp in the teenage years for the two main characters, but less so with the larger world of the media industry.... feels sort of like a gloss-over, television-drama-telling of the insider environs of news reporting, major networks, and then television show production (Tully's career arc). Enjoyed the family interactions and show more the main setting: Seattle and its outskirts. Obvious Hannah's lived in or visited Seattle area a lot so the descriptions -while a bit touristy- at least were familiar. show less

I have mixed feelings about Firefly Lane. Reading about Tully and Kate’s escapades was almost painful but I couldn’t stop. I had to know what was going to happen next in this dysfunctional friendship. Reading about the teen years was entertaining. Kate was sweet and Tully was understandably troubled. Once they reached adulthood I didn’t like either of them much anymore. All of Kate’s self loathing really tried my patience. I found it forgivable when she was in high school and even in college but after graduation it needed to stop. Of course it didn’t. It continued on and on and on and on…you get the point. As for Tully I could not stand her. I’d hardly consider her a good friend to Kate. If I’d been Kate I would have show more kicked Tully’s ass to the curb years ago. I seriously hope this fictional friendship is not typical for most “forever friends”. If so I think I’d rather be alone. I’m giving this book 3 stars because it kept me reading even after it pissed me off. It could have been a 5 star read if the characters would have evolved from their selfish (Tully) and pathetic (Kate) natures. show less