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Firefly Lane

ebook
0 of 10 copies available
0 of 10 copies available

From the New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . . now a #1 Netflix series!

In the turbulent 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 new 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 bulkhead of their lives.
From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.
Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn't know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she'll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she'll envy her famous best friend. . . .
For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship—jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.
Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone's Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it's the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you'll never forget . . . one you'll want to pass on to your best friend.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 22, 2007
      Hannah (On Mystic Lake) goes a little too far into Lifetime movie territory in her latest, an epic exploration of the complicated terrain between best friends—one who chooses marriage and motherhood while the other opts for career and celebrity. The adventures of poor, ambitious Tully Hart and middle-class romantic Kate Mularkey begin in the 1970s, but don’t really get moving until about halfway into the book, when Tully, who claws her way to the heights of broadcast journalism, discovers it’s lonely at the top, and Katie, a stay-at-home Seattle housewife, forgets what it’s like to be a rebellious teen. What holds the overlong narrative together is the appealing nature of Tully and Katie’s devotion to one another even as they are repeatedly tested by jealousy and ambition. Katie’s husband, Johnny, is smitten with Tully, and Tully, who is abandoned by her own booze-and-drug-addled mother, relishes the adoration from Katie’s daughter, Marah. Hannah takes the easy way out with an over-the-top tear-jerker ending, though her upbeat message of the power of friendship and family will, for some readers, trump even the most contrived plot twists.

    • Library Journal

      December 15, 2007
      When Kate first sees Tully as she's waiting for the bus to take her to her first day at a new school, Kate thinks Tully's the coolest girl in the world. Kate is a shy, insecure rule follower, and Tully helps her to come out of her shell and take chances. Both girls need a best friend, and the bond they form is strong enough to last a lifetime. Hannah's ("On Mystic Lake") 16th novel explores a friendship that spans three decades and the different paths Kate and Tully take. Tully's ambition to be a journalist brings her all the way to network anchor and beyond, while Kate finds love with a man who first had been smitten with Tully. The women have their problems over the years, stemming from Kate's insecurities and Tully's willingness to sacrifice anything for her career, but in the end their friendship endures when it matters. Hannah captures the feeling of the 1970s and 1980s, exploring some serious issues as well. A tearjerker that is sure to please the author's many fans; recommended for popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/15/07.]Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

      Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • School Library Journal

      April 1, 2008
      Adult/High School-Tully Hart, vulnerable and abandoned by her mother, meets Katie Mularkey in 1974, when they are both in eighth grade. Katie, feeling unpopular and underappreciated, is drawn to dramatic, bold, and beautiful Tully, while Tully is attracted to the loving and stable Mularkey family. After spending many wild and fun times together and sharing their deepest thoughts with one another, they pledge best friends forever. Readers will follow the friendship for 30 years and will identify with the intense loyalty and unconditional love that Tully, a successful television personality, and Katie, a stay-at-home mom, have for one another. This changes when Tully betrays and humiliates Katie in a way she cannot forgive. Until their reconciliation, they are both bereft and feel the loss of their friendship sorely. Though Tullys character is somewhat shallow and stereotypical, her larger-than-life personality is compelling, and the story flows well. At times melodramatic, this novel about the friendship of the two very different women and its themes of betrayal and reconciliation will keep readers turning the pages. You might want to recommend a box of tissues to go along with this tear-jerking, yet hopeful book."Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA"

      Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      December 15, 2007
      Hannah limns the depths of female friendship in her new novel, which follows a girlhood bond that matures into an adult one. Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey come from different backgrounds: vivacious Tully has been abandoned by her hippie mother while studious Kate comes from a stable and loving family. After a devastating incident at a party, 14-year-old Tully finds herself confiding in Kate, thus beginning their unlikely friendship. Through dogged determination, ambitious Tully, who longs to be an anchorwoman, manages to secure them both jobs at a small television station after college; but while Tully pursues her dream of being a reporter, Kate falls for their handsome boss. The womens friendship remains strong as Tully fights her way to the top of the journalistic ladder and Kate finds a new purpose in motherhood, until a betrayal and a tragedy threaten their long-standing bond. Covering the 1970s to the new millennium, Hannahs latest is a moving and realistic portrait of a complex and enduring friendship.Expect female readers to flock to this absorbing novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5
  • Lexile® Measure:730
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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