FIREFLY LANE BY KRISTIN HANNAH

BOOK NAME: FIREFLY LANE

AUTHOR NAME: KRISTIN HANNAH

GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION / CHICKLIT

PUBLISHER: PANMACMILLAN

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Firefly-Lane-Kristin-Hannah/dp/1447229533

BOOK COVER IMAGE

BOOK REVIEW

If there is one author whom I would blindly trust for both realistic and heroic portrayal of women, then that is Kristin Hannah. But tell me, who held a gun to her head and made her write this? Who and why?! It's the story of two friends -Tully, who is extremely passionate and high-spirited with a traumatic childhood and Kate, who is calm and shy with a blessed family and is often bullied at school. They meet one day in Firefly Lane when they are twelve. Over the years, their friendship is threatened by many things that break them apart and bring them back together. With two polar besties and one stunning perfect man in the middle, you know that's a recipe for a disaster.

Initially, I was so angry with myself for not liking the book. But as the story progressed, I became increasingly impatient, and I was relieved when I finished it. Tully was so shallow and inconsiderate, and often used her childhood trauma as an excuse for her irrational behaviour. I mean...? And Kate can't ever talk for herself and secretly feels insecure and jealous of her "best friend".

As I kept reading, I questioned myself whether she was the same author who wrote masterpieces like 'The Nightingale' and 'The Great Alone'. It was hard for me to digest that the book was so mediocre compared to the other two I had read earlier. When an author like Kristin Hannah, who portrayed mighty women combo like the Rossignol sisters in 'The Nightingale' with so much power and vulnerability, the fragile yet unforgiving mother-daughter duo Cora and Leni in 'The Great Alone', writes sentences like "A face like Caroline of Monaco, pale skin and full lips, chocolate brown eyes, heavily rimmed with black mascara", "She was gorgeous, tall and big b**bed", "This was different. Pat's mouth was different. He was staring at her with pure, sun shining love", I couldn't help but cringe.

But then, I grew curious and watched a few episodes of the series. I must say, it was so much more lively and better. And when you see a series which is better than its book, you know how it is. It seemed as if the book's only intention was to become a series or a movie, and there was no ambition at all whatsoever.

If there is one trope that I hate with passion, then that is two best friends falling for the same guy. I mean, how does it even happen in real? How do Kate and Tully not know just that when they can decode each other's silences from miles apart? Let me break it down for you to save you time. (SPOILERS) Katie falls hard for Tully's boss, Johnny, but doesn't confess her love. Johnny, in turn, is head over heels with Tully, which Katie is entirely aware of. Tully has another guy and obviously doesn't care the least about Johnny. But then tragedy hits - Tully breaks up and gets involved in a one-night stand with Johnny in the same house where Katie lives. Before this, Tully asks Katie if she has a problem, and she still doesn't confess because she thinks if she confesses her love for Johnny, Tully might start liking him too. Yes, there's more. 

Later, Tully breaks Johnny's heart, and he sleeps with Katie in rebound. Now Katie is in love, and they both continue their fling. Then, Katie is pregnant one day (cringe max) when Johnny confesses his love for her, and they both get married. Now Tully develops a crush on Johnny and wishes it was her whom Johnny had married. She constantly tries to make Kate look like an evil mother in front of her daughter and the world and says she is just trying to help. She can't help but long for Katie's perfect life - the loving husband - Johnny and kids and keeps tagging along. And trust me, this story is still about two best friends who are soul mates!!!! 

Why do all best friends' stories come down to a love triangle? Has pure friendship and love become so cheap that it always gets down to one love interest and two best friends? At least not Kristin Hannah, please!! There are also so many too-good-to-be-true incidents, and the cliche climax was unbearable. (Yeah, Katie dies of breast cancer, leaving Tully in charge of her family - her Mr. Perfect and the kids because she always thought they were all made for Tully...) Was I supposed to bawl my eyeballs out after all this? Sorry, I did not feel any of it. But given my past experience with her other books, I would read definitely read her other books. 

MY REVIEW: 2/5 

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

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