Firefly Lane

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship....

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.

©2008 by Kristin Hannah. (P)2007 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Susan Ericksen gives an outstanding performance of the thirty-year friendship between Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart." (AudioFile)

Friendship and love

Get book. Bring the tissues. Wonderful book of friendship and love
I truly recommend and hope it continues.

A spellbinding story that I would highly recommend!

From the reader to the story line I found Firefly Lane to be an extremely enjoyable book.

Enjoyed the whole story! Appreciated the references to the various highlights off the decades (music, life events, etc)

Really enjoyed the book & hope they make a movie! I was moved by the book with laughter & moments of tears, I listened to the audible version & the narrator did an amazing job! I had a hard time not listening to the book continuously til the end.

Very enjoyable listen

Great reading/performance. Such an easy enjoyable/relatable listen. Not going to the lie end got the better of me and the tears were flowing

Beautiful Writing

Kristin Hannah crafts characters that are completely believable and relationships that draw you in. Her stories are mesmerizing and well rounded without superfluous fluff that leave you wishing that you could just skip ahead. This particular story is the second one of hers that I have listened to and it was set in the same time period of my lifetime and although I never experienced the same things the characters in the book have I was completely entranced by their lives and by the last three hours of the book I was so emotionally involved I was experiencing real and honest emotions. Her writing moved me so much I am actually writing a review, something I never do.

After the first my first listen I was fairly sure I was a fan, now after this I am convinced I will continue to read anything she writes. Thank you @Kristin Hannah for your work.

Very relatable, devastating

4.5 stars, wish it didn’t make me cry quite so much, but very worth a listen

Great Story - Interesting Differences from Netflix

I loved the Netflix series so I wanted to hear the book. There are quite a lot of differences but I really enjoyed them.

Memories

Loved this story ❤️. Brought back so many memories from my own life. Poignant and stirring with reflections of life lessons.

Complicated Female Friendship

I have listened to this book twice and loved it more the second time than the first. I bought a print copy and have shared it with my sister-in-laws and nieces. We have laughed and cried about the book in many conversations. As I listened to the story, I was consumed by it. I would catch myself sitting in the car at work or the grocery store not wanting to turn it off. This book and the narrator hooked me on audible books. I will never listen to the radio again.

LOVED this story

Such a great story about friendship and love. Absolutely loved this book. It is a bit long - but totally worth it.