The Girls from Corona del Mar

A novel

By: Rufi Thorpe

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

“Why did Lorrie Ann look graceful in beat-up Keds and shorts a bit too small for her? Why was it charming when she snorted from laughing too hard? Yes, we were jealous of her, and yet we did not hate her. She was never so much as teased by us, we roaming and bratty girls of Corona del Mar, thieves of corn nuts and orange soda, abusers of lip gloss and foul language.”

An astonishing debut about friendships made in youth, The Girls from Corona del Mar is a fiercely beautiful novel about how these bonds, challenged by loss, illness, parenthood, and distance, either break or endure.

Mia and Lorrie Ann are lifelong friends: hard-hearted Mia and untouchably beautiful, kind Lorrie Ann. While Mia struggles with a mother who drinks, a pregnancy at fifteen, and younger brothers she loves but can’t quite be good to, Lorrie Ann is luminous, surrounded by her close-knit family, immune to the mistakes that mar her best friend’s life. Then a sudden loss catapults Lorrie Ann into tragedy: things fall apart, and then fall further—and there is nothing Mia can do to help. And as good, brave, fair Lorrie Ann stops being so good, Mia begins to question just who this woman is, and what that question means about them both.

A staggeringly honest, deeply felt novel of family, motherhood, loyalty, and the myth of the perfect friendship, The Girls from Corona del Mar asks just how well we know those we love, what we owe our children, and who we are without our friends.

amazing story of two utterly broken women

Where does The Girls from Corona del Mar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

it's one of the best books i've read this year. definitely top 5 for 2014.

What did you like best about this story?

the emotional rawness of each of the characters

Which scene was your favorite?

it's hard to choose a favorite scene...the book is full of tragic snippets of these two girls/women and each is devastating and beautiful and raw all at the same time.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the end of the book really made me rethink my notions of both characters.

Loved it!

I loved this book so much! I don't know if it was meant to but it made me cry, several times. The themes in the book of love, friendship, death, coming of age and truly knowing oneself just gave this book such a relatable quality. Her characters were flawed and realistic, I could see so many connections from my own life experience and it just made the story feel like I was listening to the story of a friend. It had just the right amount of twists and turns in unexpected directions and a satisfying, non predictable ending. I love her writing style, descriptive without being pretentious, her characters are very relatable and the story excellent! Will be downloading more by this author!

Friendship and Perception

I expected a story of the perfect girl and the jealous one living in her shadow; like "Beaches". What I read was a raw and honest look at how friendship begins and changes from adolescence through early adulthood. Mia views Lori Ann as the good one, but over time experiencing many tragedies the two struggle to adapt to their current situations and maintain that strong childhood friendship bond. Most intriguing is the idea of how perception doesn't always match reality. Rebecca Lowman is an amazing narrator.

female friendships

I really loved this book. It reminded me of a very special friendship that I have had since I was young. Terrific writing and wonderful story.

Rufi is Royalty

Rufi Thorpe is a great author. I’ve completed The Knockout Queen and The Girls from Corona Del Mar, next is Dear Fang With Love. She has a really visceral way of punctuating uncomfortable feelings and thoughts, but her real talent comes in wrapping them with crushing reality. Her character development is unparalleled. From the way she describes her people you know who they are. There’s compassion, but there’s also internal conflict in a way that isn’t personally romanticized, it speaks so truthfully to the way we interpret others behavior and what our thoughts are about how others make choices or live. She has a poignant way of doing this regardless of the storyline, and I recommend her work to anyone that can stomach it.

Horrible

Exaggerated doom and gloom - dogs do not get hit 5 times crossing a street while their owners stand and do nothing nor do they get up and run across the street to get hit again … so crazy… patients do not walk around hospitals dumping blood on the floor … come on! Creepy horrible crap. This was a Stephen King-ish read.

Didn’t like it. Weird

Slow. Finally got better by the end. Struggled to get thru it. Not what I thought it was