Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
Short Overview
Set in the PNW, Kate and Tully slowly become best friends in elementary school. Kate grew up in a “typical” home with a caring mother and father. Tully, however, has a very troubled mother who always leaves her. Making Tully feel as though she has to prove herself in the world. Together the two girls venture through life’s ups and downs, but as life goes on they grow apart due to their personalities, yet are still attached to each other by heart. The story ends with a true test of their friendship and love for each other.
My favorite parts
The friendship that Kate and Tully have is one that any woman would be jealous of! Although they ebb and flow with their relationship, their willingness to drop what they are doing in each stage of life, to help the other is touching. It makes me feel as though no matter how much time passes or the distance is between two friends, they will always come back to each other.
The lives of the girls are very relatable. Because the girls are born and raised in the 60s, I pictured the women who grew up in the era of my mother. The songs they listen to, the celebrities they idolized, and the clothes they wore, all reminded me of my mother.
Kristin Hannah is my favorite author. Her books paint such meaningful pictures and really reach me on an emotional level. I absolutely love reading her books.
My Reflection
This book is all about a relationship between two girls. It made me think about the relationship I have with my friends.
Throughout the book, I continuously asked myself… What about my relationship with my friends? Do I have a relationship this deep with someone? What would I do if my friend experienced the things Tully and Kate did, would I be there for them like they were for each other?
These reflection questions made me think deeply about my life and the life I want to have in the future. Some of my answers weren’t something I wanted to admit, either.
I would like to think I’m a good friend to those I care about most. That I would drop what I was doing to go be there for my friend working through some deep experiences. Although I say that… am I?
Am I really that friend that Kate or Tully is? If I’m not, can I be that type of friend?
There is a BIG difference between saying that you are something and acting like it.
“If you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk.”
“Actions speak louder than words”
“Practice what you preach”
One that I do know about reflection is that after you’ve processed things, you are able to make a change and do things better tomorrow.
The beauty of experiences is just that, that you’ve experienced them and can decide on what you want to do so that it is either better the next time or you stay away from it in the future.
I know that I want to be a better friend. Because after I reflected, I wanted a stronger relationship with the people I care about most. Just like Tully and Kate.
So how will you be a better friend to those you care about? I suggest reading this book to see how these friends work through their lifetime friendship.