Yep, Kristin Hannah's books made my blog. Again. These two books are another example of Hannah's ability to describe relationships in such a manner that you connect to the characters, feeling like you really know them.
Fly Away is the sequel to
Firefly Lane. I bought my sister these books for her birthday before I had even read them. I read some really positive reviews, so thought they'd be a good fit. Now, I've read them and can confirm they are fabulous (these are pictures of her books as I cannot remember to take a picture before I return something to the library or pass it on!). I'm going to give you the same advice I gave to my sister - don't read the book jacket or description of
Fly Away until you have finished
Firefly Lane, promise me this. No one wants a spoiler.
Tully and Kate meet when they are 14. To say they are polar opposites may be an understatement. Tully is the child of Dorothy, who renamed herself Cloud, as her addictions worsened throughout the years. Cloud is in and out of Tully's life and the hurt of this relationship impacts Tully's ability to form relationships with others throughout her life. Tully meets next door neighbor Kate, who has the support of her mother, father, grandparents and countless others. She has never had to worry how food would get on the table or what to do if she couldn't wake up her mom. Tully and Kate form an unlikely but inseparable bond.
Hannah takes us on a journey through decades of a friendship between Tully and Kate. She intertwines music, current events and everyday life in a way that I just couldn't put this book down. I think
Firefly Lane took me 3 days to read. I know that may be easy for some, but for me that's a world record. It wasn't that it was suspenseful, but rather that it was so relatable (I think that's a word?). Tully and Kate share a dream for their future and we watch as some of these dreams come true and other times, the girls slowly drift down different paths. We see how they celebrate the joys of their lives and support each other through the crises they face over the years. We watch as the women go to college, find love, find heartbreak, land careers, have babies and face losses.
Hannah writes a theme of how we respond to grief and trauma. I don't think it's really a choice we make. No one wants to fall into depression, anxiety or addiction. I think some people are better equipped with some tools to help cope with grief and trauma. In Hannah's books, we watch as worlds disintegrate right before our eyes and how a glimmer of hope may offer the spark needed for recovery. Remember my own theme of spreading kindness? Maybe there's a way that we can be the glimmer for others who are suffering. Possibly asking how someone is doing, truly asking and wanting to know. Maybe we shouldn't accept "I'm fine" as an answer. Because really, have you ever said "I'm fine" when there were a hundred other ways you were feeling? Probably. Perhaps we could say "tell me more about that." Perhaps we could ask our questions in a little more specific manner instead of "how are you?". These books left me with more compassion for others, triggering the thought in the back of my mind that the person right in front of me may be suffering and I have no idea. Let's be the spark for others - the glimmer of hope, the encouragement to share the heartache, the friend. I hope Hannah's writing continues to inspire you as well. You can grab a copy of her books by clicking the links below. I am an Amazon associate and may make a small amount from you purchases, thank you! But the blog post isn't done... keep reading!
Recently, a couple friends of mine suggested we do an impromtu book chat as we all recently read
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. I have never participated in a book club. I actually planned to attend one once, bought the books and all. Then, I told myself I was too busy. Or maybe I chickened out? Anyway, this was so much fun! We did it virtually but this was perfect because we are spread out across the Midwest. It was a great experience to connect with friends.
They are smiling behind their smiley face pictures, I promise! I loved talking through the book, sharing ideas as seeing how others interpreted things differently. We are trying this book chat again and I'm so excited. We are reading Jojo Moyes' book The Girl You Left Behind. We've actually picked out the next couple books and went for some that were recommended from a few years' back to up our chances of our local libraries having them (which they did!) or to score a good deal on Amazon. Here's a link to Moyes' book if you want to join us.
Let me know if you want to join too. You can reach out to me via the top left of my blog homepage, click the menu and enter your message. We didn't even "schedule" the next session as life gets busy and we read at our own paces, but once we are all done, we will connect. One more thing.... subscribe to my blog so you don't miss a new post - it's super easy, just click "subscribe" at the top of the page!
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