Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, Bk 1)

Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, Bk 1)
reviewed MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS on + 69 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6


Wow. This book was a roller coaster ride for me. At first I felt like it was a young adult novel about an angsty teen. By page 50, I was already so sick of the whole "Best Friends forever" cliches, as well as the need for the author to overstate the surroundings of the time period, such as bell bottoms, lava lamps, headbands. I get it...its the 70's!! (Same with the 80's with the big hair, off the shoulder tops and dresses etc) Despite all of this I couldn't stop reading!!! I found myself getting so lost in the story and unable to put the book down. By page 200, though I couldn't stand the selfish friend Tully I almost didn't want to read anymore because I couldn't stand how self centered Tully was and how Kate took the abuse just because they're "friends". I never thought Tully was that great of a friend to Kate, and I found it very draining to keep reading about Tully's selfish behavior and Kate's stupidity towards it. At the end though, I realized it was all a huge set up for the end of the story. Once I got to the last one hundred pages, I realized that it was all Hannah's way of the bringing the story to a close. While I found the writing a bit juvenile at times, I appreciate Hannah's effort to tell a great story. Maybe it was that less than stellar writing that drew me in and kept my attention. I do often times find myself spacing out at certain points of more "literary" books, but with Firefly Lane, my mind never once strayed from the story while I was reading it.
I do still think some of the story was over done. Other authors could have put the reader into the time period without mentioning every stereo typical thing of that time period. I really appreciate subtly in writing and this book was anything but subtle in most of its topics. I do want to give credit to the author for bringing up the topic of Imflammatory Breast Cancer. I love how she was able to bring that into the story without it being "preachy".
Over all I really loved this book, and it will stay with me for a long time.