Firefly Lane: A Novel

From the New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . . now a #1 Netflix series!

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.

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528 pages

Average rating: 7.64

500 RATINGS

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21 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Anonymous
Dec 11, 2024
10/10 stars
I've haven't read a book by this author yet but after reading this one I definitely want to read more. It really went into depth on the characters lives and you really felt for them. It was a tear jerker at the end
Shannonplane
Dec 02, 2024
10/10 stars
Cried a lot! Loved the series too on Netflix.
@MissLitLife
Nov 02, 2024
7/10 stars
I really wanted to be pulled in by this more (the nostalgia, forever friends and simpler era montages...) but I didn't really get attached to either protagonist as I was hoping to...the story does take you through some very deep and heartfelt emotional currents (*I definitely got weepy in the latter half!) but I honestly didn't really feel like I personally connected with either character - so I felt like a voyeuristic rather than fully invested reader...I will say though, that one of the most touching aspects of the story was the author's letter at the end and it beautifully redeemed some of the dissatisfaction I felt throughout...
MrsJoy434
Jun 29, 2024
My favorite book of all time!
Anonymous
Jan 09, 2024
10/10 stars
Kristin Hannah, I would do anything for you xoxo

I didn't know she could tear my heart open again so deeply after I pieced it back together after The Great Alone and The Four Winds. This woman can do no wrong. Her writing is just so beautiful, and the character development plants them so firmly in my heart. This story about friendship was brutally honest about the good AND the bad. I loved imagining Tully and Kate over the years. As soon as I finished I knew exactly who this friend was in my life, and the way I want to work to be on her side forever

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