Whenever I want an immersive compelling story about friendship or marriage, I turn to Joanna Trollope. (Yes, she is related to the famous English novelist, Anthony Trollope, who wrote a travel book about his visit to the Untied States during the Civil War.)  She does not disappoint! Filled with all the drama, complications and anguish relationships often cause, this was a wonderful book about the tenacity and resiliency of women’s friendships.

Stacey, Beth, Melissa, and Gaby have been friends since their first years at university. Now several decades later they are busy with their work and lives and yet still manage to keep in touch.

But when Stacey suddenly loses her job as Senior Partner at one of the top private equity firms in London, it seems like her life has ended. Now she sits at home taking care of her sickly and cantankerous mother and doting on her dog. Luckily for their finances, while her career has tanked, her husband’s has flourished, making Stacey feel all the more isolated. Her friends try to support Stacey through this rough patch, but she keeps pushing them away and soon her friends are consumed with their own individual problems like a long term relationship breaking up or a teen age son who suddenly wants to establish a relationship with the father he never knew. Meanwhile a secret that Gaby and Beth have kept from the other women, could be revealed as the ultimate betrayal of their friendship. Will the bonds they have forged hold or will these sudden and unexpected changes in their lives break them apart?

This was a great read and I really enjoyed the complicated twists and turns of this plot! Each of the characters were flawed, yet believable. The anguish and aimlessness that Stacey felt after the loss of her job was something many of us could understand and sympathize with. Trollope manages to give all four of her protagonists equal time to emerge as individuals. It was refreshing to have a book that extolls the value and important of friendship!

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommends this book to: Marian, Lauren, Sharon and Keith.

Book Study Worthy? yes

Read in ebook format.