Four Friends

February 3, 2014
The prolific Carr (A Summer in Sonoma) explores the implosion of the marriages of four women with painful secrets living in the same neighborhood, in this juicy deliberation on getting your groove back amid domestic chaos, hormonal imbalance, and crushing depression. Within a matter of months, the rock-solid marriage of Gerri, a social worker, and her husband Phil, a public defender, cracks under the weight of an old infidelity; divorcee Andy takes on Bob, an unlikely lover, who teaches her about the beauty of “wanting what you have”; New Age dilettante Sonja loses her mind but finds her balance; and mysterious B.J. moves into the neighborhood hoping to hide a hideous past. Carr expertly juggles the drama of these richly drawn female characters—and the men and kids who, improbably, sweetly adore them. The women are instantly recognizable—outwardly comfortable and secure even as they privately battle demons. It’s here that the author lingers for a closer look—at domestic abuse, gay children, spouses, mental illness, lagging libido, extramarital affairs, grief, and parenting troubled teens. It’s tricky terrain, but Carr leads with confidence, and the path, though familiar, is fresh and inviting.

February 15, 2014
In a Marin County neighborhood, four women help each other amid marital strife, personal crises and life-altering epiphanies. For years, Mill Valley, Calif., neighbors Gerri, Andy and Sonja have started most of their days with a brisk walk, but one early spring morning, Andy has had enough with her younger second husband, and she skips the walk and throws him out. It is a loud, angry event, but it is a long time coming, and it sets off a series of surprising upheavals in the lives of her friends. Gerri takes an unplanned trip to her husband's office in San Francisco, and a conversation with his co-worker makes her question everything she knew about her marriage. Sonja, dedicated to New-Age strategies for health and wellness, is thrown off balance by Andy's marital strife, then spirals into life-threatening depression when her husband leaves her. As each woman deals with her own personal crossroad, they are collectively drawn to newcomer BJ, who has never shown interest in socializing before but becomes the fresh new pair of eyes that notices change at crucial moments and steps in to help when help is most needed. Hugely popular romance author Carr (The Wanderer, 2013, etc.) steps into women's fiction territory with this quietly powerful exploration of friendship, marriage and midlife crisis. The characters are realistic and compelling, facing life after 40 with grace, courage and a fierce interpersonal loyalty that is convincing and inspiring. The storyline sounds familiar, yet Carr handles the plot and characters with a deft hand and enough unique twists that we are invested in the characters' well-beings, and we are touched by their struggles, especially since we see each of them at their best and their worst. A thought-provoking look at women of a certain age and the choices they make when they realize their lives aren't exactly what they expected--or thought they were.

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April 1, 2014

New York Times best-selling author Carr (The Newcomer) explores the nature of love and strength of friendship in four women as they deal with devastating changes to their families. Andy falls for the contractor remodeling her kitchen after tossing out her cheating second husband. Sonja's whole world collapses when her husband decides that he has had enough of her crystals, pot, and meditation lifestyle. Gerri struggles with keeping her busy career and three-teenager household in balance while dealing with the fallout of discovering her husband had an affair. And BJ is definitely hiding something. While the timing of these situations is just a bit too coincidental to be believable, the fast-paced prose, strong female characterizations, and multiple third-person points of view keep the action moving. The protagonists are believably flawed and, although there are no easy answers, each works to ground herself as unexpected consequences of her actions reverberate. VERDICT Realistic family drama lovers and those who enjoy strong female perspectives will be rooting for these four friends to get their happily-ever-afters.--Charli Osborne, Oxford P.L., MI

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2014
Four women living in an affluent neighborhood near San Francisco come together through exercise and care for each other through relationship tragedies and triumphs. Andy, Gerri, and Sonja often see BJ, the standoffish new neighbor, running in the early mornings when they do their fitness walk around the neighborhood. Soon their marriages come undone. Andy, mother of a 19-year-old, throws her sexy younger second husband out with all his stuff. Gerri, a social worker with three teenage kids, has always had a model marriage with her husband, an assistant district attorney, until she discovers he had an affair. Perky Sonja, holistic practitioner of feng shui, yoga, and various new age activities, is left by her husband and suffers a psychotic break that her friends don't realize is major until BJ alerts them. As secrets and frailties are exposed, the four find acceptance and support, drawing on each other's strength. Prolific Carr's new novel demonstrates that classic women's fiction, illuminating the power of women's friendships, is still alive and well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)