Between Friends [Paperback]

Kristy Kiernan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2010

A provocative new novel about birth, death, and the stuff in between, from the award-winning author of Catching Genius.

Thanks to modern reproductive technology-and the gift of her friend Cora's eggs-Ali Gutierrez is the mother of a fourteen-year-old daughter. Now, yearning for a second child, Ali asks Cora's permission to use another of the frozen embryos that have been stored away in anticipation of this decision. But Cora has a secret that could not only change Ali's plans for the future, but tear apart her life right now.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kiernan (Catching Genius) again demonstrates her ability to portray true-to-life relationships between women. Ali Gutierrez is mother to 15-year-old Letty thanks to the egg donation of her best friend, Cora. Ali wants to have another child, but first has to convince her husband, Benny, and then Cora, to endure the process one more time. Cora, a free-spirit who's just returned to America from a teaching excursion in Chile, has news of her own—she has a debilitating genetic kidney disease, and she's not sure how to break the news to Ali. Meanwhile, Letty's going through growing pains with her bad-news boyfriend, and when poor choices begin endangering her life, it takes all three of her parents—Benny, Ali, and Cora—to try to save her. With realistic dialogue and pinpointed emotions, Kiernan paints a persuasive portrait of the bonds between mothers, daughters, and friends in this inspiring, heartbreaking tale. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Kiernan’s third novel, following Matters of Faith (2008), is another foray into family drama. Ali and Cora have been best friends since childhood. Now in their forties, the two women lead very different lives: single Cora is a professor who studies wind trends, while Ali is a wife and mother. When Ali was unable to get pregnant, Cora donated her own eggs so that Ali could have her miracle child, Letty, now 14 and in full-fledged teenage rebellion. Cora has returned to Florida with a terrible secret: she’s suffering from a hereditary kidney disease that she fears she’s passed on to Letty. While Cora works up the courage to tell Ali what her family may be facing, Ali is contemplating the possibility of having another child even as her marriage is showing signs of strain, and Letty is sneaking out to see her troubled boyfriend. A late-in-the-game tragic twist might take the drama a bit too far, but all in all this is a satisfying exploration of an enduring, complex friendship. --Kristine Huntley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425233472
• ISBN-13: 978-0425233474
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #830,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kristy was born in Tennessee and raised on the beaches of southwest Florida. She developed a love of reading as a child, devouring Nancy Drews and Trixie Beldens at a disconcerting clip, and graduating to whatever anyone left lying around when she ran out of girl detective stories.

She knew she wanted to be a writer at a young age, and her first novel, Catching Genius, was published in 2007 and went on to become a word-of-mouth hit with reading groups.

Her second, Matters of Faith, was an IndieNext Notable Selection and won a bronze medal in the Florida Book Awards, and her third, Between Friends, was released in 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Story of Friendship..., April 6, 2010

By 

Jennifer M. "Crazy-for-Books dot com" (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Between Friends (Paperback)

This is a wonderful story about the bond of friendship between two women, Ali and Cora. When Ali is unable to have children, Cora steps in and donates her eggs so Ali and her husband, Benny, can realize their dream of having a child. The result? They have a healthy little girl who they name Letitia Makani (nicknamed Letty). Fifteen years later is when this story begins. Ali has decided she wants to have another child, using the rest of the eggs that Cora donated to her But, unbeknownst to her, Cora is headed home to Naples, FL, and she has a secret that will change the course of Ali's life, as well as the lives of Benny and Letty.

This is an incredibly well-written, emotional story that completely engrossed me from beginning to end. Told in alternating viewpoints, Ali, Cora, and Letty give us a different perspective on the situations that happen in the story. I love books that are told in this fashion. When they are written well, it adds another layer to the story, without confusing the reader. Kristy Kiernan masterfully weaves these voices together into one cohesive unit. It was very well done. I really loved the way this book was written. I feel that if the story was told from only one perspective then I would have lost something - that special spark that made the story so amazing and heartfelt.

To say that I was shocked at some of the events that happened is a huge understatement! I didn't see some of those things coming - at all! I'd suggest that you keep a box of tissues nearby because you will be crying your eyes out, just like I did! This book is so engaging and deals with very sensitive issues. Due to my personal experiences with infertility, I could relate to Ali, one of the main characters. She was meant to be a mother and her best friend, Cora, allowed her to live her dream. The relationship between these two women is amazing and beautiful. They are as close as sisters and always there for one another, no matter what. I loved both of these characters. I loved everything about this story and am anxiously awaiting more books by this wonderful author!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine relationship drama, April 10, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Between Friends (Paperback)

In Naples, Florida Ali will always be grateful to her friend Cora who donated the eggs that enabled her to have a child. They became headline news with the miracle of modern reproductive technology. She and her husband Benny the cop love their fourteen year old daughter Letty, but now Ali wants a second child. She plans to persuade Benny and then talk to Cora, who has just come home after a teaching gig in Puerto Aysen, Chile.

However, Cora has just learned something about herself that will end Ali's plea for her to undergo the ordeal again before it begins. She must find the courage to explain to her BF that she suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease, a genetic disorder that means dialysis rather soon and she fears Letty might inherit the diseases from her. Meanwhile Letty tired of being the miracle child is seeing Seth, a nasty teen with demands on her.

The relationships between the four prime players especially the two BFFs keep this character study from becoming a soap opera though it is a tearjerker. The lead four are fully developed to the point readers will hope for a second miracle. With a late unexpected twist, fans will enjoy Between Friends while waiting for the results of Letty's PKD tests.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Between Friends Review, April 14, 2010

By 

www.luxuryreading.com "Vera" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Between Friends (Paperback)

Friends since childhood, Ali and Cora are each other's confidants and shoulders to lean on when the going gets tough. They are also joined together by an unusual bond: when Ali and her husband Benny were having trouble getting pregnant, Cora donated her eggs and is the biological mother of their 15-year-old daughter Letty. Letty always knew the truth - thanks in part to the framed magazine excerpts about the arrangement - and having children of her own has always been the last thing on free-spirited Cora's mind.

Diagnosed with a potentially fatal hereditary condition, Cora returns to the States after teaching seminars across the globe and dreads the difficult conversation with her best friend. Ali has a revelation of her own: she has kept the remaining embryos frozen and is finally ready to try for another child. Overshadowing their dueling news is Letty, whose reckless behavior lands her in hot water time and time again. The incidents have Benny reeling and drive a wedge between the couple, with Cora stepping in to pick up the slack and provide the support that Letty so desperately needs. Are three parents too many or is it just what Letty needs to survive her difficult adolescence and emerge unscathed?

"Between Friends" by Kristy Kiernan hits all the right notes - it's dramatic without being overly so, it's heartbreaking without being sappy, and above all, it's unpredictable. Sixty pages from the end, I was convinced that I had the rest of the novel figured out. I could not have been more wrong. Kiernan's talent is most apparent in her ability to create characters and situations that are true to life, and in life, there isn't always a perfect ending.