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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Good As Comfort Food,
By Wendy Kaplan (Houston) - See all my reviews
This review is from: First Friends: A Novel (Paperback)
What a wonderful new voice for American readers! Having read all three contemporary Marcia Willett novels published in this country (The Birdcage, A Week in Winter and The Children's Hour), we are now being given the treat of some of her earlier novels, available for the first time here in paperback.
First Friends, originally published in the 90s, is a lush, rich and satisfying story of two friends, Kate and Cass, who meet in college and continue their strong bond through their marriages to two naval officers. We are given a fascinating glimpse of contemporary British naval life (Willett herself was once married to a naval man)and as the years pass from the 60s, when Kate and Cass meet, through to the 90s, we become completely entertwined with their triumphs, their heartbreaks--and, especially on the part of Cass--their follies. Although we know on the very first page that a tragedy will take place, when it does happen, it is overwhelmingly sad, simply heartbreaking. And yet we knew it all along! I think that's the sign of a fine writer. Although perhaps written at a more heavy pace than Willett's later novels, nevertheless, First Friends in a fine piece of work, in the lovely tradition of Rosamunde Pincher and Maeve Binchy. I have just given this book to a friend, with the note: "Fabulous, Do Not Miss, You Won't Be Able to Put This Down"!
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Crafted Plot and Characters Make Memorable Novel,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: First Friends: A Novel (Paperback)
Marcia Willet's first novel, THOSE WHO SERVE, has now been released in America as FIRST FRIENDS. If you love a heartwarming story, vibrant and multi-dimensional characters, and the cozy charm of the English countryside, you will delight in this heartbreaking yet heartwarming story.
Kate Webster and Cass Wivenhoe meet at age 12 at an English boarding school and are friends for life. Through marriage and parenthood, through good times and the worst of times, their friendship is constant. Willet makes the characters as well as their spouses, children, and other friends so real you will wish you were part of their inner circle. Both marry career navy men and cope with the constant moving and long separations in different ways. Kate is the dutiful wife who has unfortunately married a beast of a man while Cass is the seductive mistress of many while surrounded by delightful children and a devoted husband. How their lives intertwine and impact each other and their community is fascinating to read thanks to the clever plotting of Marcia Willett. The loss of love, coping with divorce, and the effects of adultery are all paramount to the plot. Bosses who are lovers, a neighbor unsure if her child has been fathered by her husband or her lover, a kindly retired General, and a daughter desperate to end her mother's infidelity will keep you glued to the pages and deeply involved in the lives of characters you will love. I, personally, hated to see the book end but am excited that a follow-up to this novel, A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY (English title: THEA'S PARROT) will be released in the US in October, 2006, and I can once again spend time with Cass, Kate, and their families and friends.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good - But Not Her Best,
By
This review is from: First Friends: A Novel (Paperback)
It was with a bit of relief that I learned this was one of Marcia Willet's older books published in the UK in 1995. I've read and enjoyed all her books published in the US and had been a bit surprised and disappointed in this book.
The author does her usual great job defining the characters to the extent you feel you know them. The story should have been quite compelling, but it never drew me in like her more recent books. The book was slow and rather plodding and nearly became tedious, yet I was involved with the characters and never considered not finishing it. There were a number of plots, characters and the drama of life, yet there was little suspense that may have made the book move along at a faster pace. So if you're looking for a book that won't leave you sitting at the edge of your seat or stress you out, this is it. The bottom line is that I wouldn't judge Marcia Willet's books by this one, as she has some others that are far more vital, yet contain the same richness of characters and setting. If you've read her other books, you will probably enjoy this, but may not find it to the same standard as her later work. This one shows the promise she eventually reaches.
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