3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Girls Most Likely by Sheila Williams: An PeoplewholoveGoodBooks Review, July 25, 2006
This review is from: Girls Most Likely: A Novel (Paperback)
Vaughn, Reenie, Susan, and Audrey are life-long friends who are more like sisters than friends. A friendship started in the 5th grade that has lasted over 5 decades. Despite the different directions that life has taken them, they find an opportunity to reconnect at their high school reunion. Vaughn is the bookworm. She is the glue that holds everyone together. Longing to be a successful writer one day, she is the one everyone depends on to be levelheaded in a crisis. But when life throws a curve-ball at Vaughn, will she be able to hold it together? Reenie is the girl that every boy wants and every girl wants to be like. She is keeping a secret that will not only forever change her life but create a betrayal that will cause a rift between the girls. Susan is the determined one. She is determined to be better than the ones who laughed or talked behind her back. She will rise to fame but will she ever be able to forgive her alcoholic mother who abandoned her? Last but least is Audrey. Audrey is the perfectionist. The one who is determined to succeed no matter who (her family) or what (her health) it affects. But when the price of success becomes too much to pay, Audrey will be forced to determine what's more important: her career or her sanity? Girls Most Likely is a heartwarming, touching, yet humorous story about the bonds of friendship and sisterhood. Ms. Williams has written characters that are so realistic, they could be your friend, sister, or maybe even you. An entertaining story that will make you laugh and cry as you join Vaughn, Reenie, Susan, and Audrey on their journey of self-discovery and womanhood. It is the essential book club read. Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best friends through thick and thin, September 2, 2006
This review is from: Girls Most Likely: A Novel (Paperback)
GIRLS MOST LIKELY by Sheila Williams
September 2, 2006
Rating: 4 Stars
I'm finding that I REALLY enjoy books by Sheila Williams. She has a way with words that I find unique. This is the second novel I've read by her. Each of these novels had a certain tone to them, a somewhat gentle prose, but the characters she depicts in her books are stand out characters that are not always conventional, but are often strong and determined people that know what they want and where they are going.
In GIRLS MOST LIKELY, Williams tells the story of four women who are best friends from childhood, and each character is given a chance to narrate part of the novel. Each woman is different from the others, but something special ties the four together and even after a betrayal that occurs between two of them, the friends find a way to re-unite many years later.
I won't go into detail of each character and what made her unique, but the book itself covers decades of living and ends with their 30th high school reunion. The book also depicts the social changes that occur through the years, especially for Black women. I found it interesting to see things unfold, watching as these four characters react to the changes over the years. GIRLS MOST LIKELY is recommended to readers who enjoy books focusing on women friendships and are nostalgic for days gone by.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book Most Likely to Leave You Smiling, July 28, 2006
This review is from: Girls Most Likely: A Novel (Paperback)
For many people, life-long friendships transcend some of life's most profound experiences. This is true of Vaughn, Reenie, Su and Audrey. Four decades of good and bad times have created a bond none of them imagined possible when they were kids.
Nicknamed the "Girls Most Likely," they became a close-knit group legendary among their peers--the kind of friendship that exists in every school, where classmates cannot imagine one girl in a room without the others.
Vaughn is the Girl Most Likely to publish an unforgettable novel. Reenie is the Girl Most Likely to marry a prince. Su is the Girl Most Likely to be famous. Audrey is the Girl Most Likely to rule the world.
The history of this friendship is told through the eyes of each woman, from their perspective as fifty-somethings today. Rather than alternating sections, as is increasingly common in this type of fiction, each woman tells her view of the story in one section. It begins with Vaughn's memories of how the friendship began. Reenie continues the story, relating the effects of betrayal and loneliness. Su continues with the meaning of adulthood and moving on. Audrey has her say as the group moves into the twenty-first century. Finally, and as the writer she is, Vaughn will finish out the story.
The writing in this novel is moving, insightful, and often hilarious. While it is ultimately about the importance and significance of lifelong relationships, it also addresses very real issues--issues that MUST be addressed in the course of a person's life if they intend to truly live it. Race, loyalty, faith, love, health, family, and more are lovingly woven into an extraordinary look at a seemingly ordinary phenomenon.
Friendship on this level is a sacred thing, as it should be. Sheila Williams has captured its essence in a novel that will embrace the reader with its depth of spirit. This is a "must read" for anyone who can appreciate the power of friendship.
Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
7/28/2006
(** A very unprofessional, but enthusiastic, shout-out to my closest friends: my "Girl Most Likely," Jenn from NHS, class of 1995; Katie & Sarah and Barb & Lori from SMWC, class of 1999; Makiko & Wakako, and Amy, Cheryl, Maria & Heather, SMWC, class of 1998! **)
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