Customer Reviews

Into the Tangle of Friendship: A Memoir of the Things That Matter

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This beautifully written book inspired me to look back over a lifetime's worth of friendships, and to finally see all of these relationships in a whole new light. Beth Kephart is amazingly honest about the joys and pains of frienship, especially between women--the ways we support each other, and the ways we sometimes let one another down. When I finished this courageous, deeply felt memoir, I felt compelled to take the time to really reach out to those people who have proven themselves to be my own true friends. It is so easy to take our friends for granted, to let friendship turn into quick phone calls, or two-line emails. But our friends are so much more important, and they deserve more from us, as Beth Kephart reminds us in this richly woven tapestry of friendships of many colors and textures. She has not just been lucky in friendship, she has given deeply of herself, and she has been blessed in return with soulmates who have stood by her through thick and thin. This is a book for friends to give, to share, to read together; it's the beginning of an important conversation; a reminder to pay attention to the people who really matter in our lives.

I was astonished by the beauty of this book. The prose is luminous, and the subject matter is certainly universal, but Beth Kephart takes such a refreshing and unorthodox approach to the topic of friendship that I was startled in the best sense of the word. I'd never really thought about how strange, how oddly buoyant, friendships are. I've given this book to several friends (close and not so close) and the response has been electric. We have all succeeded and failed at friendship. Now that I've read Kephart's book, I will, I hope, never again be timid in the face of a difficult relationship. I will carry Kephart's wisdom and generosity with me always.

Beth Kephart's book, _Into the Tangle of Friendship_, is a wonderful book that should be given to every friend we have in our own unique circles. It is not a suspense novel, and not a book to be taken lightly. Kephart gives words to the emotions we all have and feel about our friends. She manages to do the impossible, give voice to our emotions. Friendship is an indefinable part of our lives, and each friend provides, as Kephart says, a unique thread towards the fabric of the quilt that defines our lives. This is more a sociological treatise than a novel, and readers who buy this book must realize that fact. It is a wonderful book that can be read whenever, chapter by chapter. Each chapter can be read independently, though together the book follows a logical sequence. Thank you, Beth, for giving us the words that do not flow easily from our hearts. The poetic language and the allusions to literature are just one added bonus to the gift of words given to the reader by this author.

I read "Slant of the Sun" and immediately had to read more of Beth Kephart's prose. She is amazing. This book, while not as emotionally grabbing as the first, is lovely. Kephart makes writing looking effortless -- it's so lyrical, and her stories are everyone's stories. If you've ever pondered friendship and stuggled to understand its heart, this is the book for you and your friends.

I couldn't really get into this book enough to finish reading it. But you may love it. We are all different in our taste, right?

Great book. This quote is just one that summarizes the insights gained by the author in her journeys into the meaning of friendship:

"When you take a stand on friendship, when in rage, you make it clear--This friendship is over, get out--you are defining the rest of your life. I didn't know then what I was doing."...
..."You walk around with a void inside that you can never adequately explain."

This book is very well written

Kephart's prose is beautifully crafted, in that her subject and writing style work flawlessly together. I discovered her work by seeing her piece, "Sharing a Room," in an anthology:
THE LEAP YEARS: WOMEN REFLECT ON CHANGE, LOSS AND LOVE (Maier and Isom, Ed.) and went on to read everything I can find by this author.

First, let me get on my soapbox once more to decry the 'star inflation' that is found on this website. I mean, get real, are all the books out there really deserving of 5 stars! This book is a case in point. Don't get me wrong, memoirs are my favorite genre. But this book is tedious. Beth is a very likable person, only it seemed like she couldn't make up her mind. Did she want to write a memoir, or a book of essays on friendship? Instead of choosing one, she decided to do both; without pulling it off. I also did not find her prose to be luminous or poetic, but overwraught. Sorry. Finally, at several points in the book I got the feeling that Beth was searching out friendship opportunities with an eye that they could be included in the book she was working on. Beth, if you ever read this, please don't be discouraged by this review. You do have talent. Just don't try so hard.