More Than Friends [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Delinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2007

Friendship, love, and forgiveness . . .

The Maxwells and the Popes have been friends forever. The women were college roommates, their husbands are partners in the same law firm, their kids have grown up next door to each other, and the two families share both vacations and holidays.

Like Wisteria Lane, the "perfect" suburban street of Desperate Housewives, all is beautiful and serene -- until an accident forces these close neighbors to look beneath the surface. And when their idyllic lives are unexpectedly shattered by a moment that can never be erased or forgotten, their faith in one another -- and in themselves -- is put to the supreme test.

In this moving, unforgettable story, Barbara Delinsky exquisitely captures the depth and complexity of the human heart as few writers can.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Popes and the Maxwells, known as the "Popewells," are more than next-door neighbors: Annie Pope and Teke Maxwell were college roommates; John David Maxwell is Sam Pope's oldest friend, and both men are full partners at the Boston law firm run by J. D.'s father. But in a matter of moments, the two families are torn apart by tragedy. Sam and Teke are spotted in an act of spontaneous (and unprecedented) lovemaking by 13-year-old Michael Maxwell, who dashes out of the house and runs into a passing pickup truck. The accident leaves the boy in a coma. Making things even more hideous for Teke is the fact that the pickup truck was driven by Grady Piper, her childhood sweetheart. J. D. copes by trying to get somebody sued or arrested, preferably Grady. When Sam's indiscretion comes to light, Annie can hardly bear to be around him. As the days drag on and Michael remains unconscious, it becomes apparent that the Popewell relationships are also badly injured and not all will survive. By focusing on these characters and their responses to adversity, Delinsky ( The Passions of Chelsea Kane ) skillfully turns a somber scenario into intriguing women's fiction.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Barbara Delinsky, a lifelong New Englander, was a sociologist and photographer before she began to write. There are more than 30 million copies of her books in print.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Avon (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061239089
• ISBN-13: 978-0061239083
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Delinsky, Barbara

More About the Author

Barbara Delinsky, author of ESCAPE (2011), NOT MY DAUGHTER (2010), WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS (2009), THE SECRET BETWEEN US (2008), and FAMILY TREE (2007), has written more than twenty bestselling novels with over thirty million copies in print. She has been published in twenty languages worldwide. Barbara's fiction centers upon everyday families facing not-so-everyday challenges. She is particularly drawn to exploring themes of motherhood, marriage, sibling rivalry, and friendship in her novels.

A lifelong New Englander, Barbara earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. As a breast cancer survivor who lost her mother to the disease when she was only eight, Barbara compiled the non-fiction book Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes. She donates her proceeds from the sale of this book to her charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Barbara enjoys knitting, photography, and cats. She also loves to interact with her readers through her website at www.barbaradelinsky.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bdelinsky, and on Twitter as @BarbaraDelinsky.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT, TOUCHING, WONDERFUL BOOK!!!!!!!!!, August 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: More Than Friends (Mass Market Paperback)

This was one of the best books I have ever read, EVER. Barbara Delinsky puts us right in there with the Popewells. She showed how Sam took responsibility for his actions and how one unfortunate, blurry incident changed everyone's life and brought out the good and the bad in every character. In addition, Barbara showed how mostly everyone has a skeleton in their closet. I absolutely loved the relationship Sam and Annie had - and, of course, routed for Teke and Grady to get together. JD, of course, was such an immature jerk. It angered me that although he defended Teke to his father, he so blatently, consistently, disrespected her to her face in front of the children. I thought "Coast Road" and "Together Alone" were excellent, but Barbara Delinsky outdid herself in "More Than Friends." I'll probably read it again in a few months. Barbara, please keep writing.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I hate this book and its hollow characters., July 6, 2005

By 

BookReviewer "BookReviewer" - See all my reviews

This review is from: More Than Friends (Mass Market Paperback)

There are two things I hate reading about: misery and stupidity. This book is filled with both of these things. While it has received a great deal of positive feedback due to its "real life situations" and "realistic" portrayal of human beings, I found this book to be incredibly fake.
Real people do make mistakes. That much is true. The types of situations that occur in this book do happen in the real world. Cheating happens, but not for the reasons for which it happens in this book. A husband who cheated on his wife with her best friend, and regretted it, would not act like the husband in this book. It doesn't make sense that a husband would sleep with anybody other than his wife if his wife is the one he wanted to sleep with, and just because he thought of his wife while he was cheating does not make it okay. Sam acts like nothing happened. He feels no shame. And the wife, Annie, feels responsible because she has low self-esteem. It's bizzare. First of all, Annie's upset for the wrong reason. She thinks that she just isn't good or attractive enough for him and he has to go elsewhere, when what she should be upset about is the fact that he had sex with her best friend and then said it was okay because he was thinking of her. The fact that he can sleep with whoever without a second thought to how it effects her or their family just because he's pretending it is her is disturbing. The fact that she doesn't get angry for that reason is even more disturbing.
The same thing goes for the best friend, Teke. She sleeps with Sam and doesn't even consider how it will effect anything until her kid walks in and all hell breaks loose. Who goes to bed with her best friend's husband while thinking of a guy she hasn't even seen in 19 years? Come on!
Then there's the best friend's husband. He is soooo FAKE. He has no love for even his own children and does everything solely because he wants to be important. The author is trying so hard to make him into a flawed character, and she obviously has no idea what would motivate a person like that, so she guesses in the book. I think that that's actually true of most of the characters, but it's really noticable with J.D. He just isn't a real person. He's a lizard.
There's a quote from the book. It says: "She would have given anything to transform the events of the past two months into a work of fiction. No doubt she would shred it in the nearest machine."
This book is a work of fiction, and I agree with the author. It belongs in the nearest shredder.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One for the discard pile..., October 17, 2009

By 

S. M. Lutz (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: More Than Friends (Mass Market Paperback)

I am suprised by all the positive reviews. Seriously this book didn't make me feel anything but anger and disgust. Yes people make mistakes but the reason behind the affair was rediculous and the characters were shallow and unsympathetic.

Annie and Teke were college roommates, their respecive spouces Sam and J.D. have been friends since childhood and work together at a law firm. One day Teke and J.D.'s son Michael witnesses Teke and Sam getting intimate and feeling betrayed runs into the street and gets struck by a car putting him in a coma.

I find it difficult to find any sympathy for Sam or Teke. Sam cheats on his wife with her best friend even though she is the one he wants to sleep with? That doesn't make any sense. He rationalizes his behavior by saying that he was thinking of Annie while with Teke. And his "reason" behind the affair? Everytime he wins a case him and his wife have sex. His wife is busy so he sleeps with his wife's best friend who is conveniently available. It is this stupidity that makes Sam a character I cannot have any sympathy for. And I am supposed to believe he loves his wife.

Teke is even worse. While sleeping with her best friend's husband she is thinking of her ex-boyfriend. Sure her husband is a waste of space but that gives her the right to damage her best friend's marriage as well? Instead of changing what makes her unhappy she takes others down with her. With friends like her who needs enemies.

And poor Annie believes she caused the affair by having low self esteem. She doesn't think she is attractive enough so her husband went elsewhere. The husband says it's because she wasn't there when he needed her. But he was thinking of her so it's alright. I don't think so! That just makes it that much worse.

And then it is all tied up with a big happily ever after ribbon. Michael wakes up, Teke gets back together with the ex she was thinking about while sleeping with her best friend's husband, and Annie forgives Sam. So what happens the next time he wins another case and his wife is busy? If it didn't take any urging the first time there's not much stopping a repeat.

The characters made it hard to even like them much less find any sympathy for. Sam was stupid, selfish, and arrogant. Teke was shallow and heartless. J.D. was just awful. Annie was the victim for NO reason. This is a book I'll never read again.