Yesterday I finished The Gift of Friends by Emma Hannigan. I’ve got to be honest with you, this is not my normal type of read but when the chance came up for me to receive an advance copy, I jumped at it as I just felt so compelled to read it.
Why?
Well for one, the gorgeous title The Gift of Friends resonated with me. At the risk of sounding like a soppy cow, I’m really blessed with some brilliant friends who I value and appreciate every day. Secondly, this is the last book written by Emma Hannigan as she sadly died of breast cancer in March 2018. That, along with the title struck a chord with me as a close friend of mine passed away with breast cancer four years ago. My brilliant friend was a true a gift who taught me so much and it seems weird but fitting that I’m writing this post today as it’s the anniversary of the day she passed.
The Gift of Friends is set on Kingfisher Road, a lovely, leafy road in the Irish town of Vayhill. As well as being neighbours, Nancy, Pearl, Maia and Betsy are all good friends. They are all very different of varying ages and they all have their own secrets and heartaches.
When 20 year old Danielle moves into Kingfisher Road, she feels out of her depth intimidated by the wealthy lives of the people living on the road. Although welcoming, she believes her new neighbours are not quite her type of people, referring to them as the ‘housewives gang‘ with Danielle ‘way too young to be spending too much time with that lot.’
Yet all is not what it seems.
As I mention above, The Gift of Friends is not my type of normal read but then the old adage of ‘not judging a book by its cover’ springs to mind. I thoroughly enjoyed this as it really reminded me of the strength of friendship. I found it charming and easy to read yet it explores horrific issues including the Magdalene Laundries and domestic abuse.
A massive thank you to Becky Hunter from Headline Publishing for sending me an advance copy of The Gift of Friends to read – such a beautiful, touching novel.
The Gift of Friends will be published in paperback on Thursday 30 May 2019, so if you’re wanting a nice summer read, then this is a definite read for you.
Happy reading everyone! 🙂
