| Ann is a mother and wife who loves her family. But, she longs for a friend with whom she can be real. When she meets Ruth, she finds a soulmate immediately. Ruth is wild and flamboyant where Ann is cautious and more conformist.
At the opening of the story, Ruth is dying. Her four closest female friends have gathered to care for her around the clock. While some of them won't accept Ruth will really die, others seem to feel that arrangements must be made. All the while, Ann must balance her desire to give Ruth what she needs, have Ruth to herself, and still care for her own family. In the end, Ann is faced with how to let someone go. Throughout the book through flashbacks, the reader is shown the nature of female relationships, how they evolve, and why they are so strong. Not many books tackle the uniqueness of female friendship, but this one does a nice job. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Family, caring for ill Yes Who is sick? - platonic (!) friend because he/she is - physically ill Internal struggle/realization? Yes Struggle over Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Main Character Gender - Female Age: - 40's-50's Main Adversary Identity: - natural phenomena Setting United States Yes Small town? Yes Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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