The first thing to mention is that THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB is certainly not a fluff piece. Not that there is anything even remotely wrong with fluff, love, and humor. Robyn Carr manages to add just the right amount of all three while tackling a much more challenging subject. Abuse. Since the main characters are women the initial emphasis is on women who have been victims of abuse, physical and emotional. So many victims remain silent. Afraid of embarrassment or being judged as weak. Instead of putting the blame where it truly belongs, many believe that somehow it was their fault. What they did to cause the partner to lash out in retribution for something they unknowingly did. Hogwash. Robyn Carr could just as easily title this book Hogwash. But I digress. THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB centers around a group of women who work together to produce a successful cooking show. Marni is the star, and the show is her baby. She worked her way up in various stages of the food industry. As a single mother, she learned how to manage life and a career. In the meantime, she also amassed a wonderful support group. This group of women round out the story. Each contributes to a central theme that originally appears random, but then we come to see that each is a crucial element of the recipe. After all, we are reminded that it is food and cooking that remains the core of the relationship of these friends and family members. Marni, Ellen, and Sophia work together as a wonderful team on the cooking show. As such they are a cohesive group. Robyn Carr reminds us that people have lives that are much more complicated than appear on the surface. Our life experiences shape who we are, and what we become, not only in our personal lives but in our expectations. So while these ladies are busy with chopping and cooking and following a recipe it is their lives that have become more complicated. Facing their pasts and looking for a better future. And being honest and open with the people who are so important to them. Robyn Carr uses this quote by Maya Angelou, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time,” which sums up the importance of this story. So if you are looking for a delightful tale with some extra spice look no further than THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB.
The highly-anticipated new novel from the #1 bestselling author of Virgin River. Four women come together at a tumultuous time in their lives, forging an unbreakable bond that will leave them all forever changed.
Celebrity cooking show host Marni McGuire has seen it all. She’s been married—twice—and widowed and divorced. Now in her midfifties, she’s single. Happily so. She just needs to convince her pregnant daughter, Bella, of this fact. And maybe convince herself, too. Especially after Marni’s efforts to humor her determined daughter result in a series of disastrous dates that somehow prompt Marni to wonder if maybe the right man for her is still out there after all.
Similarly single, Marni’s best friend and colleague is confident she’s content without a man, but both older women soon find themselves leading by example as the young intern on their show appears caught in a toxic relationship—and Bella reveals her own marriage maybe isn’t built to withstand the stresses of the baby on the way.
Suddenly, all four women find themselves at a crossroads, each navigating the challenges of dating, marriage, loneliness and love. Thankfully, they have each other to lean on. The realities of modern love are far from easy, but there’s no better group to have in your corner than friends who will lift you up, no matter what, and hold fast in the face of any storm.
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