Thursday, April 29, 2010

Review: The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow + Giveaway

When I was younger, I looked upon groups of women having a good time in a public place with a certain amount of envy: although I’ve had close female friends since high school, until fairly recently most of my friendships had been one on one and I often felt uncomfortable in groups. So I was very curious to read The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow, the extraordinary true story of a group of 11 women friends who met in childhood—mostly in preschool, kindergarten or first grade—and thus have basically been friends for their entire lives. Because these women are about my age, I was surprised that I didn’t identify with them more, but then I didn’t grow up in the Midwest, didn’t have a lot of friends in high school (nor was I popular) and don’t have children now. This didn’t stop me from enjoying this book, however. As Zaslow says in his introduction, he has set out to write “the biography of a friendship, meticulously reported,” and in this he has succeeded. Because there were so many “girls” (and I must admit I bristle a bit at this term), he necessarily focused on some of them more than others, but the stories they shared made me laugh and cry and cry some more. (I also developed a little bit of a crush on Marilyn’s dad, a pediatrician and “beloved figure in Ames.”) Stories of mean-girl behaviour, secrets and the loss of loved ones (including one of the girls) are interspersed with lighter stories of celebrity encounters, goofy behaviour and girl bonding in the next generation. Occasionally, the way Zaslow wrote about Kelly, the most outspoken (and nontraditional) member of the group, rubbed me the wrong way, but overall this was a fascinating look at a unique friendship.

Thank you to Penguin USA for sending me this book to review.
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The Girls from Ames is on blog tour with TLC Book Tours in April and May. Visit these other blogs for reviews and giveaways:

Simply Stacie
Silver and Gracechaotic compendiumsRundpinneLuxury ReadingBook Nook ClubSuko’s NotebookFeminist ReviewBookworm with a ViewCafe of DreamsJanel’s JumbleAnniegirl1138 Peeking Between the PagesLife in the Thumblit*chick

Other reviews:

Boarding in My Forties
Book, Line and SinkerMother Daughter Book ClubNonfiction BookPageOffenburger.comStory Circle Book ReviewsWalking with Scissors Reviews
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Would you like to win a copy of The Girls from Ames? Penguin USA has offered to send a copy to one of my readers. The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only (no P.O. boxes). I will accept entries until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday, May 17.

For one entry, please answer this question: How old is your longest friendship? Mine will be 28 years old in September: I met my best friend in grade 7 in September 1982. I also have several other female friendships that are 15+ years old.

If you are a follower or subscriber, please let me know and I will give you another entry.

Please be sure to provide me with a way of getting in touch with you. Entries without a blog link or email address will be disqualified.
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53 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review :) I enjoyed this book too.

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  2. This sounds like a great book. My longest friendship is with a friend that I met when I was about 11 years old...so that would be thirty years ago...wowza!
    joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com

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  3. I'm also a follower.
    joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com

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  4. The book sounds wonderful. My oldest friendship is 39 years - I met a dear friend of mine when I was 12 years old. I've moved lots of times since then and she's stayed put but we talk all the time and see each other every chance we get. We still act like we're 12 when we get together.

    I subscribe in Google Reader.

    milou2ster(at)gmail.com

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  5. Great review. My oldest friendship is 21 years old - and a year ago that friendship turned into marriage! My husband and I met when we were in 9th grade, became best friends, went our separate lives after high school, sporadically kept in touch throughout the years and then started dating 3 years ago.

    I am also a follower and have you on my blog role.

    k2reader@gmail.com

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  6. I enjoyed this one too. After reading it I was inspired to reconnect with a good friend from high school who I had been out of touch with!

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  7. Lynne, I found your review on Good Reads (and friended you too).I'm glad you enjoyed this book too. I thought it was interesting that one of the Girls (if I remember correctly) said that it's easier to be silly with friends who've known you as a child because I'm certainly silly with several friends who haven't known me as child. But then I really only have one friend from childhood (and I can be a pretty silly person!).

    Jo-Jo and Kathy, how fun that all three of us have a friend we've known since we were 11 or 12!

    Kristin, congrats! Twenty-one years of friendship sounds like a solid foundation for a marriage!

    Kathleen, yay for reconnecting with old friends! I loved your review with the "Girls from Ames" lookalike photo.

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  8. My longest friendship is almost 20 years old. I didn't realize until you asked just how long we have been good friends. Thanks for opening up my eyes to longevity of my friendship. I think I will call her now to set up a time to get together again...

    aksimmo at brainerd dot net

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  9. I am also a subscriber

    aksimmo at brainerd dot net

    P.S. Love the new look to the blog!

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  10. My longest friendships are about 15 years so far.

    I am a follower

    teresasreadingcorner at gmail dot com

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  11. No need to enter me, babe. I'm dropping in to say thanks for the e-mail. I've got this posted at Win a Book for you.

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  12. My very oldest friend and I met when we were 1 1/2 years old. We're not that close anymore, partly because he's a boy and I'm a girl and so when we got to late elementary school we drifted apart. But we've always kept in touch.

    Thanks for entering me!

    j.t.oldfield[at]gmail.com

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  13. I also follow you w/ Google Reader!

    j.t.oldfield[at]gmail.com

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  14. I'd love to win a copy of this book! Just found your blog and started following you.

    dcruzed at knoxnews dot com

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  15. My oldest friendship is 24 years. I have known her since we were babies.
    amandarwest at gmaildotcom

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  16. I'm a follower.
    amandarwest at gmaildotcom

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  17. My oldest friendship is over 30 years.
    Thanks for the giveaway.
    mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm a follower.
    mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  19. My oldest friendship is 18 years. We've known each other since we were in elementary school.
    lynnx512 at gmail dot com

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  20. I'm a new follower.
    lynnx512 at gmail dot com

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  21. I have been friends with my bff for 15 years - wow!

    Please count me in!

    christinezeg(at)gmail(dot)com

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  22. This book (thanks to your review) sounds really interesting--please enter me for the giveaway! My oldest friendship will be 28 years old this summer...we met when I was 6, and she 4!
    But I don't seem to do the 'group' thing either...

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  23. Looks interesting.

    janemaritz at yahoo dot com

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  24. My longest friendship is 13 yrs.
    caliblue7@gmail.com

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  25. I am a follower of this blog on GFC.
    caliblue7@gmail.com

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  26. My longest friendship is nearly 24 years. We became instant friends as infants when our mothers met. To this day, even though we live 7 hours apart and live very different lives (her married with children, me a single professional student) we still talk regularly. It is one of the constants in my life I could not do without.

    I'm a new follower as well!

    http://ayearinbooksm.blogspot.com/

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  27. My oldest friendship is 10 yrs. We've been friends since we were teenagers.

    unforgetable_dreamer_always(at)hotmail.com

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  28. My oldest friendship is 24 years old. We met as sophomores in high school. :0)

    Thanks!
    librarygrinch at gmail dot com

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  29. My oldest friendship is 22 years. Thanks

    I'm a follower

    dcf_beth at verizon dot net

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  30. I don't have a big pack of girlfriends because I changed schools a lot and we moved and I tend to have one friend at a time .... or a few friends that don't know each other.

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  31. My oldest friendship started in 1971 when we started teaching together So that makes our friendship one of almost 39 years.

    I am a follower through Google Friend connect.

    I would truly love to read this book. Please enter me. Thanks.

    bstilwell12 at comcast dot net

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  32. My oldest friendship I maintain is 22 years. I have girls I still consider girlfriends but have lost contact over the years. I would love the chance to read this book. Thank you!

    debraldufek AT hotmail DOT com

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  33. This sounds like a great book. My oldest friendship is about 11 years.

    I'm a follower!

    I'll send you my contact info.

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  34. Saw this one in Barnes and Noble the other day! I am a follower,

    Bill ;-)

    billsmith2003 (at) gmail (dot) com

    Hope you'll check out my book giveaway:
    http://drbillsbookbazaar.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-giveaway-dead-or-alive.html
    http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

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  35. My longest would be with my college roomie...about 8 years.

    hewella1 at gmail dot com

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  36. Does a marriage count? My wife is truly my best friend. Going on 30 yrs.
    johnnystruckwash at gmail dot com

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  37. I am a follower.
    johnnystruckwash at gmail dot com

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  38. Longest friendship? That would be 40 years or so... my sisters are my best friends!

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  39. This book sounds wonderful and so interesting. My longest friendship is 24 years and what is great about is that as we live in different states and she has an extremely busy life we don't get to talk all the time but whether a week goes by, a few days or a month, we are able to pick up where we left off as if no time has gone by at all. I love the connection we have!

    Thank you for this terrific giveaway!

    ~ Amy
    Aimala127@gmail.com

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  40. My longest friendship is 24-years and it's great. My friend and I live in different states and don't get a chance to talk everyday or even every week sometimes, but when we do talk, we pick up right where we left off. We have a great connection & a shared history. It's just great!

    Thank you for this great giveaway!

    ~ Amy
    Aimala127@gmail.com

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  41. My oldest friendship is 33 years old. I met my best friend in the 3rd grade. We were bathroom buddies!

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

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  42. I am a new follower and I would love to be entered!
    lisa.2713 at gmail dot com
    littletesoro.blogspot.com

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  43. Please sign me up, this book sounds like a good one! My longest friendship is 19 years.

    rse at valornet.com

    ReplyDelete
  44. My longest friendship is 33 years.

    I am a follower.

    Eileen-wiseowl
    felinmanor@aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  45. My longest friendship is three years. I moved a lot and lost touch with old friends. Please enter me. Thanks!

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  46. I am a follower and email subscriber.

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  47. Wow, hmm. Since I'm still young,(14), the longest friendship I ever had would be when I was 1 year old. We were both still in diapers but our parents knew that we were gonna be best friends until now. We're still going strong even though we have had rough patches along the road. ;) Hope you enjoyed my answer. I'm a follower.

    azngal_123 (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  48. I am publicly following your blog on Google Friend Connect (username Nelsby).
    Thanks!
    Aimee
    sierranelsby (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  49. My longest friendship is almost 25 years old...starting back in junior high.
    Thanks!
    Aimee
    sierranelsby (at) gmail (dot) com

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  50. My longest friendship would be about 12 yrs.

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  51. I am now a follower too. I'm lv2scpbk on the board. My email craftitwednesday@yahoo.com

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  52. my oldest friendship is about 30 years...wow!!!

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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  53. Thank you, everybody, for entering! I'll announce the winner soon.

    ReplyDelete