With friends like these : a novel

by Sally Koslow

Paper Book, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

813/.6

Genres

General Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

New York : Ballantine Books, c2010.

Description

Quincy, Talia, Chloe, and Jules met after answering a roommate ad for an apartment. Despite having little in common, the women became fast friends. A decade later, Quincy, a Midwestern introvert, is trying to overcome a set of tragedies by hunting for the perfect home; Talia, a high-energy California wife and mom, is growing resentful of her friends' greater financial stability; timid Chloe, from New England and also a mother, is trying to deflect pressure from her husband, a hedge fund manager, to play the role of trophy wife; and Jules, a fiercely independent New York City native and entrepreneur, is confronting her forties alone. As the women wrestle with the challenges of love and motherhood, will their relationships survive? Witty and wise, Sally Koslow's With Friends Like These hits an emotional bull's-eye for anyone who has had--or even been--a less than perfect pal. This high-five to sisterhood will leave you certain that close friends can never be replaced.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member heike6

Four women who are old friends, each chapter from a different one's point of view, interesting plot- what more can you ask for? You could probably ask for a lot, but I'd say this book has most of it. An enjoyable read.

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LibraryThing member tanya2009

I won this book on Librarything. It is released on 8/10. The book centers around four women who start out rooming together and continues their friendship through the years. The characters are great and I would recommend getting to know each one of them.

LibraryThing member dissed1

With Friends Like These, by Sally Koslow, is the story of four former roommates and their continuing friendship. Friendship? Who treats a friend like these women do? Jules and her boyfriend steal Quincy's dream apartment out from under feet, while Talia intercepts a headhunter's call meant for

Chloe and follows up on the job for herself. As expected, discord ensues, though it's a very low profile unease. None of these women actually confronts another regarding their anger and hurt, upset just simmers below the story's surface. In fact, had these characters engaged a bit more proactively in their discord, Koslow's plot would have been far more interesting and engaging. Nothing ever seems to come of these traitorous acts. The women don't engage much for months, and then suddenly smile and silently forgive one another in the end. Realistic? Not in my world. I would never treat a friend the way these characters do, and I can't picture such a benign resolution. Exactly how did these women come to reconcile their feelings? Just because events conspire to work themselves out, doesn't necessarily mean hurt feelings between old friends disappear. I liked Sally Koslow's premise and plot, but the book seemed to be lacking the dimension and passion of how real people behave in the real world.

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LibraryThing member lg4154

I won this book on Goodreads and I liked it a lot. I liked the way the author has a chapter for each character, it adds to the character & gives them more of a personality. At certain points of the book, their friendships are tested and they manage to keep everything together, thru thick and thin

and maintain their relationships. The author has a great sense of humor and in some points I was cracking up out loud. If you are a fan of chick-lit, this is the book for you, great for rainy days.

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LibraryThing member missysbooknook

While I loved the premise of this book, the story got a little confusing for me along the way.....

Talia, Chloe, Jules and Quincy all met when they shared an apartment together. They are the best of friends, until they part ways later in life....after marriages and children. Then their friendships

are put to the test.

I enjoyed how each chapter was narrated by each one of them. I did get them confused at times, and would have to look back. Eventually after I was 2/3 of the way through the book, I had them all straight. So much went on between them and to each of them, I was surprised and pleased at how the story ended.

I love Sally Koslow's writing style and her characters. This was a good read...however....my favorite will always be The Late, Lamented Molly Marx.

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LibraryThing member voracious

"With Friends like These" is well-named story about four long-time girlfriends who end up in a constellation of conflicts over competing interests involving jobs, private preschool placements, and an apartment. As is typical of the 4-chicks-in-a-lit genre, the story proceeds in a semi-predictable

fashion. I had trouble keeping track of the characters as the voices seemed similar, though the author took some measures to make them different. I agree withanother reviewer who said it was a little unbelievable that the girls would backstab eachother so blatently and then forgive eachother. I wouldn't think any of them would do such self-serving acts if they were truely friends. Despite this, I enjoyed this book and I think it would be a good beach read. Light and fluffy with a few catfights and group hugs thrown in for good measure.

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LibraryThing member roseysweetpea

I loved this book because, while the four women it revolves around are very different, I can identify with every single one. I loved the interaction and the depth of feeling we get from them and their families. We've all experienced disappointment in a friends actions, and this book shows that

quite vividly. Each woman has her own problems to deal with and all do so differently. I loved the diversity and the twists and turns that this book took me on. Even better than her last book.

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LibraryThing member efoltz

Four strangers are roomates and becoming life long friends. Their journey into adulthood and motherhood takes their friendship on different paths. The women and their friendship were interesting and I stayed up late to finish it.

LibraryThing member skrishna

I was a big fan of Sally Koslow’s previous novel The Late Lamented Molly Marx, so I was really excited when I learned she had a new book coming out. With Friends Like These is a close inspection of friendship between women, and all the good and bad that comes from it.

I thought Koslow’s

depiction of female friendships was accurate, to a point. She certainly captures the cattiness and backhandedness that seems to inevitably come with women’s friendships, as well as the power and damage that secrets can do to these relationships. However, I unfortunately didn’t see a lot of the good side in With Friends Like These. Female friendships can be extremely rewarding, but only the negative seems to be displayed in this novel. It was unexpected, and unfortunately, didn’t sit well with me.

I did really like two of the characters in With Friends Like These, Talia and Quincy. Talia made mistakes and certainly was selfish, but I understood where she was coming from and why she was frustrated. Part of her problem was living in New York City – living in that expensive environment would cause anyone to think about money non-stop. For some reason, even though she wasn’t portrayed in the best light, I really felt bad for her. With Quincy, it was easy to understand why I sympathized with her. Her miscarriages were difficult enough, but on top of that, she had to deal with Jules’ betrayal – I’m glad she made the decision she did towards the end of the book. It really suited her.

With Friends Like These didn’t really appeal to me like I’d hoped. I didn’t have a lot invested in the characters, and I think my expectations were too high, especially considering The Late Lamented Molly Marx was such a unique novel. I didn’t know what this book was about when I first picked it up, but if I had, I may not have chosen to read it. If you are really interested in books about female friendships, this may work better for you than it did for me. While I didn’t love With Friends Like These, I’ll definitely be seeking out Sally Koslow’s next novel.

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LibraryThing member JulieC0802

Do women's friendships ever leave high school? In Sally Koslow's book, she examines the ins and outs of female friendships through four friends: Jules, Chloe, Quincy and Talia. Talia steals a job from her best friend Chloe and Jules steals a coveted apartment from Quincy. This begins the downfall

of the foursome. Can their friendships survive such blantant jealousy? We see these women grow into themselves and to understand themselves.

Ms. Koslow did an excellent job of writing each woman. Of course, as a reader you are going to identify with one or two, where perhaps you aren't going to "get" a couple of the characters. I know that's what happened with me.

I look forward to Ms. Koslow's next book, on whatever subject she decides to explore next.

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LibraryThing member ethel55

There is a slightly redemptive end to this novel, which is full of pain and confusion between four long time friends. It was sometimes difficult to keep track of which life I was reading about, as each chapter changed point of view. There wasn't a lot of new territory covered here, this novel of

four women of a certain age in NYC didn't really do it for me. I really enjoyed and recommend Koslow's earlier book, The Late Lamented Molly Marx, as an innovative and good read.

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LibraryThing member julyso

This is the story of four friends; Chloe, Quincy, Jules, and Talia. Their friendship began when they became roommates in Manhatten. Problems begin when one goes after a job that was intended for another, and when another gives a boyfriend some real estate scoop. We also get a little romance,

children, motherhood, and moving. This story is about friends connecting, re-connecting, and trying to stay connected.

I have to admit, it was a struggle for me to finish this book. I usually enjoy stories about women and their friendships, but this one didn't do it for me. I could never really keep the four women straight, so that was confusing. I also didn't really like a couple of the women...and the others I didn't come to love. Not a bad book about friendship, just not a great one.

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LibraryThing member mlschmidt

Quick read, full of entanglements of the four women whose friendship started when they shared an apartment in New York, when they were all embarking on their lives. Thier friendship has continued into adulthood, through marriage, kids, and jobs. Sally Koslow captures the myraid of things that

encompass most friendships involving women, all of the strings, webs of feelings of best friends.
She also portrays the intricacies of marriage, in a somewhat real degree.
This is a lighthearted, enjoyable read.

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LibraryThing member CMash

With Friends Like These by Sally Koslow (ARC)
Published by Ballantine Books
ISBN 978-0-345-50622-1
At the request of Pump Up Your Book, a PB ARC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (from book): A novel following four New York City women's complicated friendships across a span

of twenty years.
When Quincy, Jules, Talia and Chloe become fast friends despite their drastically different personalities. Now, nearly twenty years later, their lives have diverged as much as they possibly can within one city: Quincy is mourning a miscarriage and lusting for the perfect Manhattan apartment; Jules, a woman with an outsize personality, is facing forty alone; Talia, married and the mother of a four-year-old, is her family's reluctant breadwinner; and Chloe faces pressure from her hedge fund manager husband to be more ambitious. As these women grapple with the challenges of marriage, motherhood, careers, and real estate, they can't help but assess their positions in life in comparison to each other-leading them to envy and disillusionment.
My Thoughts and Opinion: I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary chick lit novel, maybe even more so, because of recent personal issues, namely empty nesting. Lately I have been thinking about the past 20+ years, reassessing, recalling memories, taking inventory of life's ups and downs and what I have learned from them in my own personal life. The same premise as this book. I could relate to many experiences that these 4 very diverse women with different personality traits encountered in their lives. I could also compare them to my friendships that I have been lucky to have, for many years, and how each of us has changed but still maintained that special friendship bond. Ms Koslow has written a very emotional, touching and thought provoking novel that has an outcome that will have the reader, at least it did for me, taking stock of our own lives and friendships. What makes friendships endure for years? Even when there are times where intentions aren't truly genuine and/or have even a little bit of envy. The plot is profound and meaningful, whereas the author, creates 4 characters that experience so many real life emotions, trials and tribulations and through her written words, allows the reader to palpate each and every sentiment. A poignant must read !!!
My Rating: 4

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LibraryThing member leadmomma

This book will be a terrific movie -- it's a great light read dealing with complex friendships. While the story doesn't go down deep, it's still enjoyable and deals with issues and topics that most people will be interested in. I think this would a perfect beach, airplane or purse read -- something

you can pick up right where you left off without any trouble.
If you are looking for a deep meaningful look at friendship -- you will be frustrated with this book. It could be a good book for a book club's summer selections (if they pick something lighter during the heat of the summer)

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LibraryThing member ARBELL

I always feel guilty starting a book and not finishing it, like I owe it to the author. I started this book and there just wasn't that "grab a hold and take off point" where I couldn't put the book down. I wasn't connected to the characters for lack of descriptive writing concerning their

personalities, they were all described without flair. That may be the point of view the author wanted to take on, concentrating on the problems they were facing but I really didn't care too much about their problems because I didn't feel any emotional connection to them. I probably wouldn't recommend this even for a beach read for the simple fact that even when I was reading this, in my home uninterrupted, I would get bored with it and find my mind wondering back to my day instead of staying in the moment. Like a few of the other reviewers, I would have to look back and recap the characters and their lives to remember who was the narrator of this chapter, I kept getting everyones lives and families and troubles confused. I have heard good reviews of her previous book and will have to TRY to read that one before I form an opinion of the author.

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LibraryThing member trayceetee

Really, pretty good story about four girlfriends as they go from college years to late 30's. Fun stuff.

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