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Best of Friends
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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review
JillR
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Pickpick

My recent Maggie O‘Farrell read was a tough one to follow but this did the trick nicely. We meet best friends Zahra and Maryam at school in Karachi, then jump forward 30 years and rejoin them as they forge their high-profile careers in London. Essentially a lovely study of a lifelong female friendship against the backdrop of politics, I enjoyed it.

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TrishB
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this one- there‘s a bit of a slump in the middle where I thought is that it? But then there is a twist and the story reignites. Can friendship really bypass our values and principles?
Not my favourite of hers, but definitely a good read.

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Lieh
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
Pickpick

Very enjoyable read!! 8/10

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NovelNancyM
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Panpan

While I enjoyed Home Fires, I found the plot of Best of Friends confusing.

ChaoticMissAdventures This seems to be the general consensus. So interesting that her books can be so polar opposites. 12mo
28 likes1 comment
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Jeg
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Pickpick

I enjoyed reading this very well written book. I‘ve always been a bit envious of people who still have close friends from their childhood. I heard an interview with Kamila in which she said her first draft was very different. She had tried to write about the years of the friendship that are not covered in the final book. She said it just didn‘t work. A lovely story of a long friendship between two very different girls/women.

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rmaclean4
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Mehso-so
Librarybelle I like the cover! 14mo
BarbaraBB I felt the same about Home Fire. Now I am curious what I‘ll think about this book 14mo
squirrelbrain Great choice for this prompt! 14mo
23 likes3 comments
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Cinfhen
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Mehso-so

#GoodNotGreat
A story of childhood friends who are embedded in each other‘s lives due to their early deepest years of adolescence closeness. The book opens in 1988 then fast forwards to 2019. A shared encounter from their HS days comes back into play testing their lifelong friendship. Book could have been wonderful but I just didn‘t care enough for these two characters.
Curious to see what you‘ll think @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB I‘ll get to it soon! 1y
Megabooks Sorry your didn‘t love this. Can‘t win them all! 1y
65 likes2 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Once again my devices fail me - apparently I have more battery life in me than an iPad from 2019. I think it‘s time to trade in - Anyhow, Thank GD for books. They never need charging 🧡 Im loving the 80‘s nostalgia #LycraAndNeonForever #OnceAnEightiesGirlAlwaysAnEightiesGirl 💘

Megabooks I am really curious about what you‘ll think of this! 1y
Cinfhen it‘s #goodnotgreat - I think I was expecting MORE - im hoping for MORE but it‘s easy to read & im all for lifelong friendships @Megabooks 1y
Megabooks @Cinfhen no! Maybe I built it up to much. Hopefully you‘ll enjoy the ending more. I found it really surprising. 1y
Cinfhen I think I got to the twist / which was surprising @Megabooks but not enough to sway my opinion 🙂I feel like in a month from now this won‘t linger but I‘m still enjoying the story when I read it ♥️ 1y
73 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
BookwormM
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Pickpick

#Netgalley #ARC #BestOfFriends

Read this if you want an insight into life in 1988 Pakistan for young women or if you want a viewpoint on the plight of refugees in England in the modern day and how the corruption in politics affects the whole refugee process as well as daily living for everyone in the country.

Full review here https://thereadersroom.org/2022/10/23/20653/

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Hooked_on_books
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Pickpick

Two girls grow up together in Pakistan, developing a closeness that isn‘t shaken by an event that disrupts their lives. We then time jump and see them as adults decades later in London, where their differences are more pronounced but the friendship remains. Really solid book, though I wanted a little more from the ending.

45 likes1 stack add
blurb
Megabooks
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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My best #BookspinBingo board this year! Five bingos!

Favorite book is the tagged one. It‘s about two friends growing up in Pakistan in the 1980s and how moving to London as adults fundamentally changes them in some ways but leaves core aspects of their personalities intact and the consequences of crossing one. 5⭐️!!

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! Fabulous month!!! 1y
BarbaraBB I just got my copy today! 1y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB I think you‘re going to love it! Home Fire is on my board for this month. 👍🏻 1y
BarbaraBB I saw it, I hope you‘ll love that one too 🤍 1y
64 likes5 comments
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peta86
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
Pickpick

The story opens in Karachi 1988 and two girls Zahra and Maryam are best friends.
But at this point Karachi is in turmoil and on the brink of great change.
The dictatorship is falling and a female leader is elected.
But one night of fun and frolics for the girls changes their lives.
The girls go driving out with some boys which is cultural taboo.
In present day London and both girls are now grown and driven women.
But that night still echoes...

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squirrelbrain
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Pickpick

Maryam and Zahra are best friends in 1980s Pakistan, despite their different backgrounds. This part of the book is set against the background of Benazir Bhutto being elected, but a party held to celebrate this will set in motion events that will reverberate throughout their lives, as far as three decades later when they both live in London.

I loved this - highly recommended!

Released in UK 27th Sept #netgalley

BarbaraBB Very much looking forward to it! 2y
Megabooks So glad you loved it too!! 2y
TrishB Looking forward to this one 👍🏻 2y
67 likes3 comments
review
Megabooks
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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Pickpick

A fall must-read! Zahra and Maryam are compelling characters, and Shamsie wove their story with depth and subtle darkness that comes crashing to a memorable end. 5⭐️

Z and M are best friends in 1980s Karachi. At 14, they see the country change when Bhutto is elected, but one night they are starkly reminded how little power girls have. The story picks up later in London where they are still best friends but have grown into very different women.

Megabooks POV you head downtown to take pictures but forget the beautiful copy that @RiverheadBooks gifted you but use the photo anyway! Releases September 27 in the US. 2y
squirrelbrain Great review - looking forward to this one! 2y
jlhammar Wow, sounds great! I still need to read Home Fire. 2y
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Megabooks @squirrelbrain @jlhammar this is actually my first by her, but Home Fire has been on my TBR forever. Definitely going to pick up her backlist now! 2y
BarbaraBB Five stars! Definitely going to read it I loved Home Fire, closely followed by 2y
ErikasMindfulShelf I can‘t wait to read this. Loved Home Fire. 2y
Centique @Megabooks definitely stacking this one! Your fountain photo is lovely. What city is it in? (Ie I have forgotten what city you live in 🤪) 2y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB I think you‘ll love this. It hits a lot of things we both like and I think you and @Cinfhen will dig the 80s music nostalgia in the first half! (I predict you‘ll enjoy it too, Cindy. 😘) 🎤🎧🎶 2y
Megabooks @ErikasMindfulShelf I hope you enjoy it!! 2y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB also, I‘ve stacked burnt shadows! 2y
Megabooks @Centique hi! I‘d share my city with you, but I don‘t share it publicly on Litsy, but thank you!! I love our downtown! It‘s been revitalized in the last decade, and these fountains sync with the music playing in the park. That afternoon it was a Beatles tune, but I can‘t remember which. (I wish litsy had DMs!) 2y
Centique @Megabooks fair enough! That‘s probably why I didn‘t remember 😂😂 Yes I wish it had DMs too. 2y
86 likes6 stack adds13 comments
blurb
Megabooks
Best of Friends | Kamila Shamsie
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I cannot believe all this #bookmail came in one day! Special thanks to @RiverheadBooks for sending What If 2 and Best of Friends! (I know you loved Home Fire @BarbaraBB so I‘m excited for Friends. 🤩)

The rest is my long-delayed second #botm box and my massively too large Book Outlet splurge. 😂

However, this haul finally got me to clean out several shelves for a much needed trip to sell at the used bookstore. 👍🏻

Scochrane26 Now I don‘t feel so bad about my recent book purchase—you have a lot more. 🙂 2y
Megabooks @Scochrane26 😁😁 I really went wild! 2y
AmyG I look forward to what you think of the tagged book. Nice book day 🙌🏻 (edited) 2y
See All 18 Comments
Megabooks @AmyG thanks! I‘m looking forward to that one, too. 2y
CBee I loved Homefire! Didn‘t know she has a new one coming out, stacked! 2y
Megabooks @CBee I was so excited when I first saw it on Riverhead‘s Insta! 2y
LeafingThroughLife Nice haul! I‘ve got my first Book Outlet splurge in some time en route. They‘ll be in good company with vacation splurge. 😬 2y
squirrelbrain Wow - so many books! I have Candy House from the library that I still need to get to, and the Shamsie on #netgalley. 2y
TrishB Lovely stacks ❤️ 2y
LeahBergen Crikey, that IS a big haul. 😆 2y
Cinfhen Oh my!!!! What an EPIC day!!!! I wouldn‘t know what to choose first!!! I guess that‘s where #BookSpin comes into play 😉 2y
BarbaraBB Wow that is amazing! And I didn‘t know there is a new Shamsie! Just sorry my books still didn‘t arrive. I started the procedure! 2y
Megabooks @LeafingThroughLife yes, I hadn‘t gotten anything in years, but I‘m glad I checked out their fiction sale. 2y
Megabooks @squirrelbrain candy house was great! I‘ve already read the audiobook, but I‘m trying to collect all her books in print. 👍🏻 2y
Megabooks @TrishB thanks! 2y
Megabooks @LeahBergen lol!! 🤣🤣 2y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB I‘m sorry too. I hope post NL can give you some kind of resolution. 2y
Chelsea.Poole Lovely!! 2y
107 likes2 stack adds18 comments