The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship

Close to my heart

I saw this book reviewed in a magazine and new I needed to pick it up..so I did at 5 pm and read it straight through until I was done. I could relate on so many levels, I am 47 and grew up in Grand Ledge, Michigan-small town farm town. I also have close friends from my youth, one living near me in California where I have live for 20 plus years. I know those people in that book, the ups, downs marriage-kids-divorce and death. I reccomend it to woman of any age but of course those close to middle age because it is so easy to relate. It made me want to send an e-mail,pick up the phone and call my friends. It also was great to share the stories with my daughter who is 18,at College and dealing with the same issues women deal with,other women and the men in their lives. I can't wait to pass it on to someone I love. I wish the women well and thank them for sharing their memories good and bad.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Recommend you buy the print version

Loved the book, but definitely disliked the ebook version. Wish I'd had the print version. Could barely decipher all the photos included and had a lot of trouble toggling back to pages to see photos when necessary to check who was who during the story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Easy to read but got nothing out of it.

Read this for a book club and can think of many other ways I could have more productively spent my time. Glad the Girls from Ames have each other but didn't find much of value in the book other than "life can be hard; it is good to have friends." Not exactly an earthshattering concept. Lacked depth. If you are looking for an easy read and enjoy reading about others' quite normal lives, go for it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sounded good but NO!!! What could have been a great novel about a group of women was a terribly written documentary that went beyond boring. It would have been good had one of the women written their story and left Jeffrey Zaslow to his own work.

I could not get through the first half and returned the book to the store.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It was OK

The book was a bit disjoimted. Our book club couldn't decide if it was a diary or calendar. WAY too many people to keep track of. They didn't think of themselves as 'mean' girls, but there was 1 occasion. They lots of times had certain pairs that were closer. The reason for that is that they wanted to belong, but wouldn't admit they were not quite as close as they thought.
It wsn't really well-written.

A Good read

Interesting documentary/biography about a group of girls who have been friends for life. Recommended!

An engrossing read, a true friendship account.

I was surprised by the format, a chapter about each of the friends, not what I expected. But an engrossing read. Once I got into it, I found it hard to put down. The author does a good job of remaining objective as an observer, engaging my curiousi. Marilyn was my favorite charcter. I found myself wishing these girls had been my friends, yet it caused me to recall childhood friendships with great pleasure. For these women to have all remained close thru their whole lives is a wonderful thing. I am interested to see how our book club reviews it.

Fascinating till the last page

Fantastic book about those special relationships women share-a must read if you ever had a BBF and still treasure them today!

Awesome book

This is a great book about lasting friendship between women. I have actually met a Karla and Karen. Jennifer Benson now Jennifer Litchman is actually my boss!

read. march 2011

read march 2011

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Kritters Ramblings

Do you keep in contact with those friends from childhood? Do you have girls that you call with all of the good and bad news before anyone else? Are there friendships worth fighting distance, time constraints and obstacles? YES!

The Girls From Ames was a great book about 11 women who through many different ways came be a very close knit group of girls who have shared absolutely ALL the ups and downs that life can throw at anyone. Divorces, miscarriages and loves lost all bring them together even though they live in very different parts of the US. They have also been able to celebrate many good times from healthy children, job promotions and the men who make their lives complete.

I absolutely loved this book. I cried. I laughed. I wanted to call all the girls that are currently in my life and those who have been in and out to thank them for their listening ears and the moments we have had. Whether you have kept in touch with childhood friends or not, this book is definitely one to go to pick up and fast.

This was an article not a book

For all women who have a close circle of friends, Mr. Zaslow reinforces what we already know. He reminds us that we support each other most of the time and that our friendships are nurturing. His book left me flat though, providing little insight or true character development. I was frankly bored most of the time.

Not for the lady who does not like getting together with old friends

In my book club, we had one lady 80+ who has kept in touch with her friends. No one else in the group was in touch with old friends like her. As a result I think older ladies may appreciate it more than younger.

Friendships

This was a great book. I have a group of 10 college friends and so far it's a 10 year friendship. I was able to relate stories from this book to my friendships and it taught me a lot about how friendships continue, go through highs and lows and need to be given a priority.

For any woman with close friends...

This book touched my heart. A girlfriend sent it to me, and I passed it on to others. Through this one story of female friendship, Jeffrey Zaslow tells the story of the beauty of all femail frienships. You will laugh, you will cry - you will relate. Enjoy!

What does it take to have friendships last a lifetime?

The girls are wonderful honest about themselves and each other in this reflective book. The girls share very personal moments in their lives and how it impacted them and their friends. They acknowledge when they feel they have let one another down and how that helped them to grow and become a better person as a result.

To date, the girls get together each year (although they are constantly in touch). If you have a friend or friendships that have lasted a considerable period of time, what has made your friendship(s) endure?

The author was extremely sensitive to each of the girls and, despite being given access to their journals, notes, and conversations, made sure that what was written was not embellished or taken out of context. So, when you sit down to read this wonderful book, you will feel that you are there with the author viewing forty years of friendships.

Lasting Friendships

This book is an easy read and becomes a catalyst to awaken memories of friendships we've all had throughout our lives. Some of our friendships have been fleeting, but a few have remained special and have been more lasting. This book makes the reader want to reconnect with friends left behind, as life has changed. How special the girls from Ames relationships have been. Following along with their lives as one reads, brings the reader into this group. The reader is soon experiencing the girls' happy moments and times of sadness right along with them. It's totally easy to become very involved in their lives. This book would be a perfect gift for today's friends, as well as, a gift to give to friends with whom one would like to reconnect.

A great read

I loved this book. Being from Iowa might have made it more special but it was such a good explanation of women's friendships as compared to men's friendships. I have women in my life who mirror someone in the book.

good friends book

This book will make you laugh, and make you cry. Anyone who have stayed in touch with friends from grade school until their 40's must read this.

Great book for women of all ages. Have given it to my two daughters and recommended to other women friends. Great gift!

Reinforces the importance of women's friendship...staying in touch, nurturing those relationships, making time for friends old and new.