Thrity Umrigar’s new novel, The World We Found, is above all else a character-driven narrative, the story of friendship that transcends politics and religion. Though some aspects of the novel are uniquely Indian, many others are universal—the intimacies between couples, the vagaries of youth, the love of a mother for her child.
—Katherine Wyrick, in the January issue of BookPage
Bestselling author Thrity Umrigar’s latest novel, The World We Found, is about four old friends who have grown apart—and then reconnect when one grows terribly ill. (The women met as university students in Bombay in the 1970s.) The novel addresses political and religious fundamentalism and the changes in India over the last 40 years—but, as the quote above illustrates, it is ultimately a novel about four women and their friendship. Read more in an interview with Umrigar from the January issue of BookPage.
This week—’cause we love ya!—we’re giving away The World We Found in addition to two of our Top Picks from the January issue: The Invisible Ones by Stef Penny (Top Pick in Fiction) and The Jaguar by T. Jefferson Parker (Top Pick in Mystery). Here’s how you can win them. . .
TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the name of your favorite friendship story. Bonus points if it takes place outside of the United States.
CONTEST DETAILS: One winner will be chosen by random.org from among entries received by 5 pm CST on Friday, January 20. The winner will receive The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar; The Jaguar by T. Jefferson Parker; and The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney.
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ETA: Congratulations to our winner, papercuts1, whose favorite friendship stories are Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and German children’s classic Pünktchen und Anton.
Thank you to all who entered! Contest is now closed.
I’ll give you two by the same author: The Wednesday Sisters and The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton. She has girlfriend love nailed, imo. Oh, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See where Snow Flower and Lily are bound together forever as “old sames.”
Snowflower and the Secret Fan
THE HOT FLASH CLUB series by Nancy Thayer.
Out of the country – Snow Flower and The Secret Fan is all about friendships…. I love that. I actually I really love books on strong friendships and SSQQUUUEEED when I seen the book you were offering up was The World We Found.
Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King
Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks–it’s nonfiction about meeting her real-life penpals from all over the world.
I think The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a great book about friendship. I love Thrity Umrigar’s other books, and I would love to win this one!
All the maids in The Help stood by Abileen…..Then there was the odd friendships of all the white women in the story. Lots of laughs there!
“The Friday Night Knitting Club” and “The Help”
A story of love and friendships: Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar.
Any/all of the books in Jan Karon’s Mitford series and Father Tim novels. Yeah, bonus points because “In the Company of Others” takes place in Ireland.
The one great friendship out of the US would be Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali in “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand”.
In the states I have to go with Gus & Call from “Lonesome Dove”.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.
Well, I am in children’s Lit mode right now, so my absolute fav story about friendship is Charlotte’s Web. For an “out of the country” friendship, The Secret Garden… it even starts out in India!!!
Love this post as it gives me some great books to add to my reading list. Keep up the good work.
East of the Sun by Julia Gregson is a story of friendship which is memorable, which takes place in England and India.
The Help is my fav
The connection between the main character of Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Lacuna,” Harrison Shepherd, with historical figure, Frida Kahlo, in Mexico City.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
“Choloe and Olivia” is one of my favorites. It follows the two women’s lives over more than a decade and shows how you can still be friends even if your lives take different directions.
Angry Houseswives Eating BonBons. Love the title.
I love the friendships in Wendell Berry’s Kentucky stories; have reread the short story “A Jonquil for Mary Penn” often.
Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes in any of their books
The Girls by Lori Larsens or Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Girls by Lori Larsens (even though it is really about sisters!)
BIRDSONG, by Sebastian Faulks. The friendship that occured in the trenches, and in the awful underground tunnels, during the Battle of the Somme, world war one. When human misery ,fear and devastation,is so overwhelming, so traumatic, only friendship with a fellow comrade(s), can survive. Friendship that takes on an almost spiritual meaning, in conditions where death can be only a moment away.
In the Company of Others..in the land of faries and the wee people,love to visit.I have the whole series,love them all. I know about friendships,we still meet monthly after meeting in 1962,and some since 1956,I grew up with,LUCKY ME!All live within an hour ,some in the old neighborhood.
I agree with BIRDSONG,I couldn’t put it down. It was moving and all the mixed feelings we have. But so much more,I was in the trenches else where and know that horrible feeling but you keep these friends forever in your heart.
The Help
South of Broad by Pat Conroy. Love the friends in this story.
The Help
i book that comes to my mind is “LORD OF THE RINGS”, for beautifully portraying friendship between SAM & FRODO.
About a Boy, Nick Hornby. Loved the intergenerational friendship that develops in the most unlikely circumstances.
The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe. What a great book on family, and new friends.
A favorite of mine is Laurie R. King and her “Sherlock Holmes-Mary Russell” series; they are all wonderful books.
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a story of family, friendship and sacrifice. Four sisters and their friends show incredible courage in the face of political oppression in the Dominican Republic. Though a fictional account, this book is based on the true story of Las Mariposas—“The Butterflies” who were martyred in 1960.
The friendships in Lottery by Patricia Wood struck a chord with me.
The Four Seasons by Mary Alice Monroe. It was a great book to read.
My favorite friendship story is an oldie: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
21 Aldgate by Patricia Friedberg, set mainly in the UK
”Crooked letter, Crooked Letter’ is about a lost friendship reclaimed through time, bloodshed and forgiveness. As for a non-US friendship story, ‘Pünktchen und Anton’ is a German children’s classic about a friendship in WW II Germany that still moves my heart and that of my kids.
An oldie but a goodie is ‘The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood’ by R. Wells, with the ups and downs of best friends over many years.
Both Gilead and Home, by Marilynne Robinson, come to mind – the two Reverends have such a strong friendship throughout both books. Both are set in Iowa, which is not really a foreign country, though…
I think one of my favorites from when I was a kid was A Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
Gus and Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars
snow flower and the secret fan.
Wolgast & Amy in Justin Cronin’s-The Passage.
Asher Lev and Jacob Kahn in “My Name is Asher Lev” and Pony Boy, Sodapop, Johnny, Dally, Two-Bit, Darry and Steve from “The Outsiders”
Heavens: How about, for out of the USA, Seven Harry Potter novels. And for the adults, Inspector Lynley and DS Barbara Havers in a slew of novels.
I would say for within the U.S.A.: Divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood. For outside of the U.S.A. I’d say the connection (?friendship?) between Sara and the magazine writer (what ever her name was) in Sarah’s Key.
i LOVED the sunday wife by cassandra king. also, major pettigrew was wonderful as to the sacrifices one can make for friendship . . . or love!
I enjoyed the complicated friendship story found between the women Roz, Charis, Tony—and Zenia in the book, “The Robber Bride” by Margaret Atwood.
Zara
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