Galentine’s Day honors the power of female friendships on February 13. The Leslie Knope character of Parks and Recreation popularized the unofficial holiday in a 2010 episode, and women latched onto the day to celebrate their chosen family through parties, gift-giving, and quality time.
I have created a list of my favorite novels that celebrate and explore the complexities of female friendships. These stories remain with me years after reading them! Even though they are backlist books published as many as 40 years ago, their themes are universal, so they are still available to purchase and borrow. Six were adapted into movies and one into a Netflix series.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (1987) is a dual timeline novel set in the 1980s and 1930s Alabama.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989) The game of maj jong and friendship bonds four Chinese women in San Francisco.
The Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells (1996) A mother/daughter relationship is damaged and the mother’s friends help heal the fracture.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (2001) A teenager and her caregiver take refuge with three beekeeping sisters in South Carolina.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (2005) is the story of a laotong relationship in 19th century China.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009) In 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, unlikely friendships cross racial lines.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (2008) Young Kate and Tully promise to be there for one another forever. Their bond is tested throughout their 30 years of friendship.
Read one of these novels for the first time or reread your favorite with your galentines.
Look for books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent bookstore each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to make you one, too. For more recommendations or just to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found on Instagram at @thebookwhisperertn.
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