Among Friends

by Mary Lou Sanelli

Literary Nonfiction. Women's Studies. An intelligent voice. An illuminating book. Mary Lou Sanelli is unsparing as she explores the subject of friendship in women's lives. This is a book of self-discovery...dauntless, smart, funny, beautifully written. She examines, deeply and sincerely, what friendship means, and what it costs. She pulls no punches. Through contemplation and through personal anecdotes, both her own and others, Sanelli crawls through this morass of conflicts and emerges with a strong sense of self and a much clearer idea of closeness.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Speee1dy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is no writer . She is a liar. She claims to have visited an island and then writes an articles worth of lies and drivel. I would never read anything by her due to the inaccuracies and lies she wrote about St Croix. Why, she didn’t even use a photo of st croix. She did no research of the sugar birds. Everything she wrote was lies.

[Linda Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of the best books about friendships between women I have ever read. I can tell you that I real a lot of memoir and this is one of the most honest that has ever found a place in my heart. Mary Lou Sanelli has a way with words that satisfies my desire for serious literature, but it still finds plenty of space for laughs and connection.

[Meghan Gelbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love to concept and idea of exploring women friendships but struggled with the stream of consciousness style of writing.
She has some great thoughts and discoveries about herself, women in her life and relationships.

[Antonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nice insights, but the writing was kinda tedious at time for me.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Lou Sanelli went in search of friendship. Along the way, she found out about herself. The funny thing is that as she became more honest with herself, she naturally attracted women who resonated with themselves, individuals who had the capability of being a true friend.

Among Friends is told in narrative form. Throughout, the author includes stories about her own friendship experiences as well as those of others such as her mother. These situations mirror those relationships that we’ve all survived and cherished, as the case may be.

I think true friendship is a very rare and special thing. Many of us hold onto the old, even when it isn’t working. Then, we attempt to make new connections for the wrong reasons. How often do we find someone that we know will accept even the not so pretty sides of us?

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Among Friends Mary Lou Sanelli ruminates on the nature of friendship, incorporating both her own experiences and stories from interviews. I loved the frank, conversational style of writing, although I could have done without the digressions on how hard it is to write a book. My favorite chapter was the second one; I found the discussion of honesty in friendship to be both thoughtful and provocative. It was worth reading the entire book just for that.

[Tina Schumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read by Seattle poet and writer on women and friendship.