This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it, perhaps the first third of the book more, the pace did dip after that and I didn’t feel overly invested in the main characters which was a shame as it was a really good start.

The story of two friends from school days in Pakistan to their adult lives in different parts of the world, this is a heart-warming and poignant tale of how our experiences shape our lives. It is so beautifully written that it brilliantly evokes a sense of time and place, and represents the changing dynamics of a long-lasting and at times sorely tried friendship. I loved it and would heartily recommend it. It was my first experience of reading a Kamila Shamsie novel and I will be looking out for the rest of her novels in our local bookshops.

Interesting to some extent. But I didn’t really feel convinced by the characters or the plot. Disappointing as I’ve loved her other novels.

I loved this book; especially the first part set in Pakistan. The tension created by Shamsie was palpable as the country went through profound political turmoil which had a profound effect on the girls and their family and friends.
I felt the second part, set in London, was not as gripping, hence the 4 stars.

I enjoyed this novel about two friends from Karachi, both from wealthy families. It’s 1988, and a time of great change in Pakistan. The dictatorship is over, and Benazir Bhutto is set to become Prime Minister.

Maryam and Zahra make a poor decision after a party that has consequences for many years.

Thirty years later both women live in London. They both have the best educations that money can buy, and a Oxbridge degree each. They’re both hugely successful in their chosen professions, and regularly see the seedier side of their professions (mainly corrupt politicians).

But when someone from their past reappears, questionable decisions are made once again. I was mentally shouting at the character involved for her utter stupidity, and I was really surprised that Maryam and Zehra’s friendship survived this at all - I don’t know as I would be as forgiving. There was a point where I wasn’t so sure that the friendship would survive though.

I liked this, and I’m aware from reading other reviews that it’s very much a marmite book. Love it or hate it: I loved it.

This novel follows the lives of two best friends from Pakistan - Zahra and Maryam - who attend the same school despite being from very different backgrounds. Their childhood together is described through key events such as the assassination of the military dictator, school parties and their changing bodies. The second half of the novel is concerned with their lives as adults, and both women have now relocated to London. Beautifully written, this is a thoughtful and evocative novel rather than a plot-driven page turner.

First things first, this is not Home Fire, but it’s really good! Some similarities to Home Fire, but a much deeper look at friendship and the love that runs within families and chosen families. I really enjoyed the writing, the pace of it and the familiar setting of London alongside their childhood story in Pakistan. Really readable.

Set in Pakistan and London, Best of Friends tells the story of childhood friends, Maryam and Zahra, growing up in Karachi in the 1980s. This is Shamsie's first novel since winning the Womens Prize for Fiction in 2018 with Home Fires, a book I really enjoyed.

Pakistan in the 1980s was a time of great political and social turmoil. Dictator, General Zia had just been overthrown as President and replaced by Benazir Bhutto, becoming the first Muslim woman to lead a democratic government. Its this tension and uncertainty which forms the backdrop to the early part of the story. Maryam and Zahra come from comfortable middle class background. However the conservative city of Karachi is not a safe place for two teenage girls who are drawn to danger and excitement. Fast forward 20 years to London where both women now live and work. Maryam is a very successful venture capitalist, Zahra is Head of the UK Centre for Civil Liberties. Both are at the top of their game and very successful in their own fields. Yet both are still affected by a pivotal event which took place when they were teenagers.

While I generally enjoyed the book, it felt too long, especially the chapters relating to the girls teenage years. The "central event" which both women referred to constantly was overplayed and melodramatic, There were also far too many coincidences in the final chapters in a clumsy attempt to wrap up couple of storylines. A good read but underwhelming. Perhaps my expectations were too high after the joy of "Home Fires"

The book is set in the late 1980s in Karachi and then 30 years later in London. There is no flip flopping, it's a linear timeline.

We first meet Maryam and Zahra as 14 year old best friends. I learnt quite a few things I didn't know about life in Karachi in the 80s but I wasn't really drawn into the characters of the two girls.

I felt like giving up reading this book, but decided to wait and see if the book was different once the girls were older. I'm pleased to say that for me it did improve but I still didn't love it. The writing was good and certainly highlighted political and social media issues. It covered the friendship that lasted 30 years. However, for me it moved far too slowly. I felt I wasn't progressing in understanding the lives of the two girls as I turned each page.

The book has had many rave reviews, but for me it didn't hit the spot.

A really gripping read with a surprise ending that I wasn’t expecting. The description of growing up in Pakistan is very well done and interesting

From Zia’s Pakistan, 1988, to London Spring of 2020. Childhood friendships for a lifetime

I finished Shamsie’s easy to read, strong narrative and fully rounded character latest book, feeling like my heart, my mind, my viscera had been expertly pulled into any number of places

Of course, we need news, to help us think about world events, but maybe it is the LEAST imaginative of us, rather than the most, who needs FICTION to help us understand and truly feel the lives of others. Or needs the kind of fiction this is.

Shamsie has taken me before deeply into the lives and complexity of British Asian identities.

In this book, she initially focuses on two teenage girls in Karachi, during the period of General Zia’s dictatorship, but, far more universally, on the strong friendships which children, then adolescents, make, and which may, (or may not) last a life time. Both girls, Zahra and Maryam, are privileged daughters. Maryam is wealthier, her lineage that of a very successful high fashion leather goods manufacturer, moneyed capitalism. Zahra’s family more intellectual, dangerously critical of the authoritarian regime.

Over and above this, though, are the usual concerns and fascinations that young teenage girls, beginning to develop teenage bodies have

And to something which may challenge or change the trajectory of that friendship.

Jump forward to London in Spring 1999

From girls aged 14 to women in their 40s, what has changed, what has stayed the same, and will the past have unfinished business?

Well of course it will.

I found this a brilliant read – not least in the forensic way in which the cruelties of the immigration system in this country – particularly the practices of the present Government, are given flesh, blood, and many shed tears to take the reader into the human lives of those statistics.

After enjoying home fire I was excited to pick this up. The first half was engaging, entertaining and brilliant but unfortunately when the story skips forward in time it became dry and boring and I nearly did not finish. Shame.

A deep dive into the nature of friendship with the characters of Maryam and Zahra, who have been best friends since they grew up together as girls in Karachi. The women stayed friends even as both transitioned into very different adult lives in London. Maryam and Zahra are very different, and always have been, but some undefinable quality in their friendship has always meant that they were close despite this; but amidst the politics and power struggles of their older lives their friendship has to go under the test. Halfway through the narrative switches from Karachi in the eighties to London in the noughties which is initially jarring but quickly became much more interesting to me.

I found all of characters very likeable and engaging and overall found this both an easy but also a profoundly insightful read. There’s an interesting ending that I’m still thinking about!

My thanks to #NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stories about female friendship are always interesting to me and Best of Friends was a powerful tale. It had layers and depth, while looking at big themes such as politics and power play but the nuances of friendship remain at its heart. I really enjoyed this.

This was not for me. I feel really bad about this because the book has been held in such high review. But I'm left wondering if this is the case of the "Emperors new clothes" For me, this book was excruciatingly slow and over-indulgent. At numerous points, I almost gave up. It improved slightly in the second half but still left me disappointed.

What I enjoyed - 1) The support of deep, enduring female friendships. 2) Independent, powerful, intelligent female protagonists. 3) Set in Karachi was culturally interesting and fascinating.

Fourteen-year-old Maryam and Zahra have always been the best of friends, despite their different backgrounds and class. Maryam will inherit the family business, Zahra dreams of escaping abroad.
An irresponsible, careless decision at a party results in a traumatic experience that shapes the personalities and futures of these girls. We meet the girls again, 30 years later, living in London where their past will come back to haunt them.

I recognize the political commentary and the metaphors that lie beneath, but taking the story at face value, it was too slow with long stretches of nothing happening. The traumatic event that was the catalyst felt tame in light of the real tragedies and violence that occur worldwide, leaving me surprised at the lasting impact that it left. The emotion and vindictiveness of the characters made no sense as a result.

As always grateful to netgalley for the opportunity to review so many varied stories.

This was a nice easy read about friendship of two young girls which endured for many years although it was not without its difficulties. It made for a good read which was both touching and heartwarming. I enjoyed how the story slowly unfolded making it an enjoyable read,

Home Fire is one of my favourite books of all time so I went into this with extremely high expectations.

I was gripped by the first part: an intricate tale of two best friends against a political and cultural backdrop that they’re currently too young to be involved in yet influences their lives regardless. Shamsie’s writing is so quietly beautiful that I found myself drawn in before I even realised.

For some reason, I couldn’t connect as much with the second part. For that reason, it’s not a high rating for me personally — which is likely partially down to my reading mood at the time. There are some people that I’d still recommend this to though who would likely enjoy it more than I did!

I didn’t post a public review of this as I only post positive reviews.

Found this book at times really well written, depicting class and friendships in a refreshing way, but also incredibly slow at times

Zahra and Maryam are best friends in Karachi, at school together and sharing (almost) all their thoughts and experiences, yet Maryam can choose to take risks because whatever happens, she’s going to inherit the family business, whereas Zahra’s dad is treading a fine line as a TV presenter who doesn’t want to let his friends down by praising the leader and Zahra needs to behave perfectly in order to get the out she needs. The book and the girls’ long friendship turns out to pivot on one scary night when Maryam tries to take control but actually they get into a difficult situation – but who, in fact, got them into that situation and who took the blame?

I loved the atmosphere of the first section of the book in Karachi, the feeling of fear just averted, of divisions in society and double-think, of either doing what you have to do to get by or making sure you’re doing the right thing, but also of being a teenager, wanting to flirt with boys and sharing a collection of marked up Judith Krantz, etc., novels.

Then we’re in London in 2019 and while Zahra is head of a social justice organisation lobbying the government and trying to help everyone, Maryam is a tech investor who is flirting with the Tories. When her face-recognition app comes up against Zahra’s policy work, we wonder what will happen and whether it will break their tight bond. Relationships are carefully done, there’s diversity woven into every strand of the book, but not in a preachy way, and the differences between those lucky enough to be secure and those living in precarity is brought out beautifully and sensitively. And there’s so much nuance – one girl always waiting for the other, one woman doing so, then near the end, their paths converging at the right point: so cleverly done. Old friends reappear and fates intertwine and it’s fascinating until the last page.

Oh, and it also has the best, most sensitive portrayal of the Covid lockdowns I think I’ve seen so far.

Set against a tumultuous period in Pakistani history, Shamsie scrutinizes the friendship between Zahra and Maryam as they go through puberty, coping with the internal personal changes and those of the wider world. Best of Friends is an honest examination of the challenges in any friendship and the resentments that fester through real of imagined wrongs and the ties that bind individuals.