‘Best of Friends’ by Kamila Shamsie begins in Karachi in 1988, shortly before Benazir Bhutto becomes prime minister of Pakistan. Despite being from different social classes, teenagers Zahra and Maryam are the best of friends and Bhutto’s election gives them hope that their lives can be more than marriage and motherhood. However, finding themselves in a frightening situation one Saturday night when, ‘You could do anything to a girl here and no one would stop you; you could do anything to a girl anywhere and no one would stop you if you had a car with tinted windows and a stereo system that drowned out all screams,’ the girls come face to face with the consequences of stepping away from approved conventions.
Thirty years later both are working in London and are still the best of friends. Whilst Kamila Shamsie uses the politics of now as well as of the past very effectively in her narrative, this aspect of the story never overshadows that of the women’s friendship as they continue to test boundaries and seek justice. That they do so by different means tries their loyalties to the full.
This is a wonderfully sensitive and sympathetic exploration of female friendship over the decades. The author shows us that change, struggle, anger and sorrow may be part of the mix but that, deeper than understanding, the essence of their relationship is a precious thing worth retaining.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Circus UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

‘Best-friendship wasn’t an vast expanse of time any more; it was being there when it mattered.’

This novel is divided into two halves - the first is set in Karachi in 1988 as best friends Maryam and Zahra are fourteen and striving for freedom from their parents, lusting after George Michael and planning their futures. This was the strongest section of the book and it was a fascinating insight into life in Pakistan and significant political events seen through the eyes of two young women and their different families.

The second section skips ahead to 2019 where both Maryam and Zahra are living in London and have both become implausibly successful and influential. As Zahra strives to improve human rights and change government legislation, Maryam’s tech company is prioritising profits and inevitably they end up on opposing sides when someone from their past reappears.

I enjoyed this novel but it didn’t live up to the wonderful Home Fire by the same author. I would have happily accompanied the two protagonists through the nineties and noughties rather than having the big time jump and the last section felt more like a bunch of issues and themes than being character driven and led.

I enjoyed the first half of this novel a lot. The story of two young girls living in Karachi in the 1980s, each with their own ambitions set against the backdrop of Pakistani society. I found some similarities with Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend, a book I loved.

The second half was less compelling as the narrative moves forward to 2019 and London. Perhaps because the time and setting are more familiar, but somehow it felt a little flat after the first half. Nonetheless it was worth reading.

As other reviewers have said, this is very much a novel of two halves.

The first describes the teenage friendship of two privileged girls in 1988 Karachi. Shamsie perfectly captures the turbulence of those years on the cusp of adulthood, at a time when the girls' place in society is changing forever. It's an exploration of the complexity of burgeoning sexuality, freedom and all those pressures which contribute to 'girlfear' set against a backdrop of revolutionary political change in Pakistan.

After this, the second part falls a little flat. Thirty years later, and the two friends are now wildly succcessful but both in their own ways haunted by an incident that took place in that summer of 1988. The appearance of the perfect friendship predictably unravels in the landscape of 2019 London.

There are some worthy themes in Best of Friends, but I couldn't help feeling that Shamsie's brushstrokes are a little too broad to really do them justice.

Great book. A really good tale of friendships formed in childhood and the promises we make and how all that impacts us in our adult lives.
The two girls are written extremely well. Highly recommended.

Thank you for this ARC I absolutely loved Home Fires so was very keen to Shamsie’s latest work.

Home Fires took my breath away it was profound, full of nuance, beautifully written. pondered the everyday world we live in and made the reader question themselves, their views and their surrounding world. Am glad to report Best Of Friends is all this and more.

Shamsie writes the complexity of female relationships perfectly.

I do not have the words to express how clever, interesting and profoundly important this book is

It is a book, that like Home Fires, has left me thinking about it long after the last chapter

Perfect for the world we live in now, full of questions, important points and moreover a brilliant story of female friendship

Brilliant

I wanted to love this book.
The first half of the story which takes place in Karachi I did love; it was full of well rounded characters and a meaningful retelling of an incident which demonstrates just how little power our two central characters have at the hands of men. All too familiar and the visceral fear I know I have felt as a young woman was described well.

The story then moves forward to London. Our two characters are still best of friends. Wildly successful in their own rights and yet… and yet. This is where the story fell flat. To think that this pivotal moment years ago has never been discussed by either of the women properly. I struggled to understand where the plot was going honestly and though some of the latter parts were good all in all it fell a bit flat.

My thanks to the publishers for the ARC I received through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

An intriguing story examining the power and importance of friendship - the role it plays in our lives and how our friendships can even determine our future.
Best of Friends is a saga of two parts; the first is set in Karachi circa 1988 and chronicles the friendship of Maryam and Zahra, two young girls growing up in a rapidly changing world.
Shamsie chronicles the political changes of that era through the eyes of the two 14 year olds, where the role of celebrities and love is an important as the unfolding political landscape. I found this section of the novel to be particularly enjoyable and eagerly raced through the pages to see what could happen next.
Just when events seemed to be heading towards a crescendo, with the success of Benazir Bhutto, the story jumps forward by three decades. Our two protagonists are now based in London and have both become successful business women. This section of the novel was interesting but not as attention grabbing as the former.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This really is a book of two halves. The first half is based in 1980's Karachi where 14 year old school friends, headstrong Maryam from a wealthy manufacturing family and less rich Zahra whose father is a TV political journalist navigate the confines imposed on them as they move out of childhood to being considered women. Zahra dreams of escaping Pakistan by gaining a scholarship to an international university and Maryam believes she will run the factory when her grandfather retires.. After an incident during their exam year the girls are in big trouble. Rather than explore this and their intervening years the action then jumps to London where the girls are now career women in their late thirties. Maryam runs an investment firm for Venture Capitalists and Zahra is a top human rights lawyer, appearing in magazines and on TV with a penchant for designer goods.

I enjoyed the first half of the book based in Karachi but found the adult women a lot less interesting and likeable and wondered about those missing years from the narrative that brought them their great success and change in character.

An interesting story about the lifelong friendship between two very different girls/women. The book focuses on two time periods in their lives. The first (more interesting) time period is set in 1988 Karachi, Pakistan when the girls are 14 year olds, growing up and dealing with the typical issues teenage girls encounter until an incident that shakes things up. Fast forward 30 years later to London where they both now live, still friends, still very different. I was less invested in reading about their lives as adults.

An interesting novel about two Pakistani girls from Karachi. The narrative provides an insight into the options and opportunities for the girls, who from differing backgrounds possess the same cultures. It contains a good background to the political situation of Pakistan and how it influenced their long term ambitions. Disappointing and quite heavy going, and just wish I had read the reviews before embarking on this story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this advance copy.

Engrossing and a wonderful work from Shamsie as always, but wasn’t quite as engaging for me this time around as her previous work. Not sure why!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the privilege.

Book of two parts - the first section is about two childhood friends in Karachi. This bit moves along nicely, describing their different lifestyles and families, and then an incident occurs. At which point we are swept to not-so-long ago Britain, with a Prime Minister who behaves suspiciously like the departing Mr Johnson, and a society fractured by corruption and wrestling with the ethics of social media.

One friend is a high-flying civil liberties lawyer, the other has sold her soul to venture capital. Suddenly it all feels a bit preachy and worthy. By this point both characters are fairly tedious - no one likes a show off and it was easy to slip into not caring what happens to either of them. I did finish it but for me this book fell into the smug. north London genre which has been knocking around for a few years.

This books really captures how childhood friendships (continuing into adulthood) can be the best and the worst.
We follow Zahra and Maryam since their childhood in Karachi.
Never been to Karachi, I don't know how accurate things are, but the way everything was described made it really easy to imagine what it was like in the 80s.
Something then happens which changes the course of their lives.
Both women end up moving to England and while having a lot in common as kids, their values and morals seem opposite at times.
I thought the book was very beautiful and poignant. It dragged a wee bit in some places, but would recommend it.

Another excellent novel by Kamila Shamsie. A great mix of Karachi and London, young and old, expected and unexpected, some of the statements might be insights or perception.
The book is full of great ideas and a fair deal of wit.
A must read if you want to keep up with what's happening in Karachi, London or just in the world around you.
My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

Having read and adored Home Fire, I was really excited for Best of Friends - and in many ways it does live up to the hype.

The novel is split into two halves. The "before" section, set in a politically unstable 20th century Karachi, follows Zahra and Maryam aged 14 and is a beautifully written coming of age narrative. At face value the two main characters occupy the same high-flying academic world, but Zahra's father is a journalist - in danger due to the precarious political situation - while Maryam's family live a comfortable, international life. I loved reading about their friendship and I really felt that the writing beautifully depicted the setting as well.

The second half follows the same characters as adults in London, several decades later. It doesn't have the same charm as the Karachi plotline, but was enjoyable to read nonetheless.

I loved how the author captured the fierceness that exists in teenage friendships, the sense that you will always be in each other's lives no matter what. I flew through the book and although I have been deliberately obtuse in regard to the plot, all I can say is, read it – I don’t want to give any little detail away.

Much stress in life is brought on by our need to know everything ahead of time - to be in control. Kamila Shamsie weaves a beautiful story of friendship, the relationship with her parents and the different worlds she inhabits. She accompanies the reader as they walk in her shoes. This journey is at times sad and at others is tinged with shades of humour and happiness. The excellent yet balanced blend, makes Best of Friends a good read. Kamila's ability to explore the classes of society, friendship and power is thought provoking and so much needed in a post pandemic environment that is exploring its identity and its awakening. This book promises something different, something spellbinding and something deeply reflective. It is spellbinding as it exposes human frailty, the gift of compassion and the benefits of vulnerability,

This book did not disappoint - two friends who are in some ways worlds apart but their friendship weathers time until ghosts from their past come back to push them apart. Adored it and will be purchasing for the library