Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan

Sam has some decisions to make as she finishes her senior year. She is torn between moving to London to live with an older man who loves her and building her career in the U.S. where she will likely have the most opportunities. She is unsure of her feelings for this man. As the relationship she builds with Elisabeth becomes more friendly then about employment, she discusses her feelings about him. After all, Elisabeth has the wisdom that comes with age. Sam’s relationship with Elisabeth’s family becomes so friendly that she also befriends Elisabeth’s father in law who provides Sam with some insight she wasn’t expecting to gain.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well developed book. It addresses several complex issues surrounding infertility, family relationships, motherhood, racism and politics to name just a few. It is a highly engaging read and I appreciated the excellent character development of our two female protagonists. The book did have a slow build, but my belief is that this led to the reader having a greater appreciation of the characters’ complexities.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book which was narrated by Kate Rudd. She provides a believable, entertaining performance which I felt contributed to my opinion of this book. The quality of her voice and articulation was very good. I appreciated having this audiobook available to me from my local library.