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Books about Friendship – from friendaholics and frenemies to fellowships and found family

I’ve never been much of a romance reader. Reading about friendship in all its shapes and forms has always been more appealing and interesting to me.

Below I’ve gathered a selection of books, which illuminate some of the many facets of friendships. Most of the books are favourites of mine, except for one perhaps, which is included because of its rather unusual friendship.

Friendship - Friends TV show

1. Friendaholic [2023] by Elizabeth Day

Friendaholic is the inspiration for this post. In her most recent publication, Elizabeth Day reflects on the concept of friendship and how her own attitude has changed over time. I may be the exact opposite of Elizabeth Day, when it comes to friendship; where she has been all-embracing, I’ve been selective. Still, I found her musings interesting and it made me appreciate my own friends even more.

2. My Brilliant Friend [2011] by Elena Ferrante

Child protagonists in books for adults isn’t usually my thing, but if you are interested in the dynamics of a children’s friendship with all it entails (jealousy, competition over grades, growing and learning about life together) My Brilliant Friend does a cracking job.

3. Still Life [2017] by Sarah Winman

Still Life depicts one of my favourite tropes in literature, found family. When done well, this makes for an utterly heartwarming read. In Still Life an unlikely group of characters come together in a villa in Tuscany. Wonderfully drawn characters, a lovely setting and great writing – this novel has it all.

4. The Fellowship of the Ring [1954] by J.R.R. Tolkien

I’ve often found, when meeting people under more challenging circumstances, strong friendships may arise. I guess you really see other people’s “true selves” when under pressure and you quickly learn who you gel with and trust. The Fellowship of the Ring is a good example of this. I love the friendships which are formed on the journey to Mordor.

5. The Bandit Queens [2023] by Parini Shroff

Some sort of friendship can also arise from necessity and solidarity, even if you aren’t particularly fond of each other. In The Bandit Queens a group of Indian women bicker, gossip and even blackmail each other. But ultimately, they are in the same boat with drunk, violent husbands in a society, where a woman’s position is closely linked to her husband. And when push comes to shove, they support each other, realising they are stronger together.

6. 84, Charing Cross Road [1970] by Helene Hanff

Helene Hanff from the US and Frank Doel from the UK never met in real life. But via letters they developed the most wonderful friendship. I guess pen pals is mostly a thing of the past. With modern technology, however, it is a lot easier to maintain a friendship with someone across the world.

7. Klara and the Sun [2021] by Kazuo Ishiguro

From friendships in the past based on letters, we move on to potential friendships in the future. In Klara and the Sun, Ishiguro introduces the concept of an Artificial Friend. To me this idea seems very realistic, maybe even inevitable, once we advance with AI technology. An artificial friend doesn’t have the same role as a real friend. The best parallel I can find is that of an old-school companion, i.e. someone with lower status who is a hybrid of servant and friend. Scary? Yes. But also fascinating.

8. The Thursday Murder Club [2020] by Richard Osman

What happens when we grow old? Will our friends still be around? If not, will we be able to meet new friends? The Thursday Murder Club is a wonderful story about friendship in old age between four characters living in the same retirement village. The book does have a plot, but really it’s all about the characters and their friendship.

9. The Travelling Cat Chronicles [2012] by Hiro Arikawa

Many books revolve around the relationship between human and animal. Despite being an animal lover, I often find these books too sentimental and sweet. Nana, however, is the perfect animal protagonist. Snarky and sarcastic he speaks exactly like I imagine cats would speak, if they had a human voice.

10. The Housekeeper and the Professor [2003] by Yōko Ogawa

The friendship between the housekeeper and the professor is an unusual one. The professor suffers from a condition, which limits his memory span to the last eighty minutes. Every day, when the housekeeper arrives, she must introduce herself. This is a friendship based on living in the moment and – believe it or not – mathematics is a central component tying these two characters together.

There you have it, ten books about friendship. Do you like reading about friendship? And do you have any examples you would like to recommend to me and other readers?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by ThatArtsyReaderGirl.

62 comments

    • Agreed, very unusual. And apparently, the condition the professor suffers from is a real thing. I didn’t know that, when I read the novel.

  2. I saw mentions of Friendaholic on a recent book meme, and I did make a note to read it – I too am quite selective about my friends, so I do want to know other approaches there. And of course, The Fellowship of the Ring is a great example of finding your own tribe!

    • Ah yes, Friendaholic was in Six Degrees recently, that is how I came across it as well. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interesting in books about friendship.

  3. I loved Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy thirty years ago, but when I think of the plot now I don’t think the characters were friends at all. 84 Charing Cross Road is a much better example of friendship. Of Mice and Men springs to mind.

    • I guess there are different definitions of friendship. Sometimes, so-called friends don’t treat each other very well. Of Mice and Men is an excellent example of friends in the literature. I read it in school and it made a huge impression.

    • Glad to hear you also loved The Thursday Murder Club, it really is a wonderful series. The fourth book is meant to come out soon, hopefully it can live up to the previous ones. I wholeheartedly agree with your daughter, I can highly recommend The Bandit Queens. It deals with some rather serious topics, but also has lots of (dark) humour.

    • Still Life was one of my favourite books last year. I think most people would enjoy it. And it will make you want to book the first flight to Florence!

    • I hope you will enjoy it when you get to it. I found it surprisingly funny considering the rather dark and serious subject matters.

    • Thanks, it was fun to select the books for this post. Haha, AI is the way forward!!

  11. I loved Still Life! And apropos pen friendships, our library here in Ripon is developing pen friendships with junior library users in Ripon California. I hope it comes off successfully..

    • I loved it too! Really, a pen friendship? With real letters, not just emails and snapchat messages? Good luck to them, I’m interested to hear how it goes.

      • So are we. Early days yet. The Americans kicked it off with letters from children from 2 years old (they had help …) to 14. The younger ones have a proforma letter where they could fill in the gaps with personal info and facts and drawings.

  12. Nice list! I think Robin Hobb’s Fitz and Fool series is a great example of friendship, on many levels – and also a great read in general πŸ™‚

  14. Same. I’m just not much for romance in books, especially not as a main plot. I’d much rather read about interesting friendships. I’ve read the Tolkien, but that’s it from your list. I’ll have to check out some of these others.

    Happy TTT!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

    • Agreed! A romance side plot in a crime novel might be fun, but not as the main plot. Glad I am not the only one who feels like that.

  15. I would not have thought to put “The Fellowship of the Ring” in this category, but it fits perfectly, particularly the ending when the fellowship is broken. Great list!

    • The Fellowship of the Ring might be my favourite in the trilogy. I loved getting to know all the characters and seeing the dynamics between them develop.

      • I agree. The group of disparate characters has to learn to get along. I also like The Return of the King.

        • I like The Return of the King as well. And The Two Towers. But the Fellowship is special because of the characters, even if the plot is less epic compared to the other books.

  16. A great list, especially The Housekeeper and The Professor. I love reading about friendship! Some of my favourite “friendship” books are The Interestings, Never Let Me Go, and Little Women. Donna Tartt’s novels are also full of friendship.

    • I thought of Little Women and Never Let Me Go is another good example. I am not familiar with The Interestings, but will look it up. True about Donna Tart’s books, I seem to remember her friendships are often complicated, maybe even a bit dysfunctional.

  18. Great list, I’ve only read 84 Charing Cross Rd and it is a lovely relationship – Still Life is the one I’m adding to my list, and you’ve given me something to think about!

    • Yay, Still Life was one of my favourite books last year. I hope you enjoy it (I think you will) if you decide to pick it up.

    • Yes, absolutely! I hope you’ll find something you enjoy from my list or at least get some inspiration. πŸ™‚

  20. Great idea of freebie!
    And great list – I have read 4 of these, and I really want to read your #9.
    I could add The Wind in the Willows!

    • #9 is a wonderful story, especially if you like cats! And yes, The Wind in the Willows is another great example!

  21. I totally agree, I’m way more interested in books about great friendships than romance! I’ve got The Bandit Queens on my TBR, so I’m glad to see you enjoyed it and I always hear such good things about The Thursday Murder Club so I definitely need to get around to that sometime soon. My favourite friendship book would probably be Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Maddie and Queenie have such a beautiful friendship and the story is so heartbreaking.
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/07/11/top-ten-tuesday-428/

    • I can highly recommend both The Bandit Queens and The Thursday Murder Club series, both are great fun in different ways. Thanks for the recommendation of Code Name Verity. I looked it up and it really sounds good!

  22. I too wholly prefer stories featuring genuine and beautiful friendship than romance and you’ve showcased some excellent picks here but what gets all my praise in particular here is The Fellowship of the Ring! How can anyone be better than Sam as the ultimate friend in life! πŸ˜€ Great post, stargazer. πŸ˜€

    • Haha, I thought you might like that specific pick. Agree about Frodo and Sam, such a special relationship!

  23. Yeah No. 3, 6, 7, and 10 of your picks are great ones for friendship! I like how Klara tries to help Josie near the end, which is touching. I still have not read Ferrante which is crazy. Let me think of a friendship book hmm. I’d say one of the greatest is Charlotte’s Web between Wilbur & Charlotte. But for adult books I’m drawing a bit of a blank at this moment. Hmm. What the heck?!

    • It seems like there are many examples of great friendships to be found in children’s books. I haven’t read Charlotte’s Web, it wasn’t really part of the curriculum where I grew up. I do understand that Charlotte is a spider though? An unusual protagonist for sure!

  24. We read 7 of the books you mention. We liked best of these books the Ishiguro and the Ogawa. Both have a style without cliches and tell stories we are not used to.
    Thanks & cheers
    The Fab Four of Cley
    πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

    • 7 out of 10, that is quite impressive! The Ogawa is definitely one of my favourites on the list as well. I didn’t think the Ishiguro could live up to some of his earlier books, such as The Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go. Thanks for stopping by!

    • I’ve heard about Alderton’s book- I might pick that one up at some point. Glad you also enjoy books about friendship and thanks for stopping by!

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