Synopses & Reviews
What makes a wife a lover?For Kate, the spark went out of her marriage long ago but her husband doesn't seem to notice. Their role as parents consumes their lives so they need to rekindle the romance they once shared.
What makes a woman a mother?
For Jo, a high-powered career has led her to believe that she doesn't have a single maternal instinct. When an orphan unexpectedly enters her life, she is forced to confront her own unhappy childhood and the walls it has built around her heart.
What makes a man the love of your life?
For Sarah, home is the steamy jungles of Africa while the man of her dreams waits in the air-conditioned confines of Los Angeles. Her longing for this man from the past is blinding her to a new love standing right in front of her.
What these women all have in common is a friend with a generous soul, an irrepressible spirit- and a serious illness. In her final letters, Rachel raises one last question: What makes a friend live in our hearts forever?
Review
"Get the first 'Best Read' of 2011...a love story about what it really means to be a friend."--Debbie Haupt, B&N General Fiction Book Club
Review
"Higgins writes with grace and humor, reminding us to hold tight to the ones we love."--Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author of The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners
Review
"The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship is a lovely novel with moments of deeply moving insight into what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a friend. Read it and share it with your own friends-you'll be glad you did!"--Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Beachcombers
Review
"Full of humor, love, and life lessons, this is an uplifting and satisfying novel that lingers long after the last page."--Elizabeth Noble, bestselling author of The Reading Group and The Girl Next Door
Review
"[A] happy reminder that life is all about taking risks."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"Offering words of wisdom from a dying friend, The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship inspires us to focus on what's really important in our lives."--Liza Palmer, international bestselling author of A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents
Review
"An amazing novel of love, friendship, and community. A truly joyous read that marks an impressive debut."--Jane Porter, author of Flirting with Forty and She's Gone Country
Review
"Poignant, romantic, and funny...about the need for our closest friends to occasionally give us a shove in the right direction when we've lost our way. You'll recognize yourself in these women. I loved it."--Claire LaZebnik, author of If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now
Review
"Expertly woven together by Lisa Verge Higgins...simply but beautifully written...the common thread is Rachel, who has given the best gift a friend can give - a second chance."--RomanceJunkies.com
Synopsis
Rachel Braun was the inspiration to her group of friends, the one who lived each day to the fullest - and the one whose life was cut tragically short. Upon her untimely death, Rachel left letters for her three best friends challenging them to face their biggest fears.
Sarah, an international relief worker, must travel half way around the world to track down the only man she ever loved. Stay-at-home mom Kate must confront her fear of heights by skydiving and soon finds that her new hobby is affecting her once-tranquil marriage. And Jo, a media mogul voted least likely to breed, is given the most terrifying assignment of all: caring for Rachel's orphaned and grieving little girl.
Even as these women mourn Rachel's passing, her legacy lives on and their lives are enriched by a friend who, in many ways, knew them better than they knew themselves.
Synopsis
A grave loss changes the lives of three friends in ways they never imagined in this warm and heartrending debut novel. What makes a wife a lover?
For Kate, the spark went out of her marriage long ago but her husband doesn't seem to notice. Their role as parents consumes their lives so they need to rekindle the romance they once shared.
What makes a woman a mother?
For Jo, a high-powered career has led her to believe that she doesn't have a single maternal instinct. When an orphan unexpectedly enters her life, she is forced to confront her own unhappy childhood and the walls it has built around her heart.
What makes a man the love of your life?
For Sarah, home is the steamy jungles of Africa while the man of her dreams waits in the air-conditioned confines of Los Angeles. Her longing for this man from the past is blinding her to a new love standing right in front of her.
What these women all have in common is a friend with a generous soul, an irrepressible spirit- and a serious illness. In her final letters, Rachel raises one last question: What makes a friend live in our hearts forever?
About the Author
While studying for her Ph.D. in chemistry, RITA finalist Lisa Verge Higgins penned twelve romance novels under her maiden name. THE PROPER CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF FRIENDSHIP is her first foray into mainstream women's fiction.
She lives in New Jersey with her husband, an attorney, and their children.