Jill, Anne, Mary and Rachel met years ago through a neighbourhood group that gathered to play a dice game called bunco. Although players have come and gone over the ensuing years, the ladies bonded and essentially are the stalwart of the group, using their bunco nights as an excuse to discard their day-to-day responsibilities as wives and mothers and enjoy food, plenty of drinks, and the company of each other.
Whilst on the face of it their card game evenings may seem like harmless fun - a chance to have a girls' night and let their hair down - they are in essence anything but as these ladies seem to have a knack for inviting trouble. What should be an innocuous activity often ends up involving others who you would not think would be "game" for this type of evening, with their bunco nights being host to such game fellows as the FBI, the police and their partners' mistresses. Who thought a simple card game could attract so much drama!
I so enjoyed this novel. It is not the usual style of book in terms of writing style but is written in a script format divided into four acts - akin to a theatrical drama, which I thought was a really clever vehicle of the author to use. It made the characters more real and dynamic and gave the writing more depth and dimension.
The book was a joy to read and the ladies in the story were so relatable - almost as if you could expect to meet and hang out with them in your daily life. The book was filled with a mixture of comedy, drama, suspense and the author dealt with issues which many women could connect with: the ups and downs of marriage, infertility, the joy and heartbreak in having and raising children, the challenges and pressures women face in their everyday lives.
At the root of it though was the depiction of friendships to women: it really celebrated and chronicled the importance and value of female friendships in our lives and was such a positive portrayal of how our friends are always there in times of need. It's a great book to escape into and definitely lends itself for a sequel. (LP)
Content