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Summary: Baseless claim....
Review: ...namely, that men don't need friends, but women do. Along with the author's occasional jabs at the male gender, this blithe assumption mars a potentially interesting book.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent read
Review: Don't listen to whoever it was questioning the validity of the reviews here. While I can't vouch for those individual reviews, I have read this book and greatly enjoyed it. Making friends as an adult is not something that's widely acknowledged as a "problem" or something that's difficult, and yet many people have a hard time with it. Just reading a book in which someone acknowledges the difficulties of adult friendship (specifically female) is somewhat comforting. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Just moved to a new city and this book is handy!
Review: I have recently moved to the South from the East Coast and finding it hard to meet new people, despite being an extroverted person with a lot of diverse interests. I have made several overtures to people I met to get coffee, go out to dinner, etc. Most are not interested in meeting new people, they are too busy and/or they already have a "set" group of friends and don't have the time nor the inclination for more. I am one who places a high priority on making and keeping friends. Yes, I am busy too - work full-time, have kids, go to school, am married (believe me, I am not sitting around 24/& eating bon-bons and lounging - LOL) - but I carve out small chunks of time to see my girlfriends regularly and they understand my heavily-laden schedule, but know that they are important to my life and general well-being, especially emotionally (I strive to remember their birthdays, for example, not with lavish gifts, but perhaps sending a heartfelt card. My belief is, as the book says, If someone thinks friendships are important, they want to meet new people, have the time to do so, and the chemistry is right between you, then this is the person who will take you up on your offer to do something. If not, it it is disheartening, but one must not take a rejection personally and move on, however hard that may be. You may never know the reason why people do not accept your offers to do things but, as the book so aptly says, it is important to remember your worth and know that the right friends will come along - patience and a high-level of self-esteem are key to getting though this. Rejection is not pleasant for anyone, and especially challenging for those who are taking the risk of reaching out to people whom they consider potential friends.The author, Marcia Paul, skillfully takes the reader through all types of friendship "issues" such as divorce, new babies, marriage, etc. with a sensitive hand. Her perspective is that sometimes one party will have to "give a little" and the other will not be able to at the time (if they just had a baby or get a new, demanding job, etc.)and solid friendships, with good communication and mututal respect, will be able to weather these changes and ebbs/flows. Sometimes, one person is giving too much and the other person is giving too little - in this case Paul says that this relationship needs to be evaluated (do you want to keep this friendship? Could you communicate your needs clearly to your friend and give her the chance to amend her behavior?)and I agree. I think that this book is timely as it addresses what I feel is necessary for women to have in their lives, esp. in this busy age -- unconditional support from other women who care about them and will listen to their joys and sorrows. People in our society do not speak often to their need for friendship, lest they appear needy and desperate - no one cares to admit how lonely they are or can be at times in their lives. Thank you, Ms. Paul, this is a great book!
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Summary: Authentic, practical and accessible
Review: I've moved eight times in twenty-three years (you do the math), and I thought I knew every trick in the book for connecting with new friends. But I didn't know everything in this book. There are lists of low-risk ways to reach out on an individual basis and tips for building your own community (or urban tribe, as Paul calls it). There's a chapter on the physiological benefits of friendship for anyone who needs an extra nudge to rationalize time spent on girlfriends, and I found the chapter on cross-generational friendships especially inspiring. The segmented format makes for easy reading even for the most over-scheduled woman.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspicious reviews
Review: Is it my imagination, or do all these reviews look as though they were written by a PR agent? Notice how they are all just by "a reader" and have that smooth, marketing-speak lilt to them? Caveat emptor! When a book uses false "real people" reviews to bolster sales, it probably isn't very good.
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Summary: Loved this book!
Review: Marla Paul is an extraordinary writer. She takes a subject--friendship--that every woman cares about and explores it with incredible insight and honesty. The Frienship Crisis is ideal for a book club (I'm definitely recommending it for mine) because it will initiate a deep, lively discussion about a topic that's a key aspect of our lives. The stories are moving and funny, and the advice is solid. It's helped me to understand my own relationships and what I need to change. What more could one want from a book?
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Summary: Terrific read!
Review: Marla Paul's book is a must-read for any woman who wants to make new friends or strengthen her ties to old ones. In "The Friendship Crisis," Paul profiles women who've mastered the art of both making and sustaining relationships. She also writes about her own challenges in making new friends at various points in her life, shares insights from relationship experts and includes relevant research about the health benefits of having a wide circle of pals. The result is an engaging and comprehensive book that I will recommend to all of my friends! Paul's subject is one that's close to my heart: For more than a decade, I've been lamenting how difficult it's been for me to make friends as a result of life circumstances, which include moving across the country when I got married and starting a home-based business. Paul's advice for cultivating new friends--based both on her experience and that of the countless women she interviewed--is smart, practical and doable. This is the book I wish I'd read 12 years ago! Not only do I plan to follow Paul's blueprint to develop new relationships, but I've also reassessed my own friendship style, and I'm in the process of making some much-needed changes. Thank you, Marla Paul, for writing such a terrific book!
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Summary: life-changing
Review: This is a beautifully written examination of a problem I've really struggled with. Marla Paul has a smart and elegant style and makes you feel like she is a friend who has struggled with it, too. I finished this book eager to try some of her suggestions, and reassured that I'm not the only one who has stumbled in friendship attempts. Great advice given with warmth and humor - a pleasure and an inspiration.
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Summary: Unrealistic expectations?
Review: Upon reading this book, my first thought was that I'm not sure I'd want to be one of Marla Paul's friends ... she seems to expect a lot of them, and holds them to very high standards -- I don't think I could measure up! Though I consider myself a supportive friend, I'm not in a position where I can drop everything and hop on a plane to go comfort a friend who's having a rough time, and frankly I know very few women who are. And truth be told, I don't think I'd WANT a friend who's so self-involved that she'd get miffed with me because I was renovating my kitchen and therefore forgot to call her on her birthday! That said, Paul (and the women she interviewed) offers useful insight into the nature of friendship and great tips on nurturing our friendships, and I plan to apply many of them in my own relationships.
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Summary: A wonderful book on a subject not commonly covered
Review: While perusing the "New Non-Fiction" section of my library, I came across this book. I think it is very well written, and expresses many of the feelings I was ashamed and embarrassed to express, or didn't really realize were there. I really thought I was rare in the fact that I have very few female friends beyond work acquaintances, and in the fact that I long for that to change, but am too shy to do much about it. When we are kids, making friends is easy. What about those women working from home, or living in rural areas? If all the people you come in to contact with in an average day are the check-out lady and the bank teller, what's a woman to do? It gives some tidbits and ideas for making new friends, talks a good bit about the importance of female companionship to our well-being, along with info on things like how to know if you should cut a friend loose and what to do when your child's friend is no longer friends with someone who's mother you had become close with (that was wordy, I know). Anyway, I think this is a unique book worth reading. Those who give it just a star or two probably do so because they have many friends and therefore cannot relate to the content.
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