Rating: 
Summary: Ahh, the dynamics of female friendships. . . .
Review: This book took me a while to get into, but once I did, it was worth it. Beautiful Bodies chronicles the events of one night where 6 late-thirties women, friends since their first days in NY, meet up for a baby shower. Cunningham chooses to first introduce us to each of the women by writing about their separate journeys to the baby shower, and then observes what happens when the women meet up, one by one. But the book really doesn't get started until all of them are together. I've read several books about female friendships, and, honestly, this book is one of the most accurate in describing how the relationships among female friends, particularly when there is more than two, can alternate between gentle, strenuous, compassionate, then explosive (not necessarily in that order) all in one evening. I totally saw myself and my friends in these characters, and loved how Cunningham expertly described the mood shifts as the evening progressed. I'd recommend this to any woman, as long as they are not expecting a standard plot where everything is tied up in a neat bow at the end. Unlike most of my favorite reads these days, this book isn't perfect as a beach read -- I think it would be best enjoyed on a weekend night by yourself with a great dinner and a glass of wine.
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