The Other's Gold

Finished September 22

The Other's Gold by Elizabeth Ames

This novel follows four young women from their arrival at Quincy-Hawthorne College as freshmen through their late 30s. The girls share a suite in student housing, but come from a variety of backgrounds, although they discover they are all second daughters in their families. The background of the girls is dished out slowly, piece by piece during the events of their freshman year. Lainey, Ji Sun, Margaret, and Alice find themselves a tight group, not often sharing classes, but still studying together and socializing a lot together. They are all attractive young women and draw interest from the young men at the college. We see them develop romantic relationships and find their future careers. Besides the friendships between these four women, there are other friends that each of the women have, some during the college years and some later. 

There are marriages and children, celebrations and losses, times when the link between them grows more tenuous, but never do they completely break each other off. 

These are complex characters, with good and bad qualities, insecurities, and secrets. Some have money, while other live closer to the edge in terms of their financial situation. The lives these women lead sound believable, mundane at times, and with crisis points for each. Lives not so different from our own. 

For me, this was a read that brought reflection and insight.