Category: Famous Friends

Irish playwright Samuel Beckett moved to a commune in France in 1953, the same year he published Waiting for Godot. Beckett befriended a local carpenter, Boris Roussimoff, whose son would one day become wrestler André the Giant. When the boy, age 12, grew too big for the school bus (he was already 6 feet tall and weighed 250 lbs.), Beckett drove him in his pick-up truck. During their rides, they talked about cricket. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Beckett and Andre: The older literary and the younger physical giant were friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

The unnamed narrator and Reva in My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh are simultaneously supportive and destructive of each another. Personally, I found this novel to be an unconvincing snooze, but the portrait of toxic friendship rings true. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Narrator and Reva: A snoozy portrait of toxic friendship

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Evert and Navaratilova were tennis rivals who, over 16 years, competed against each other in 80 matches. But off the court, they became lasting friends. When the Czech-born Navaratilova began playing U.S. matches as a teen, Evert’s family looked out for her. Left alone together in the locker room after a match, the winner would comfort the loser. Throughout their lives, they continued to support each other during personal wins and losses. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Evert and Navartilova: On-court rivals; off-court friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

In Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are encouraging allies and jealous rivals, but always close friends. As they grow from girls into women, each pursuing their own destiny, these characters virtually define the meaning of “sisterhood.” Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Little Women: A classic novel about four sisters who are also best friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

President Lincoln and Douglass, an escaped slave turned abolitionist leader, built an unlikely friendship based on mutual respect and a shared commitment to freedom. Both rose from poverty and were talented orators. Lincoln relied on Douglass for advice during the Civil War. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Lincoln and Douglass, President and former slave, built a friendship on mutual respect and common goals

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

With Holmes’s flair for unraveling mysteries and Watson’s stoic nature, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creations are an iconic fictional duo. Proving that “opposites attract,” their differences enable them to solve cases. And after a hard day’s work, they enjoy unwinding together with a drink, a smoke, even a Turkish bath. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Holmes and Watson, an iconic mystery-solving duo

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

When the two men met in 1896, Ford was a huge fan of Edison, sixteen years his senior, and only wanted to photograph him. Instead, they became legendary friends. Edison encouraged Ford’s pioneering automotive work. They traveled around the country together and owned vacation houses next to each other. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Edison and Ford were fellow tinkerers and famous friends

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Counter-culture journalist Thompson and conservative politician Buchanan met during Nixon’s 1972 presidential campaign. Though ideological opposites, the friends valued each other’s honesty and libertarianism. Said Thompson, “Politics is a circle, not just right and left. We’re often pretty close.” Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Buchanan and Thompson were ideological opposites but met as friends in the middle

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

The four best friends in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Bashares support one another through good times and bad, but always mend the rifts between them. Although the girls are different sizes, the title’s magical jeans fit them all, a metaphor for what unites these women in friendship. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: One shared garment = One Four-Way Friendship

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Houston’s mom, Cissy, sang backup vocals for Franklin and brought Whitney to rehearsals as a child. Whitney looked up to Franklin. Franklin, in turn, encouraged the talented young singer. Franklin and Whitney’s mother remained friends for life. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Singing friends Franklin and Houston: The older generation fostered the younger one’s talent

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship