Category: Famous Friends

Famous Friends: Julius Caesar and Pompey

Caesar and Pompey, Roman statesmen and generals, were childhood friends who became rivals. Their power struggle led to civil war. Pompey was assassinated in 48 B.C.E. and Caesar, the Empire’s self-appointed dictator, was assassinated in 44 B.C.E. 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.

Caesar and Pompey: Roman generals and friends whose rivalry ended in two assassinations

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas

These friends from Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen are both intelligent, spirited women, but differ on matters of the heart. Elizabeth chides Charlotte when she marries for convenience, and Charlotte rebukes Elizabeth for her stubborn opinions. Still, their friendship outlasts the conflict and forces Elizabeth to acknowledge her own economic privilege. 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.

Elizabeth and Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice: Good friends despite social class differences

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Alexander Graham Bell and Helen Keller

Bell, a teacher of deaf children long before he invented the telephone, was responsible for getting Anne Sullivan to be Keller’s in-home teacher when Keller was six years old. Bell and Keller became good friends. He set up a trust fund so she could attend Radcliffe College; she dedicated her autobiography, The Story of My Life, to him. 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.

Graham and Keller belonged to a mutual admiration society

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett

These two legendary comedians, who each ran their own television shows, also acted together. Ball, 22 years older, mentored Burnett, and threw her a black-tie baby shower which the younger comedian described as “one of the funniest evenings ever.” Ball died the day Burnett turned 56, but she had sent her friend flowers with the message, “Happy Birthday, Kid.” 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.

Lucy and Carol: Two funny women who shared a serious friendship

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Betty and Veronica

These primary characters in the Archie Comics are best friends in an unbalanced relationship. Blonde, girl-next-door Betty is always there for Veronica. Raven-haired, wealthy Veronica can’t be counted on to reciprocate. They both have crushes on Archie but, reflecting the culture in which the comic strip arose, Veronica is likely to ditch her girlfriend for a boyfriend. 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.

Betty and Veronica: Companionship and competition in one comic strip

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe

When music clubs blocked Fitzgerald from performing, Monroe persuaded the clubs’ managers to book the singer and came to every show to guarantee press coverage and an audience. Fitzgerald’s career took off; she became “The Queen of Jazz.” Monroe, who called Fitzgerald “my very favorite person,” based her own musical style on Fitzgerald’s singing. Their friendship exemplifies women helping each other achieve their goals. 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.

Ella and Marilyn had each other’s backs

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Maya Angelou and James Baldwin

Angelou and Baldwin met in Paris in the 1954, when she was touring Europe with Porgy and Bess (she played Ruby). Angelou said, “He furnished me with my first limousine ride, set the stage for me to write “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and told me I was intelligent and very brave.” Both were committed to Black rights and culture; the friendship lasted throughout their lives. 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.

Maya Angelou and James Baldwin encouraged each other’s authorship and activism

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Introducing “Famous Friends” Posts

My novel The Sister Knot (arrives April 2024) is about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. To mark its publication, I am inaugurating a series of “Famous Friends” posts, presenting friendships, past and present, in real life and in fiction, that inform, entertain, and surprise us about these emotionally charged relationships. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Friendship: Not always easy, but always essential

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship