The Christmas Cookie Club: A Novel by Ann Pearlman; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Gabra Zackman

Every year at Christmastime, Marnie and her twelve closest girlfriends gather in the evening with batches of beautifully wrapped homemade cookies. Everyone has to bring a dessert and a bottle of wine, but this year, it's their stories that are especially important. Marnie's oldest daughter has a risky pregnancy. Jeannie's father is having an affair with her best friend. Taylor's life is in financial freefall. Rosie's husband doesn't want children, and she has to decide, very soon, the fate of her marriage.

On this evening, at least, they can feel as a group the impulses of sisterly love and conflict, the passion and hopefulness of a new romance, the betrayal and disillusionment some relationships bring, the joys and fears of motherhood, the agony of losing a child, and above all, the love they have for one another. As Marnie says, the Christmas Cookie Club, if it's anything, is a reminder of delight.

Ann Pearlman Nine years ago, I was "the virgin" at a cookie exchange. The party atmosphere, the closeness of the woman were perfect for a novel about the importance of women's friendships. I decided then to write it and began notes. The year 2008, with the financial crisis cried out for a novel about the importance of friendships, love, and support to get us all through hard times. Cookies help, too.