The Best of Friends: Martha and Me - Paperback

by Mariana Pasternak (Author)

In this poignant meditation on the strength and fragility of female friendship, Mariana Pasternak chronicles her life-defining relationship with Martha Stewart, its tragic demise, and its lessons for us all. The Best of Friends is at once an honest, personal, and never-before-seen look at Martha Stewart as a person; an inside look at the lives of the rich and famous; and an inspiring story of feminine kinship.

What happens when your best friend becomes one of the most famous women in the world--and you become a witness against her?

• Behind-the-Scenes Access: Go beyond the cameras and into the private world of Martha Stewart, from the early days in Westport to the height of her fame, as seen through the eyes of her closest confidante.
• A Complicated Friendship: A raw and honest account of a twenty-year bond between two women, filled with laughter, adventure, and the strains of living in the shadow of a global icon.
• The Price of Fame: Discover the private struggles behind the public perfection, including the dramatic end of Martha's marriage to Andy Stewart and the pressures of building an empire.
• The Insider Trading Trial: An intimate, firsthand perspective on the scandal that captivated a nation, from the woman who was caught between loyalty to her friend and the law.

Back Jacket

For more than two decades, Mariana Pasternak and Martha Stewart were nearly inseparable. They first met over a garden gate in Westport, Connecticut--two suburban wives wedded to successful men but with grand aspirations of their own. Their friendship only deepened after their marriages ended in divorce. Drawn into a seductive world of privilege and adventure, Pasternak, who struggled as a working single mother, watched with admiration as Martha built an empire that would make her one of the richest women in America. The two women enjoyed amazing experiences, traveled the world together, and talked on a daily basis, sharing thoughts and feelings, plans and dreams. But as time passed, money, men, and the arrogance of wealth frayed the bonds of their friendship--until the final break came when Pasternak was called as a witness in the high-profile trial that ultimately brought about Stewart's conviction and prison sentence.

The Best of Friends: Martha and Me tells the story of an extraordinary friendship and its devastating aftermath with breathtaking candor. Every woman who has had a best female friend will see herself in this deeply personal memoir.