One Degree of Separation

By: Karin Kallmaker

Narrated by: Quinn Riley

Marian Pardoo, reference librarian for the Iowa City Public Library, would be happy if the woman she's loved for years wasn't already married. Annoyed by the thoughtless out-of-town Liddy, she isn't prepared for the seething passion that erupts when Liddy careens into her meticulously controlled life.

Liddy has run two thousand miles from a devastating love affair. Now the idea of spending the sweltering summer watching the corn grow is driving her mad. Finding herself lusting after Marian the librarian seems like yet another cosmic jest at her hopeless love life. The only thing that keeps her sane is the coffee.

In a town where everybody knows your name, the names of your exes, pets, and your third grade teacher, Marian is thankful that she and Liddy at least don't have an ex-girlfriend in common.

One degree of separation is too close for comfort.

©2003 Karin Kallmaker (P)2023 Tantor

Beautiful!

This was a beautifully written love story! Liddy had no intention of failing in love during her eighth week stay in Iowa City. Her plan was recover from a broken heart and do research for a novel a famous writer had commissioned her to do. Then she met Mariam the librarian and all those plans went out the window. Ironically, Mariam was also not interested in falling in love since she also was working on healing her broken heart.

Thus the story begins and the angst, and the push/pull the begins to build between them is beautiful to observe.

Kallmaker has always been one of my all time favorite writer and this story is the reason why she still. The plot development flowed so smoothly between the two protagonists; it was beautiful to watch,

The supporting characters were also great! Can’t say enough about them to them justice.

The narration was exquisite and flowed very smoothly! Well done!

Small Sapphic Town

Had to believe one small town has so many lesbians. The new person (Kiddy) is like fresh meat to the single lesbians except for one (Marrian) . The fool who is in love with her neighbor that is married. The sparks can not be denied for long between the two who are not looking for a relationsip due to the crazy ex, which is one in the same for both of them..

Not what I expected.

This story started off slow and all over the place, I honestly was going to just stop. It was getting on my nerves. I kept listening, and finally, it was making sense, and I ended up liking it. I didn't quite love it but I finished it. love Karen Kallmaker and most of her books, I absolutely love Quinn Riley as the narrator.

Fun characters

I’ve been to Iowa City and had no idea about its hidden gems. Wonderful narrator and story.

A good read about wonderful characters

Would definitely recommend. So glad to have some KK to listen to. Have been writing audible asking for more for 3 years.

Enjoyed the story immensely, especially once it was whittled down for a bit to the two MCs.

Pros: The characters were well done, well liked after a layer or two was removed to move you into their story. It was realistic but intriguing to be part of a story of the two who were not planning on the direction they headed in. Love Karin”s ability to write easy and realistic inner and outer dialogue. Loved the middle America setting, middle class jobs.

Con: it was hard to keep track of who was talking in some scenes - some. When the group got large the narrator didn’t have quite enough character differentiation for a table full of characters but the scenes were infrequent enough to get through them.