One Degree of Separation

This book was a delight! Karin Kallmaker deftly incorporated humor and real heart into this fun, emotional, and surprisingly spirited read. I highly recommend it....Review by Blayne Cooper, author of "The Last Train Home," "First Lady," and other works of lesbian fiction.

What are the chances? They say anyone can be connected to another person with six degrees of separation. What happens when there is only one? One woman, trying to recover from an abusive relationship takes a job in a town where she meets a woman who is also recovering from the same type of situation. Although somewhat attracted to each other, they both voice the "I'm not looking for a relationship" comment. Tentatively forming a friendship, they begin to spend more and more time together. Can they heal the wounds that each is carrying, learn to trust and to love again? And just what exactly is the one degree separating them?A fantastic story, where the writer weaves a tale taking the reader on a journey filled with drama, intrigue and at times, laughter. Once again the skills of the writer are very evident in the story, interlocking the lives of the characters with everyday situations and obstacles placed in their paths and of friendships forged. A terrific book! Another in the long line of well-written books by a fantastic writer!

This is not your mother's library! It's the library where I wish I'd spent all my youth though. Imagine going to the library and there at the desk is this cute, sweet, honest, knowledgeable, kind, OUT LESBIAN there to answer your every question. I would have asked *this* Marian the Librarian where to find the girls-who-like-girls book, let me tell you. This book was like a fantasy come to life. All my life I have had the hots for librarians. I think it's because Barbara Gordon was a librarian -- you know, BATGIRL! I laughed a lot and really felt like if I went to Iowa City I'd find Marian and Liddy drinking coffee, along with the rest of the gals. No telling who'd be with whom by then, except Marian and Liddy -- they're meant for each other. Wouldn't I like to be a fly on the wall for their sex life!I did not think that Karin Kallmaker could come up with a heroine that was sexier than the savagely intelligent, tormented, motorcycle riding Reyna, but Marian flipped all my lights to green. She can check out if I'm Dewey any day!

"Life is twisted" is a favored exclamation from Liddy, a twenty-something dyke from Berkeley, California. Newly graduated from Cal with her Masters degree, Liddy has taken a contract to conduct research for a nationally known writer and finds herself trapped in the Iowa corn-belt for the summer. Her goal was to get away from the West Coast and an affair that ended very badly. She has no intention of getting romantically involved with anyone this summer. The women of Iowa City which boasts, arguably, the highest concentration of dykes living in any town in the Midwest, have other plans for "fresh meat." Even Liddy finds herself reconsidering her goals when she meets "Marian the Librarian."If you are a librarian living in the "River City," Iowa and your name is Marian, you might as well surrender and embrace the humor of the musical. Marian Pardoo, on the Reference staff at the Iowa City Public Library, has done just that. Her dog answers to "Professor Hill" while her cat is dubbed "Trombone." Marian enjoys her work and is pleased with life in semi-rural Iowa. However, she is nursing some major heartache. That pain sometimes makes her life very difficult. Neither Liddy nor Marian is prepared for the chemistry that strikes when they meet. Their conflagration is wonderful, frightening, and more than a little confusing. Or as Liddy wonders, "Was she in a foreign movie with no subtitles? Or was this just the way the dykes dated in Iowa City? Yes, no, yes, no, talk, talk, and more talk?" p112 The two women struggle to overcome their fears of getting hurt by love again and find that sometimes communication is difficult. When Marian looks for a greeting card to express her feelings for Liddy, she finds, "There weren't any cards that said, 'Can we do it like rabbits and still be friends?' Not one read, 'Ignore what I'm saying and jump me, now!'" p122Having a crush on a gym teacher is a fairly common element in the school years of most future dykes. In One Degree, Kallmaker pays tribute to what has to be a close second for many of the "nerdier" lesbians, that of the crush on a librarian. Or as she has Marian reflect of her decision, years ago to become a librarian, "It always seemed like whatever I could dream I could find at the library. And ever since I was a girl I thought librarians were the guardians of all the mysteries of time. It never occurred to me .... That I could be one of the guardians." p43Kallmaker's romp through the lesbian community in a Midwestern College town is entertaining, sexy and touching. While One Degree is one of her most lighthearted novels, Kallmaker taps readers on the shoulder with a few well-placed political observations. She illustrates the realities of public library employment and points out a frightening aspect of our post-9/11 world, i.e., the Patriot Act and its assault on privacy and the free access to information. One Degree is a delightful romantic comedy, filled with humor, lust, and lots of intell

The excellent writing, pacing, humor, and insight of this stellar book reminded me of Jackson McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD or possibly some of Rita Mae Brown's books. Just very, very well done (...). The dialogue, characters, and overall plan of the book are all flawless. You cannot go wrong with this one! Would also recommend MAYBE NEXT TIME.