Lydia's party - Margaret Hawkins

“It is this kind of book: the kind one buys extra copies of to pass out to friends.”
—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

For fans of Anne Tyler and Anna Quindlen, a mesmerizing portrait of friendship that explores seven women’s lives with a generous embrace and wondrous wisdom

Lydia is having a party—it’s a party she hosts every year for six women friends who treasure the midwinter bash. Over a table laden with a feast of food and wine, the women revel in sharing newsy updates, simmering secrets, and laughter. As this particular evening unfolds, Lydia prepares to make a shattering announcement.

As we follow these friends through their party preparations, we meet flawed but lovable characters who are navigating the hassles of daily chores while also meditating in stolen moments on their lives, their regrets, their complicated relationships, and their deepest desires. When Lydia’s announcement shocks them all, they rediscover the enduring bonds of friendship and find their lives changing in unexpected ways.

Tender, wryly funny, and exquisitely written, Lydia’s Party poignantly considers both the challenges of everyday life and of facing our fears while creating characters whose foibles and feistiness will capture readers’ hearts.

Margaret Hawkinsis the author of two previous novels, A Year of Cats and Dogs and How to Survive a Natural Disaster , as well as a memoir about her sister, After Schizophrenia: The Story of My Sister’s Reawakening . She has also written for the Chicago Sun-Times and is a Senior Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Visit www.margarethawkins.com. A reading guide is available both there and at www.penguin.com.