Brunch with Author Margaret Hawkins (LYDIA'S PARTY)

Meet Author Margaret Hawkins

(Lydia's Party, Viking $26.95, due 1/23/14)

Monday, February 10 at 10:00 a.m.

Jolly Good Fellows

Brunch $35.00 includes the book

To reserve call 847-234-4420

Lydia has a secret she needs to share with her closest friends when they gather for their annual “Bleak Midwinter Bash” at her Chicago home. Readers will quickly discover the secret, but that’s not the point. This quietly moving novel is about the power and significance of women’s friendships, and the regrets that we all face when we realize we’re approaching – or past – the halfway point of life.

Lydia is an art teacher at a “godforsaken suburban community college” and a failed artist. She’s divorced, childless, and living with her elderly dog, Maxine. Her group of friends all met as employees at the college; none of them – with one exception – has achieved career success.

Norris is that exception. She’s rocketed past her friends to become “that rarest of all creatures: an artist who lived – and well – off her art”. She’s attending Lydia’s party only out of a sense of obligation, feeling superior to her old colleagues and knowing they are envious of her accomplishments.

Lydia’s Party raises interesting questions: How should we define success? How do our fears hold us back? What role does competition play into women’s friendships?  What regrets will we have when we look back at our lives? These questions will inspire spirited discussions among book groups.