One Degree of Separation

by Karin Kallmaker

Big city girl in a small town—Liddy Peel has culture shock. 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.

A hilarious, erotic and insightful story of a close-knit community in America's Heartland from master storyteller Karin Kallmaker.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian Romance, Fiction, LGBT, Queer

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2003

About the author

Karin Kallmaker has been exclusively devoted to lesbian fiction since the publication of her first novel in 1989. As an author published by the storied Naiad Press, she worked with Barbara Grier and Donna McBride, and has been fortunate to be mentored by a number of editors, including Katherine V. Forrest.

In addition to multiple Lambda Literary Awards, she has been featured as a Stonewall Library and Archives Distinguished Author. Other accolades include the Ann Bannon Popular Choice and other awards for her writing, as well as the selection as a Trailblazer by the Golden Crown Literary Society. She is best known for novels such as Painted Moon, Simply the Best, Touchwood, The Kiss that Counted and Captain of Industry.

The California native is the mother of two and lives with her wife in the Bay Area. You can catch her blogs at Romance and Chocolate: https://kallmaker.com/blog/. Find her on social media by searching for "Kallmaker" - there's only one.

Reviews

[Harrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marian watching her best friends every night was creepy. There were too many side characters with tangled up love lives. The main romance was nice though. I really liked Liddy.

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time to pick another Karin Kallmaker for fallback Friday. The choice fell on One Degree of Separation, first published in 2003. A small Iowa city is the stage for this lesfic romance.

Marian the librarian has been ‘off the market’ since a very bad experience with her last lover. Not that her heart was ever really in it. She has been secretly in love with her next door neighbor (and friend) for the last 7 years, but said neighbor is in a very happy relationship.

Liddy is new in town doing a research project. She is called ‘fresh meat’ by the group of predatory Iowa City lesbians, but she is ‘off the market’ since a very bad experience with her last lover.

You can imagine the two that won’t date will fall into insta-lust for each other. They will do their best to fight it though.

Kallmaker is always a safe bet. Her romances are solid with engaging characters, some laughs and a nice bit of spice.

f/f explicit

Themes: small Iowa town, library, predatory lesbians, the dance card, hummer, karate, peeping at the neighbors, secret crush, ex from hell, “I swear to freakin’ God”, fresh meat, coffee, the femme on a trisket had a yellow hummer and was a karate brown belt, “do you fuck like you drive?”, the holistic love couch, they have something in common.

4 Stars

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 uprated to 4

I like this. A decent, light read with humour. There are lots of good secondary characters, although the partner swapping, and the incestuous nature of a group of friends is probably as relevant today as ever.
I didn’t mind the idea of voyeurism and watching people making love. It just seems a bit icky when not only are you good friends, one of them is the unrequited love of your life. Yeah. Weird as. Or maybe I have led a sheltered life.

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was no teasing in this kiss. It was about yes, an ocean of yes, enough to drown in.

Hmmm. This was interesting. In both good and bad ways. It's a small town romance that takes place between a local librarian and a visiting researcher from a bigger city. There's also a lot of discussion and drama about small town lesbian friend groups, dating exes, degrees of separation, et cetera. I did like the main characters? Mostly? But they also got on my nerves sometimes, and the writing definitely had some ups and downs for me.

This is an older romance, written in 2003. I don't read a whole lot of older romances, so it was a little bit of an adjustment, but I have to say that all in all, I thought it held up pretty well. I really liked the conversations about butch and femme identity, how it's useful for some people, not so much for others, and just hearing the characters talk about what certain labels meant for them. Marian is butch, though on the softer, gentler side of butches. Liddy is femme, but doesn't always like it when people other than herself give her that label, because they tend to mean something different than what she means. I don't know, I really like those conversations, and knowing that they aren't recent occurrences. I also really enjoyed the look into library politics, and the general social atmosphere from 20 years ago. I don't know, it was just really interesting to think about stuff like cell phone usage, implementation of the Patriot Act two years post 2001, the different levels of technology and stuff. Felt kinda time-capsule-esque.

The actual romance I had more problems with. Just... the general romantic feeling, the chemistry between the characters, was so hot and cold. I would go from really seeing the connection between them in one minute, and then the next minute they'd bicker about something so inconsequential, it really felt like they had no business together. One moment that felt SO weird is when Marian is alternating between driving fast and slow, and Liddy thinks to herself that she seems manic depressive. Nothing wrong with that, but just the way she thinks it, the way it was phrased... it just felt off, not a line you want to see between people who are developing a romance. They did have good moments together, and I think those later scenes when they got together were really sweet and sensual and powerful. But I was kinda held back by the fact that Marian is in love with another woman for most of the book, and Liddy is just kind of prickly, and not in the way that I love. Also, this is my fault, I guess, for not listening closely enough, but I completely did not clock that they both had an ex named Robyn. I mean, I noticed, but it didn't register, and I guess I had it down in the back of my brain as a coincidence? So the eventual reveal just came out of left field for me, when it was actually something that the story had been building towards.

I had some issues with the writing as well. Technically good; I've never before had issues with Kallmaker's writing. But the whole schtick with Marian's Inner Slut and Inner Prude and Inner Historian and all that other stuff... I know it's supposed to be light and comedic and silly in a good way, but it was just silly in a bad way to me. Especially since it was overused so damn much. She did a similar thing in Love by the Numbers, and I'd forgotten about it until this moment, because I guess it wasn't as annoying in that book. But it was very annoying in this book. As was the constant repetition of Liddy's favourite curse, 'swear to freakin' god.' Silly nitpick perhaps, but it was VERY irritating to me, haha. And just in general, to make up for things like that, I needed more romance in the book. At times it would almost start to feel like an ensemble book, because we got so much information about the lives and drama and relationships of Marian's friend group. I know it played into the theme of the book as a whole, degrees of separation and all that, but I didn't care that much. I think we either needed to develop those side plots more, or just not include them.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Quinn Riley, who's quickly becoming a new favourite. Her voice in general is so smooth and soothing, and I adore how she performs the characters. The audiobook was definitely the saving grace for the book for me, more than it usually is. The book just never really delivered on everything I expected from it, and while I did like it, some aspects kinda let me down.

[Guerunche · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge Karin Kallmaker fan and excited that her early work is being released on audio. Even more thrilled that Quinn Riley has been hired to do some of them, as she's becoming one of my favorite narrators.

That said - this particular book didn't appeal to me. Originally published in 2003, it's the story of Marian - a small town Iowa librarian whose world is turned upside down when a new woman moves into town temporarily from Berkeley, California to do some research and escape a painful affair. While Marian finds Liddy extremely attractive, she can't really consider anything more than friendship with her because she's been in love with one of her best friends forever and isn't ready to move on from that. And she genuinely likes Liddy and doesn't want to hurt her. Plus - Liddy will be leaving in a matter of weeks, so there's no use in getting too attached. Liddy's not interested in anything serious either, but isn't opposed to a friends with benefits kind of arrangement. What would the harm be if it's what they both want?

While Marian has great qualities, she exhibits some behavior regarding the best friend she's in love with that I couldn't help but be creeped out by. So I found it difficult to invest in her as much as I needed to.

The upside is that once things do progress between Marian and Liddy, their chemistry/sexual compatibility is off the charts. But you have to wade through some best friend weirdness and push-pull to get there, and I don't know that I would have stuck with it if not for Riley's narration.

I'm giving it three stars because of the narration, but would recommend other works by Kallmaker over this one.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. The main character has her period for the entire book and won't stop bringing it back to how she's bleeding and how those pesky hormones totally control her life! Amirite ladies??? (Sidebar: is there some sort of PMS fetish in lesbian romance novels nobody told me about?)
2. We learn that Marian's nightly routine is non-consensually watching her best friends / neighbours have sex and masturbating to it in an empty room that is possibly furnished with only that one chair for her to masturbate in.
3. There are so many characters who all have their own subplots. Realistically captures how fucking boring the lives are of people you don't know or care about.
4. The best friend who Marian jerks off to is named Hemma.
5. The love interest's name is Liddy, but at the end of the book Marian RENAMES HER Emma. EMMA. It's legitimately her middle name, but creepy af to a) rename someone and b) name them basically the same name as the woman you've been fixated on for seven years and whose sex life you used to watch through your blinds while you jerked off in a chair like some sort of serial killer.
6. When Marian and Liddy/Emma finally have sex, they have so much sex in quick succession that it's not even hot. That shit would start to chafe.
7. Some of the descriptions were really body part = gender. I've never particularly noticed that sort of thing before, but it really drew my attention. So, not trans-friendly.
8. Ultimately not in the slightest bit sexy.

Real talk: I gave this book two stars because Marian was so creepy and unlikeable that it was a lot of fun to read this out loud with my partner. We gave her Jonah Hill's voice from "Liza Minnelli Tries to Turn Off a Lamp." I still laugh when I think of her saying Marian's classic line, "I'm still bleeding!" Fun as it was, sub-par lesbian romances depress me. All that potential, and it seems almost intentionally squelched. Why is it so hard to find a lesbian romance that actually takes all the good elements and runs with them, instead of making everything fucking weird?

Would not recommend.

[Kiwi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My best friend's boyfriend made me read this book. Snoopy informed me, "It's a lesbian book about a librarian. Read it." I read it.

I loved being in the environment of a small settled town. The setting stuck with me as I went through my nonfiction life. It felt comfortable for me to think of a town in which everyone knew everyone, even if that meant knowing everyTHING too. Heck, I went to the Aggie--to some degree I already have an understanding of how this feels. Comfortable. Sometimes frustration to the level of sibling bickering, but comfortable.

I enjoyed the way the butch/femme was done--namely, I could pretty much ignore it if I wanted. But it was also discussed on the stereotype and definition level. I appreciated that. They acknowledged that the ideas and definition of butch/femme could be confining. I agree. Yet they were ultimately just themselves, not trying to live up to any of the stereotypes. They wrapped the definitions to suite themselves and did not alter themselves to fit definitions.

I thought the book was well written. I enjoyed having a third person point of view that was so laced with first--so many thoughts expressed. It felt normal to read that way. Reminded me of the way I think.

I enjoyed it. I'm not sure it's something I would pick up a second time, but it will probably be one of the books I remember from time to time in the future.

[Melissa Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't my normal type. I think I like it so much because it is about where I live. I think it is funny that Liddy from the book lives on the same street that I live on. Not to mention that I'm a librarian.

[Chrisjen · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars rounded up due to how old the book is.

I struggled my way through this story. This book is 20 years old (published in 2003) and it shows its age. There is a lot of focus on what is butch and what counts as femme, A LOT of focus and references to being female (ex: she was all female, what a female, commenting on a woman’s body and how that made her female, etc.) that all felt so over the top and unneeded I was wondering if the author was a TERF or not. This rhetoric was common in the lesbian communities in the 90’s and popular with 2nd wave feminists but it felt cringy and overdone. Another part of the book that didn’t age particularly well was the use of the word dyke throughout. While I am not bothered by the word as a label, I was surprised at how much it was used here (a straight man uses it to refer to others even). Again, this was very common in the 90’s and early 2000s but didn’t translate well. Further aging the book were all the old references- references that would have been too old for characters supposedly in their late 20s to mid 30s.

To the book itself….I’m not really sure how to organize it so I’m just gonna rant about random bits of the book.

The title of the book ‘One Degree of Separation’ is in reference to the two MCs sharing an abusive ex but it doesn’t really come into play in any serious way apart from one conversation the two have and a quick comment to a side character. A major cringe/uncomfortable point was how the book starts off with Marion watching her married best friends having sex (without their knowledge or consent) as she has long been in love with one of the pair. The constant discussion and mention of Marion wanting her period or being on her period was just weird. It didn’t add to the story or anything or come into play apart from maybe explaining some moods so it just felt like a random add. That said, it could be an artifact of the time as the 90’s saw a lot of period positive discussions held front and center. The language in the book was very repetitive- if I never read or hear the phrase “Swear to freaking God…” it will be too soon… I swear to freaking God. Subplots! So many side characters with just random subplots happening- and frankly some of them were way more interesting than whatever was going on between the two MCs but we are never really given a look into any of them so they stay loose threads. Finally, why did Liddy need to travel to Iowa to do her research? This was never explained and there were far better places to conduct research available.

Final point- the book feels to be a product of the time and having lived through that time and the time informing it I am glad that time is over.

[Ayse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Karin Kallmaker's writing -- she is an excellent writer and story teller. that said I hated Marian the main character in this story so much that I gave it a low rating despite the excellent writing. She is a weird voyeuristic stalker who secretly watches her close friends have sex, is incredibly annoying saying one thing and acting exactly the opposite and is a gossipy selfish person who talks about her friends behind their backs. I really cannot see why Liddy fell for her at all except that they had barely spoken and only knew each other for a week. Well written but the characters annoyed me too much to really enjoy it.

[Vix · Rating 3 out of 5]

My introduction to Kallmaker. And my first review!

Overall, very cute and a light read. A bit banal on the humour and pillow talk, but maybe my risqué taste for both is just reading this 20+ years too late.
The self-deprecating librarian and the athletic student lack trajectory in most of the story, but I would love to see more chapters added to the book to really flesh out (all puns intended) these two, and their core group.

We’ve seen these lesbians. We know these lesbians.
And only in the last few pages did I feel like I started to get to know their world.

Will do my homework to see what K. Kallmaker I should attempt next.

[Rey Hawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[u das · Rating 1 out of 5]

boner at the library

priscilla what the hell was this

[James The Gullible · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marian is a vibrant librarian at the Iowa City Public Library. Still navigating a difficult breakup with her ex-girlfriend two years ago, she's feeling a bit adrift. All while harboring a secret crush on her next-door neighbor, who just happens to be happily married, Marian is having a hard time deciding whether she is pining for the relationship that her neighbors have OR if she's just pining after one neighbor in particular.

Liddy recently moved from California to Iowa City to write a book. She's pleasantly surprised by the tight-knit lesbian community and its dynamics, even if it is filled with established couples.
Karin Kallmaker has wonderfully crafted a story that evokes the spirit of "The L Word" but with the warm charm of a Midwestern town. The diverse cast of characters truly brings the narrative to life, and the main ones shine brightly as Marian discovers her newfound family and begins to check off her metaphorical "dance card" of experiences and observations.

Initially published in 2003, the book beautifully reflects a transformative era where individuals began to step away from traditional labels. This group of women is on a heartfelt journey of self-discovery, causing the use of terms like butch, femme, soft butch, and dyke. The language might surprise some, but it stems from an era of women earnestly trying to carve out their identities in the queer landscape while embracing their femininity.

A significant aspect of Marian's story is how her complicated past relationship cast shadows on her self-image, as her ex mistakenly proclaimed Marian "man-ish." This use of language stung, especially since Marian identifies strongly as a woman and expresses herself with affection and emotions that resonate with her femininity despite her more tomboyish style—a perspective I deeply relate to.

When Liddy enters Marian's life, an undeniable spark ignites between them. They quickly realize that their previous dating histories share surprising connections, opening doors to new possibilities and exciting adventures ahead!

My favoritey fave, Quinn Riley, is the narrator for this Kallmaker gem. While I wouldn't say it was one of Riley's best performances, I would also suggest that there were far too many side characters to voice (seriously, how many different voices for women living in the Midwest, originally from the Midwest, can one create?). That all being said, it was still a great audiobook. Not surprisingly, even with this somewhat dated material and language used, Riley STILL had me with tears in my eyes.
I am and forever will be a Kallmaker fan. Her romances hit all the right places, and I'll take Riley narrating them to me any day.

[llamallamacallurmama · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.**

Audio (Quinn Riley)

2/5

Summary: When new-in-town researcher Liddy meets librarian Marion and her large circle of lesbian friends, they find an instant chemistry, despite both of their fraught personal histories (with the same ex-girlfriend, though they aren’t aware of that).

Stats: CR, F/F, open door, stand alone.

Notes: This wasn’t for me - I pushed through for the legs/feet square on the Autumn Challenge. There’s so much information about everything except the main characters - so many side characters with such complicated lives (and every detail about them, their jobs, their opinions, and their sex lives and relationships). One FMC’s personality is “librarian with ex-girlfriend trauma” and the other is “from California.” The story is repetitive, boring and, did I mention, repetitive - and many plot points don’t really make much sense. The FMC’s habit of watching her neighbours (and very close friends) have sex every night (without their knowledge or consent) while imagining she is having sex with one of them (who she has been in love with for the better part of a decade) and masturbating was… really uncomfortable. Anyways, not for me.

OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:
Use of “dykes” as a joke between LGBT friends, alcohol, PMS, weight conversation (with friend), horny best friend, infidelity in past relationship, FMC peeps on/fantasizes about/masturbates to neighbours/friends without their knowledge, unrequited love, absent parent, FMC kicks something out of anger, friends move away, death of parents/sibling (mentions, killed by drunk driver/gun violence), very intense negative feelings about an ex girlfriend, traffic stop, age gap (about 10 years), bitch/femme, stoke (parent of side character), offhand mention of postpartum complications (parent), a joke about the MC being “manic depressive,” some “crazy” talk, police interview, menstruation, an angry customer knocks furniture over, FMC is pushed by an angry stranger, domestic/intimate partner abuse - FMC was left tied up in bed by a previous partner, migraine, ex girlfriend destroyed FMC’s belongings, ex girlfriend sabotaged FMC’s education, a variety of emotional abuse, ex girlfriend with a substance abuse issue (alcohol), infidelity between side characters, age gap (Over 35 FMC, under 30 fmc)

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relationships are love growing but so hard to understand the changes it can bring.

An amazing tale of women so close in a community that seems closer. Marian and Liddy have a strong attraction. Their previous relationship broke something. Trying to ignore their passion seems pointless. They will heal each other in ways that even they can't see, yet. Such a divine story of how close people really are to love when open to the truths that are our stories. Small community, small circles but relationships that are so close connection is just s word. A delightful book that is just so full of twisted moments. Love it.

[Joc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Karin Kallmaker's books and this was no exception. It's probably more like three and a half stars than four but rounding up seemed fairer than rounding down. Libby is running away from a bad break-up and Iowa City seemed like a good choice. Marian is the city librarian who still hasn't recovered from her break-up two years before. There's a good cast of characters who are all in the typical incestuous lesbian social circle and Libby's arrival has them circling the "fresh meat".

It's light and funny for the most part. Quick read.

[Janice H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A variety of unique characters that would make for a nice series of stories. The main characters were complex and had interesting back stories. kk rushed to finish the story after the big reveal of the One Degree of Separation and sadly even dropped a huge bomb of change into the group dynamic right at the end… it was all a rush to the end with a HUGE amount of frustration due to the lack of develop of the main characters relationship or the big bomb… it was beautifully narrated, fantastic love scenes, but severely lacking in a satisfying ending..

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Not a favorite of mine by Kallmaker. Wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the most interesting read either. Too much of the side characters took time away from Marian and Liddy which was unfortunate because I liked them and just wanted to read about them overcoming their personal issues to be together. I feel like the relationship stuff got crammed in at the end and just felt rushed through. Not one I would read again but it was fine for what it was.

[Samantha Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

although most of the this book was in the time frame of only a week, it was well detailed.i love Karin's other works and this is one of my favorites. the main characters where well delovped for such a short time frame.wish there was more on the supporting characters but all in all was a great story. Marian was by far a favorite I loved her inner monologues.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky, cute story

About the discovery, uncertainty & passion of a relationship between two women— both bearing the scars from their previous exes, past violations & painful memories, as they attempt to find love & family in each other that can overcome & heal their damages!

[Seb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Altho I enjoy most Karin kall maker books this one had too much happening in a bad way and the angst was really getting on my nerves.it was good as a listen while you are cleaning or doing something else tho

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a huge fan. The main character is too heavily conflicted for my taste. The only reason I’m giving this a two is because I did like the character of Liddy Peel. Also way too many character storylines to keep track of.

[Veda]

I tried to read this book I couldn’t really follow the audiobook was confusing me so I read the actual book and was even more confused nothing really is explained just told but being told about nothing u know about makes it even more confusing

[CK529 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely some things in this story that made me uncomfortable, but overall, the story pulled me in. I'm not sure I've heard this narrator before and I wasn't sure at first I would like her, but I do think it was well read.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I was just expecting more of a plot. A little bit more action. But it rushed along and then came up short.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice lesbian love story.

[Vibeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars

[Kayla Brahm · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
I did really enjoy this story. I honestly wish it was longer in order to really delve into all of the characters. I loved the group dynamic, and all of the characters had their own quirks. The one thing that was a little odd was the way the main characters kept blurting out that they weren't on the market.

[Jay Odon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Fourteen and Fortunately no longer a felony"

In a small town its hard not to have things in common with your circle of friends, including girlfriends. Local librarian Marion, yes Marion the librarian, is recovering from a bad breakup that has crushed her spirit and is also harboring a secret love for one of her best friends. Unfortunately with both of these things there is nothing she can do about them. Her best friend lives next door with her wife and while she peeks in on their private moments hoping against all hope that she was there instead, she makes sure she doesn't threaten their relationship. With all that this circle of friends has been through, including each other, they are very aware when "fresh meat" comes into town. Enter Liddy, a researcher in town to help a local professor with their next article, is running away from a love affair gone bad that not only broke her heart but also left her academic reputation tainted. Liddy is used to a big city and it take a lot of getting used to and the only thing she finds comfort in at first is the local coffee shop. As the friends get together and talk about the new girl they jockey for position to be the one that takes her to bed first. Liddy isn't looking for anything after recently being hurt and Marian isn't either but they just keep bumping into each other and as they learn about each other they have more in common than either of them ever imagined.
If you close your heart on love then you can't let anyone in to hurt you but you also will never let love in either. Both women learn they must get over their scarred past to move forward and improve their lives, hopefully together.