Margaret Hawkins

Lydia's Party by Margaret Hawkins is a bittersweet and melancholy novel about the intricate bonds of longtime friendship. A yearly gathering of former co-workers turned friends, this year's Bleak Winter Bash will forever change their lives and ultimately, their friendship.

As Lydia prepares to host this year's gathering, she is very contemplative about the friendships that have endured for close to twenty years. She is also very reflective as she thinks back on her various relationships and her career decisions. While Lydia is content with some decisions, she is regretful for others and clearly sees where she might have done things differently.

Interspersed with Lydia's musings are chapters written from some of her guests' perspectives as they prepare for the upcoming party. All but Lydia have moved on from the community college where they originally met. They are an eclectic blend of happily married, divorced and single women who have found various degrees of personal and professional success. But overall, they, too, suffer from different levels of dissatisfaction about how their lives have turned out.

The characters are well-developed and their honesty about their lives and their friendships is refreshing. While I was not able to relate to the women's situations or their regrets, their life lessons are interesting and thought-provoking. The story begins strongly but it eventually becomes bogged down in superfluous details that seem to add little to the developing plot. However the end of the novel is fast paced and the growth of the characters is quite impressive.

Lydia's Party by Margaret Hawkins is a moving novel of friendship and loss, and it is a timely reminder to live life to its fullest. It is a little sad, but it is also uplifting as each of the women emerges from tragedy a little bit stronger. All in all, a worthwhile read that explores the bonds of friendship.
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I enjoyed this book very much for the most part. I absolutely adored the chapters told from Phoebe's point of view; they were so well written and relatable. The chapters are told from different character's points of view, and the styles and quality of writing differ with each character to better show their personalities. I think that Hawkins did a great job of going back and forth and remaining true to the characters. Personally, I didn't like May, and I agree with one reviewer's observation that she may be sociopathic more than a victim of circumstance. Still though, the book was a lot of fun, and I'm so happy to have gotten a chance to read this. Looking forward to reading more from Hawkins.… (more)