Lori Duff Writes

A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity by Kathleen Gilles Seidel

The title of this book is a quote from “Emma” by Jane Austen. Like Emma, it is a book about the upper crust (but not ‘royalty’) and a book about the subtleties and manners and do’s and don’ts that such society requires. It isn’t action packed, but more a character study.

Although I only wish I had the sort of vast sums of cash and casual attitude towards it that the characters do, I very much related to the story, probably for the same reasons I picked it up off the library shelf. The book is told from Lydia Meadow’s perspective. Lydia was a trial lawyer, but gave it up in order to be able to, well, to Mommy her daughter, Erin. Erin, like my daughter, is just starting 6th grade. Erin starts middle school with a bang, instantly becoming one of the popular girls. Lydia, who wasn’t terribly popular herself when she was eleven, has no idea how to navigate the politics and other minefields of middle school popularity. When things blow up and Erin doesn’t want to talk about it, Lydia is at a loss.

To me, this is a book about parenting. About how much your children’s friendships affect your own. About how much you can love another human being so much you feel their pain for them and yet you are completely powerless to do anything about it. Seidel captures this feeling beautifully. She accurately describes the struggle Moms feel – how much can (and should) you control your children’s pain as they get older, what comfort can you offer, what kind of interference is helpful and what is just plain interference.

To buy this book, or to read more about it, click the handy-dandy link below.

Lori Duff

Lori B. Duff is an award-winning author who practices law on the side.  Her latest book, “If You Did What I Asked in the First Place” was awarded the Gold Medal for humor in the Foreword INDIES awards in 2019. You can follow her on Twitter at @LoriBDuff and on Facebook. For more blogs written by Lori, click here. For more information about Lori in general, click here. If you want Lori to do your writing for you, click here. If you want Lori to help you market your book, click here.