From the Publisher
Her own daughter...one of the popular girls?
On the first day of middle school, Lydia Meadows, a former
lawyer turned full-time mother, is startled to discover that her
daughter Erin is one of the popular girls, a tight foursome whose
mothers are also great friends. Lydia has always thought of popular
girls as ambitious little manipulators who enjoy being cruel. But
Erin is kind and well-adjusted. Maybe this popularity thing won't
be so bad after all.
Then a new student ruthlessly targets Erin to boost her own
popularity, and Lydia helplessly wonders what to do when her
daughter's phone stops ringing. And the uneasiness among the girls
begins to affect the friendship of the mothers-even though they are
all grown women who should know better. Has their driven energy,
once directed toward their careers, turned into an obsession with
the social lives of their daughters?
A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity is a delightful novel
of manners, an unabashed chronicle of the rules, rituals, and
pitfalls of raising a daughter.
From the Jacket
A Most Uncommon Degree of Praise:
"Tellingly--and often poignantly--pinpoints the deep and unexpected
feelings as a mother and daughter negotiate the tricky, often
fraught, transition from child to teenager."
--Elizabeth Buchan, "New York"" Times "bestselling author of
"Revenge of the "
"Middle Aged Woman" and "The Good Wife Strikes Back"
"Kathleen Gilles Seidel is absolutely the most fascinating writer.
She turns an insightful and entertaining eye on the elite world of
private school teenage girls and the moms who care...maybe too
much? Reading groups take notice! Lots to talk about here."
--Susan Elizabeth Phillips, "New York Times "bestselling author of
"Match Me If You Can"
"Jane Austen lives! Kathleen Gilles Seidel''s wit, social insight,
and wry, compassionate view sound like no one else."
--Mary Jo Putney, "New York Times" bestselling author of "River""
Of ""Fire"
"A piercing tale of a perfect mother caught between her desires for
her children and the realities of their lives, Kathleen Gilles
Seidel''s novel is a page-turning, irresistible read."
--Amy Scheibe, author of "What Do You Do All Day"
"What do you get when a super-charged turbo mom wakes up one day to
find her teenage daughter suddenly on the outs with the in crowd?"
Desperate Housewives" meets" Mean Girls"? No! Kathleen Gilles
Seidel''s witty and compassionate new novel."
--Nancy Lieberman, author of "Admissions"
"A heart-wrenching, funny, and insightful tale of privileged
mothers and the children they love too much. I laughed. I nodded. I
cringed. I gobbled this delicious novel up in one weekend."
--Karen Quinn, author of "The Ivy Chronicles"""
"Seidel trains hermasterly lens towards the troubling world of
young Queen Bees and B-Listers, but smartly focuses on the mothers
around them who ought to know better. A gripping and very adult
tale, and above all, entertaining."
--Laurie Gwen Shapiro, author of "The Matzo Ball Heiress"
About the Author
Kathleen Gilles Seidel has a Ph.D. in English literature
from Johns Hopkins and lives in Virginia with her husband and two
daughters.
About the Book
"What do you get when a supercharged turbo mom wakes up one day to find her teenage daughter suddenly on the outs with the in crowd? . . . Kathleen Gilles Seidel's witty and compassionate new novel."--Nancy Lieberman, author of "Admissions."
Format: Trade Paperback
Published: September 2, 2008
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:
ISBN - 10: 0312333277
ISBN - 13: 9780312333270
