Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #411243 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
'Anita Shreve specialises in the way unresolved past events can erupt into the present, and how tragedy lurks in the most ordinary lives' DAILY MAIL 'Shreve writes cool, lucid, popular fiction and the hugely readable A WEDDING IN DECEMBER is no exception' METRO 'The perfect, weightless read is not always escapist. Some of us like to escape into writing that is thoughtful and sharp, telling a story filled with the moral complexities of so-called "ordinary" life. Come on down, Anita Shreve - warm, wise and utterly absorbing' THE TIMES 'Shreve taps the intrinsic potency of school reunions . . . A WEDDING IN DECEMBER demonstrates the page-turning talent that can draw a tear with ease . . . a model of suspense. Plenty of well-observed detail - especially on what it must be like to go through cancer and chemotherapy - also holds one's attention until the end, and it is an end worth reading' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Yet another insightful dose of domestic drama from the rising queen of women's fiction . . . complex and characterful' DAILY MIRROR 'A complex and compelling novel . . . Shreve's tale is highly ambitious, taking the reader through a labyrinth of emotions. This is a stunning novel - Shreve will no doubt be gracing the bestseller charts once again' SUNDAY LIFE (IRELAND) 'Shreve's genius lies in her ability to chronicle the lives of her characters in a way that exposes their frailties and failings, triumphs and betrayals, but without becoming over sentimentalised. The result is a stunning portrayal of the human condition' WATERSTONE'S BOOKS QUARTERLY 'When seven old school friends reunite at the wedding of former classmates, the champagne turns flat as secrets, death and sadness intrude on the revelry. Enjoyably weepy' GRAZIA 'A WEDDING IN DECEMBER excels in descriptions of nature - of New England basking in the sun, and then shrouded in snow - and is also good at desire and regret. It's quite an accomplished weepie' DAILY TELEGRAPH '[A] gently unwinding novel . . . It's a leisurely, reflective read delivered with skill and great understanding of humanity. Ultimately, it's a lesson on how the past events, if they are not attended to when they first surface, can return in the future causing endless woes' SUNDAY TRIBUNE

DAILY MIRROR
‘Yet another insightful dose of domestic drama from the rising queen of women’s fiction . . . complex and characterful’

SUNDAY LIFE (IRELAND)
‘A complex and compelling novel . . . taking the reader through a labyrinth of emotions. This is a stunning novel’

Customer Reviews

Missed opportunity...
I am a big fan of Anita Shreve and treated myself to the hardback as I couldn't wait for the paperback.
The book is set in the present and concerns a reunion of old classmates at a wedding. One of the characters, Agnes is currently writing a book of our own and the novel becomes at times a story within a story as you are presented with extracts from her novel as she is writing them. I found this irritating. I also thought that the novel being written was much more interesting than the Wedding in December. Why did Shreve waste such a good opportunity to write about a momentous event in Halifax during the war by placing it in such a weak modern context where it couldn't develop properly? Innes, Louise and Hazel from Halifax are far more complex characters with more engaging lives than the modern ones we keep finding Shreve coming back to in the present day.
The book cover hints at revelations that emerge as the wedding weekend progresses but these are rather a let down and easily predictable.
Overall, a disappointment and I wish I had waited for the paperback!

Not Anita Shreve's best.
I have read a few Anita Shreve novels and have enjoyed them especially The Weight of Water which is one of her best. So I was looking forward to reading this new one and actually bought the hardback. However I was disappointed. I found that I could not engage with either the main story or the story which one of the characters was writing, the story-within-the-story, if you like. I found the sections of the story-within-the-story very annoying and also I found that she neglected to really focus on the present day events. I found that I actually ended up skipping the story-within-a-story sections completely! Even then the main events of the wedding were not that interesting so at the end it mostly felt like a waste of time. Not one of her best.

Her least compelling
For me this was the least compelling of Anita Shreve's books, maybe because the story was told from several viewpoints. As a result, unlike in her other books, I never felt I got to know any of the characters other than on a superficial level. That said, the book was still an enjoyable read. The idea of a reunion awakening former desires and revealing past secrets was intriguing enough, but somehow the secrets were never particularly shocking and the reawakened desires never that convincing.

I agree too with the reviewers who complain of padding. Interesting as it might have been, Agnes's story within a story seemed to me add little to the overall idea, and the references to September 11 were forced and unconvincing.

If you haven't read Anita Shreve before, this book could put you off an excellent author. I would recommend starting instead with 'The Weight of Water', 'Strange Fits of Passion', 'Sea Glass', or her more recent 'Light on Snow'.