At an inn in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, seven former schoolmates gather for a wedding. Nora, the owner of the inn, has recently had to reinvent her life following the death of her husband. Avery, who still hears echoes from a horrific event at Kidd Academy twenty-six years ago, has made a life for himself in Toronto with his wife and two sons. Agnes, now a history teacher at Kidd is a woman who longs to tell a secret she cannot reveal to the others, a secret that would stun them all. Bridget, the mother of a fifteen-year-old boy, has agreed to marry Bill, an old high school lover whom she has recently remet, despite uncertainties about her health and future. Indeed, it is Bill who passionately wants this wedding and who has brought everyone together for an astonishing weekend of revelation and recrimination, forgiveness and redemption. This is Anita Shreve's most ambitious and moving novel to date, probing into human motivation with extraordinary grace and skill.
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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 thro (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
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 thro (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
Book Description
*Twelfth novel by the critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling Anita Shreve
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Suzie
Format:Paperback
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'.
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'.
51 of 55 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
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!
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!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By I LOVE BOOKS
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The reunion of seven former schoolmates who hadn't seen each other in over two decades, on the occasion of a wedding between two of them, starts off some long ago unresolved issues and recriminations, where the concept of missed opportunities dominates. Most of them face these long forgotten issues with a heavy heart, because the passing of time hasn't alleviated them, as most of them previously thought. So the need to resolve, once and for all, what had been pending for so long culminates in a string of stunning revelations which eventually clarify things.
As usual, A. Shreve's writing is somewhat dry but good, very good. The story and all its "ordinary" characters are captivating and absorbing. By reading this book, one cannot but wonder about the "what-ifs" of life.
As usual, A. Shreve's writing is somewhat dry but good, very good. The story and all its "ordinary" characters are captivating and absorbing. By reading this book, one cannot but wonder about the "what-ifs" of life.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
boring
Not one of Anita's best books. It lacked to keep me reading on i finally gave reading this as i found it boring. I have read some other books by Anita and was glued to them.
Published 2 months ago by bookmoviefanatic
4.0 out of 5 stars
Relationships - good read
Bill and Bridget are getting married. Sweethearts two decades earlier, Bill had married someone else. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2010 by SusieH
4.0 out of 5 stars
Different
"A wedding in December" was my first Anita Shreve novel. I have read many of the reviews and must say I will now look forward to reading other Anita Shreve novels as I found this... Read more
Published on 31 July 2010 by jen
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lacking in substance.
I'm a big Shreve fan but sadly this fell a bit short for me because to put it bluntly: not a lot actually happens. Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by Nicola F (Nic)
4.0 out of 5 stars
Evocative and Absorbing
Loved this.
Anita Shreve has created a deeply poignant and bittersweet scenario in A Wedding in December. Read more
Anita Shreve has created a deeply poignant and bittersweet scenario in A Wedding in December. Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2008 by A. B. Taylor
1.0 out of 5 stars
dissapointing
I am a big fan of anita shreve and I really enjoy her cool crisp style. I loved fortunes rocks, light on snow, eden close and many more. Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2008 by soukie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely absorbing
I am surprised by some of the reviews here and will come straight out - for me, this is one of her best books. Read more
Published on 14 April 2008 by T. Ljubic-Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another fantastic read
Anita Shreve fans will not be disappointed with this beautiful book. The language is as poetic and heart-breaking as ever and the story is gripping. Read more
Published on 4 April 2007 by Hayles
5.0 out of 5 stars
A restrained, thought-provoking read
Just what would it be like to meet up with old friends after twenty seven years? Well, you get the opportunity to find out in this extremely well-crafted novel from Anita Shreve. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2007 by Jl Adcock
3.0 out of 5 stars
Two stories in one
"A Wedding in December" is a sympathetic and at times insightful portrayal of a school friends' re-union for an ex-classmate's second marriage. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2007 by Mr. S. Miller
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