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As an avid fan of Anita Shreve's past novels ("Light on Snow" and "The Weight of Water"), I couldn't wait until her newest book became available. To my disappointment, "A Wedding in December" did not measure up to her previous works. The "New York Times" said it was "Provocative", but in my opinion it was merely a diversion -- a quick summer read requiring little thought or investment. The characters, whiney and self-indulgent, quickly grow tiresome while the story is predictable and tedious (I began to think that if I read one more passage about how beautiful and tastefully decorated the inn was I would scream). Also, the annoying "story within a story" was an unnecessary waste of paper. The book seems to suddenly stop without proper closure, leaving several story-lines undeveloped. Perhaps Shreve became bored with it herself and simply wanted to stop writing. Whatever the reason, "A Wedding in December" does not live up to Shreve's potential.Read full review
I found this book to be extremely depressing. Except for the talented gay couple every other character was either miserable or at the least, unhappy. Frankly, although I had two friends waiting to borrow the book when I finished, I told then not to bother. After finishing, I remembered that I felt the same way after I real the author's "The Pilot's Wife." I guess Anne Shreve and I are not on the same page. I don't expect happy endings, but I don't like feeling depressed throughout the entire book. I bought the book because I had the author mixed up with one of the many other Anne authors.
A Wedding in December, by Anita Shreve, tells the story of a group of former high school friends who meet about 30 years after graduation for the wedding of two of their classmates. I really enjoyed this book as we learn about the stories from high school and learn about the people the characters have all become. Many of the characters are fraught with human frailties and, even thirty years later, continue to be shaped by events shared with their close high school friends. The book was both easy and interesting to read.
I'd read reviews that compared it to "The Big Chill" and looked forward to reading it.In no way is there ANY comparison other than it's about a group of people gathered for an event several years after graduation from college. Could have been a great story but for the shallow, egotistical and just plain sad characters and the morose writing style of the author. What a disappointment!
As always, I enjoyed Shreve's picturesque descriptions and sympathetic characters. This novel has a book within the story -- some romantic historical fiction (which I love!). The book ends with some, but not too much, closure. I liked it more than Sea Glass and The Pilot's Wife, but not as well as Fortune's Rocks (my all-time Shreve fave).
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