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bargainsleuth's review
5.0
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I had really enjoyed The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz which told the story of one wedding dress spanning generations, and when I read the synopsis of The Wedding Veil, it sounded similar enough so I thought I’d try it out. I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Dual timelines are often used in the fiction I read. The Wedding Veil tells the story of four women, Edith and Cornelia, whose stories are centered from WWI through the Great Depression, and the contemporary stories of Julia and her grandmother, Babs. And I have to be honest; it took me a while to get into the book because the historical timelines are told in third person and the contemporary timelines are in first person narrative. However, I eventually settled in and was able to enjoy the book immensely.
I really couldn’t decide on whose timeline I liked the best, but I can tell you that I liked Julia’s journey the least. I had a hard time wrapping my head around how she totally upended her life for ten years for her ex-fiance’ and only came to her senses after a video of him and another woman dancing a little too closely was sent to her and members of the wedding party quite literally right before she is going to walk down the aisle to marry him. It is true that she was with her ex since they were teenagers so she knew of no other way for a relationship to go, but to put up with the cheating for ten years, to give in to him countless times, to give up on her dreams and run back to him was hard to relate to. Luckily, she gains a backbone, spends some time on her “honeymoon” trying to decide what to do with her life, then puts it into action.
I thought Cornelia’s storyline was interesting. That George Vanderbilt would actually will his estate to his only daughter was quite extraordinary in an age when women weren’t really allowed to inherit property. As was all the work involved to make Biltmore self-sustaining was immense. The setting of Biltmore, an estate that I’ve heard about but haven’t done a deep dive researching, was enlightening. The description of the estate throughout the flashbacks let me imagine how Biltmore and the surrounding village of Asheville, North Carolina, were in the days of WWI and beyond.
That’s one of the reasons I like good historical fiction–it gets me interested enough in a subject that I’ll probably do a deep dive into the Biltmore estate and it’s history. And find out more about Edith and Cornelia’s lives and how much of their story is true. Some of Cornelia’s story defies logic, but is also entirely plausible after all she went through in her young life.
I had really enjoyed The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz which told the story of one wedding dress spanning generations, and when I read the synopsis of The Wedding Veil, it sounded similar enough so I thought I’d try it out. I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Dual timelines are often used in the fiction I read. The Wedding Veil tells the story of four women, Edith and Cornelia, whose stories are centered from WWI through the Great Depression, and the contemporary stories of Julia and her grandmother, Babs. And I have to be honest; it took me a while to get into the book because the historical timelines are told in third person and the contemporary timelines are in first person narrative. However, I eventually settled in and was able to enjoy the book immensely.
I really couldn’t decide on whose timeline I liked the best, but I can tell you that I liked Julia’s journey the least. I had a hard time wrapping my head around how she totally upended her life for ten years for her ex-fiance’ and only came to her senses after a video of him and another woman dancing a little too closely was sent to her and members of the wedding party quite literally right before she is going to walk down the aisle to marry him. It is true that she was with her ex since they were teenagers so she knew of no other way for a relationship to go, but to put up with the cheating for ten years, to give in to him countless times, to give up on her dreams and run back to him was hard to relate to. Luckily, she gains a backbone, spends some time on her “honeymoon” trying to decide what to do with her life, then puts it into action.
I thought Cornelia’s storyline was interesting. That George Vanderbilt would actually will his estate to his only daughter was quite extraordinary in an age when women weren’t really allowed to inherit property. As was all the work involved to make Biltmore self-sustaining was immense. The setting of Biltmore, an estate that I’ve heard about but haven’t done a deep dive researching, was enlightening. The description of the estate throughout the flashbacks let me imagine how Biltmore and the surrounding village of Asheville, North Carolina, were in the days of WWI and beyond.
That’s one of the reasons I like good historical fiction–it gets me interested enough in a subject that I’ll probably do a deep dive into the Biltmore estate and it’s history. And find out more about Edith and Cornelia’s lives and how much of their story is true. Some of Cornelia’s story defies logic, but is also entirely plausible after all she went through in her young life.
alissa417's review
5.0
When a book has the word “wedding” in its title, you brace yourself for fairy tale endings and happily ever afters. I will begrudgingly state there is some romance in this tale. But the true loves in the lives of these characters are depicted through the passion they display for their children and grandchildren, their legacies, their futures, their grand adventures yet to be had.
Kristy Woodson Harvey's ninth book, THE WEDDING VEIL, delivers powerful imagery of what it means for the most powerful women in your life to fight alongside you to, occasionally, force your hand and, always, with the goal you will make the right decision to forge your own path.
The characters in this story vividly come alive from the moment you crack open the prologue of this beauty; a young Edith Dresser, wearing roller skates in her mother’s boudoir, tries on her mother’s wedding veil, and is mesmerized by her mother’s tender prognostication for her future wedded bliss. Flashforward a few years, and Edith marries George Vanderbilt, who whisks her off on a European honeymoon before she nervously boards a train to a far-off new home, the Biltmore Estate. She doesn’t know what her future in the North Carolina mountains will hold, but she is ready to create a house united with her husband and the people of their new community.
The women in this story may all wear the same veil, handed down from generation to generation (until a mysterious Russian lady appears on the scene…), but they do not all experience happy marriages. What they each ultimately share is connection, a lust for life, and a fearlessness that precludes them from looking back on their pasts with regrets. They seize each moment they are handed and take adversity in stride as they press on towards their next quest.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and know with certainty Kristy Woodson Harvey, just like all the women she describes in THE WEDDING VEIL, is full of nothing but possibility - and I cannot wait to see what she serves up next.
Kristy Woodson Harvey's ninth book, THE WEDDING VEIL, delivers powerful imagery of what it means for the most powerful women in your life to fight alongside you to, occasionally, force your hand and, always, with the goal you will make the right decision to forge your own path.
The characters in this story vividly come alive from the moment you crack open the prologue of this beauty; a young Edith Dresser, wearing roller skates in her mother’s boudoir, tries on her mother’s wedding veil, and is mesmerized by her mother’s tender prognostication for her future wedded bliss. Flashforward a few years, and Edith marries George Vanderbilt, who whisks her off on a European honeymoon before she nervously boards a train to a far-off new home, the Biltmore Estate. She doesn’t know what her future in the North Carolina mountains will hold, but she is ready to create a house united with her husband and the people of their new community.
The women in this story may all wear the same veil, handed down from generation to generation (until a mysterious Russian lady appears on the scene…), but they do not all experience happy marriages. What they each ultimately share is connection, a lust for life, and a fearlessness that precludes them from looking back on their pasts with regrets. They seize each moment they are handed and take adversity in stride as they press on towards their next quest.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and know with certainty Kristy Woodson Harvey, just like all the women she describes in THE WEDDING VEIL, is full of nothing but possibility - and I cannot wait to see what she serves up next.
angela1025's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kspotts2010's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rerea921's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jillmlong's review
2.0
This book wasn't for me. I found the whole thing to be a bit cheesy. The idea of this wedding veil just became repetitious and corny. I really wanted more of Julia's story as well as Babs. I wasn't interested in the other women's stories.
rmarcin's review
4.0
Sweet story of 2 families joined by an antique wedding veil. The love story begins with George and Edith Vanderbilt and George's ambitious building of the Biltmore in Asheville. Tragically, George died very young, and Edith and her daughter Cornelia, continue to live at Biltmore. As Cornelia ages, and the fortunes of the country change, Cornelia is overwhelmed by the responsibilities of being a Vanderbilt.
Meanwhile a century later, Julia Baxter prepares for her wedding to the man she has been with for 10 years. The day before the wedding she receives a shocking text making her question his fidelity. As her grandmother is about to put the heirloom wedding veil on her head, Julia makes her stop.
Julia also begins to believe that the veil passed down in their family, actually was the missing Vanderbilt veil. She and her beloved grandmother, Babs, work together to discover the true story of the veil.
Meanwhile a century later, Julia Baxter prepares for her wedding to the man she has been with for 10 years. The day before the wedding she receives a shocking text making her question his fidelity. As her grandmother is about to put the heirloom wedding veil on her head, Julia makes her stop.
Julia also begins to believe that the veil passed down in their family, actually was the missing Vanderbilt veil. She and her beloved grandmother, Babs, work together to discover the true story of the veil.
andrea_author's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0