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emtees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cassandra is a graduate student in the 1960’s, traveling home to attend the wedding of her identical twin sister, Judith. From the start it is clear that Cassandra isn’t happy about the wedding - even more so than most identical twins, Cassandra sees Judith as her other half, her soulmate, and she isn’t just jealous or sad about losing her sister: she believes she and Judith made an agreement to live their whole lives together, as partners, and that Judith has violated that agreement. But Cassandra is sure that if she can just speak to her sister before the wedding, she can fix this. All this may sound a little intense, but when we meet the Edwards family, it becomes clear why they are like this. The twins grew up on a remote farm with their brilliant, artistic parents, who raised them to love the music and literature their peers knew nothing about. Cut off by their upbringing from their peers, Cassandra and Judith were bound tightly together, and while Judith may have made a step beyond the family circle by becoming engaged, it is clear that she, too, feels the intense connection. But she is still determined to break free and go her own way, and in the face of that, Cassandra must take drastic action.
The strength of this book is in the characterization and the use of the narrative voice. Cassandra narrates the majority of the story, and she is a fascinating character. Intelligent, dramatic, mercurial, but also plagued with self-doubt and impulsiveness, Cassandra is a master at presenting her story as she sees it. Through Cassandra’s eyes, we are introduced to the Edwards family in all their brilliance; to the loving and devoted relationship between the sisters; to the sense that Cassandra and Judith are meant to be different and special. I would not go so far as to call Cassandra an unreliable narrator - she is not deliberately withholding anything from the audience; indeed, I’m not sure she’d even be capable of that - but her perspective is distinct. And at a key moment, when the narrative shifts from her to Judith, we are made to question how she has presented her family, her relationship with her sister, and herself. Judith is not the paragon Cassandra has turned her into, the brilliant musician tied down by convention, the all-important other half Cassandra cannot live without - she is her own person, fully fleshed-out, with her own desires and needs and her own take on their family.
The issues I had with the book have nothing to do with the story itself, which is why I have not included them in my rating. But there is a weird perspective that comes with reading a book decades (as opposed to a century or more later, when you can look at it with the distance of history) after it was written, and that affected my enjoyment of Cassandra at the Wedding. It’s impossible to talk about this without spoilers, so:
Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
The main character and several others are alcoholics and many characters are drunk through a large part of the story. Suicide warning:ireadsstuff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Alcohol
erinbarton's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism and Eating disorder
caitlancole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death of parent
anne_shouseofdreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Eating disorder, Medical content, and Death of parent
notellawilliams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism
jennahoch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcoholism and Incest