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A review by staceen
A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A group of boarding school friends reunites at a remote inn 27 years later for the wedding of two high school sweethearts, who recently reunited just before the bride was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
This is not the type of fast-paced plot-driven novel that I typically enjoy, but I loved this. Don't get me wrong, it's dark as hell, but gorgeously written. Shreve beautifully captures the way time slows down during New England winter weekends.
I didn't find the characters unlikable like other reviewers, but definitely flawed. Agnes was loony AF and super tragic. Oh, and if the infidelity, unrequited love, estranged children, spousal abuse, climate change and terminal cancer themes weren't grim enough, the author adds a novel-within-a-novel about the tragic Halifax explosion during WWI. And they're never not talking about 9/11.
This is not the type of fast-paced plot-driven novel that I typically enjoy, but I loved this. Don't get me wrong, it's dark as hell, but gorgeously written. Shreve beautifully captures the way time slows down during New England winter weekends.
I didn't find the characters unlikable like other reviewers, but definitely flawed. Agnes was loony AF and super tragic. Oh, and if the infidelity, unrequited love, estranged children, spousal abuse, climate change and terminal cancer themes weren't grim enough, the author adds a novel-within-a-novel about the tragic Halifax explosion during WWI. And they're never not talking about 9/11.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Death and Infidelity