A review by edwarde3ddd
At Weddings and Wakes by Alice McDermott

4.0

What is required for this book is patience. It is not a quick read. It is not Charming Billy. If you are familiar with Robert Olen Butler's view that the novel should be viewed as art like work in an art gallery or a composition of music, then At Weddings and Wakes would be such a book. These vignettes weave back and forth in time of one extended family with all its histories and complications. These very struggles often come to a climax or find some resolution in the most joyous and somber occasions. I can't stress enough how important endurance is in getting to the end. It's not an easy read. Why should it be?