Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Vintage (2013), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 320 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML: NATIONAL BESTSELLER � Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize � The irresistible story of a summer New England wedding weekend gone awry�a deliciously biting satirical glimpse into the lives of the well-bred and ill-behaved, from the bestselling author of Great Circle. The Van Meters have gathered at their family retreat on the island of Waskeke to celebrate the marriage of daughter Daphne�seven months pregnant�to the impeccably appropriate Greyson Duff. The weekend is full of champagne, salt air and practiced bonhomie, but long-buried discontent and simmering lust stir beneath the surface. Winn Van Meter, father of the bride, is not having a good time. Barred from the exclusive social club he�s been eyeing since birth, he�s also tormented by an inappropriate crush on Daphne�s beguiling bridesmaid, Agatha, and the fear that his daughter, Livia�recently heartbroken by the son of his greatest rival�is a too-ready target for the wiles of Greyson�s best man. When old resentments, a beached whale and an escaped lobster are added to the mix, the wedding that should have gone off with military precision threatens to become a spectacle of misbehavior. .… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member pdebolt
This story revolves around a weekend of wedding preparations for a very pregnant bride, daughter of Winn and Biddy. The entire extended families have convened, as have the bridesmaids and groomsmen. It is a time for reflection and memories, mainly by Winn, the father of the bride, and Livia, the
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bride's sister. Winn is a pretentious, shallow man whose main goal in life is to achieve membership in an exclusive club that doesn't want him. Livia's main goal is to find a man to replace the one she lost. Agatha, one of the bridesmaids, figures heavily in their drama. This is a well-crafted social satire. The poignancy is limited because the main characters are simply unlikable and self-absorbed, but Maggie Shipstead does an excellent job of portraying them within the confines of their limited lifestyle. Show Less
LibraryThing member aea2142
I just couldn't be bothered to feel sorry for these poor, rich, white people who scream "Pity me" from every page. Not to mention that the story is entirely predictable - I wasn't surprised by anything.
LibraryThing member KatieANYC
Fantastic cast of characters, incredibly sharp, smart writing, and a fully-realized world both intimate/specific and very relatable. I love how she sort of gently moves you back and forth as a reader between thinking the family has a certain social position and fearing that perhaps they don’t.
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Deft and enjoyable and full of insight. Richard Russo meets Claire Messud. Show Less
LibraryThing member Perednia
Although it's not necessary to fall in love with characters while reading a novel, it is an interesting experience to be fascinated by those who represent something the reader disdains. Such was the experience of reading about a well-off WASP family and its circle of friends and family in Maggie
Because of Shipstead's talent, it's possible to view the first-world problems of this Manhattan titan of finance with empathy, as his true lot in life is revealed. The more the reader learns about Winn Van Meter and his family, both his children and those who came before him, the more his situation is apparent. He thinks he is the ultimate insider, yet it is revealed that family truths he grew up believing may not be so. He is trying to hold together a view of the world that upholds certain standards, doing his bit as a part of the establishment, yet he doesn't fit in as firmly as he had believed.
The novel takes place during the weekend of the oldest daughter's wedding. She is in her third trimester, but she is not the novel's focus. His youngest daughter could use a little understanding. She's not getting it, mainly because Winn is trying to uphold perceived standards about what is and is not proper. And in trying to uphold those standards, his conduct is far from becoming.
As the novel opens, every day for Winn is "a platform for accomplishment". His professional position appears secure, apart from the young sharks that anyone his age would face, and in Connecticut he has efficiently loaded the big car to take stuff, lots of stuff, to his wife and daughters already at their island summer home on Waskeke Island. But what's on Winn's mind? One of his daughter's bridesmaids. He's like Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty, wanting that youth in a daughter's friend in an entirely inappropriate way.
What Winn may want more than the frisson of interest he receives from being around Agatha, the bawdy bridesmaid, is to turn back the clock, to a time when his daughters were still children. That's when he could rely on peace and quiet:
"Waskeke was the great refuge of his life, where his family was most sturdy and harmonious. To have all these people, these wedding guests, invading his private domain rankled him, though he could scarcely have forbidden Daphne from marrying on the island. She would have argued that the island was her island, too, and she would have said Waskeke's pleasures should be shared."
Ah, this is a family that doesn't share. And it shows in their fractures. The youngest daughter, Livia, fell in love, hard, with the son of one of the families Winn believes he is in the circle of. He dumped her, she aborted the baby and now the boy's parents, the Fenns, may be the key to Winn getting into the private golf club on the island. That goal appears more important to him than his oldest daughter, Daphne, having a successful wedding and Livia having her heart healed. Winn continually brings it up in conversation until even his faithful wife Biddy tells him to can it. Winn thinks Livia's actions or the fact that he slept with Fee Fenn before Jack Fenn met her may be in his way. Why can't they all let bygones be bygones? Yet it is Winn who remembers why others should hold grudges.
The importance of these social clubs to Winn is shown through his memories of his emotionally distant father, who belonged to many clubs. Winn kept Fenn from joining a Harvard club when they were both undergraduates, and Winn thinks that may be yet another reason the Fenns are keeping him from joining that golf club now.
In an interesting subplot, Fenn's son is following in his father's footsteps to join the army as a soldier. His father "won" the Vietnam lottery and voluntarily joined up instead of going to Canada or trying to get into the guard, as other fortunate sons were able to do. Winn and the other guys at college don't understand this decision. The discussion these Ivy League characters have of obtaining a deferment, because the loss of one of their own would be a waste, could serve as a discussion opener today of who has served in the post-draft world.
But there is still the wedding. It is starting to feel like "a treacherous puzzle, full of opportunities for the wrong thing to be said or done". Whether it's Agatha, the groom's wayward brothers, heartbroken Livia or patriarch Winn, some or all of them will take what they think is theirs and not do it in proper form. This is after Livia's need for parental love became clear, and the bluntness with which Winn let her down is jaw-dropping.
Finishing Seating Arrangements can leave a reader grateful to not be a WASP. That can be extended to not wanting to be like the people that Winn wants to be liked by, or not wanting to fall into the kinds of traps in which he fell about the need to be so well-regarded by others. But it is possible to finish the novel wanting to be the kind of person who can read about characters representing people far outside one's circle, and wish for better for them.
The rich are different from you and me, as Fitzgerald is supposed to have said to Hemingway. It's not, as Hemingway is supposed to have replied, that they have money. It's what they think the money replaces. After reading novels such as Seating Arrangements and Fitzgerald's masterful The Great Gatsby, it's good to not be like them. The occasional, fascinated peak into their world is enough.
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Shipstead's debut novel, Seating Arrangements.Because of Shipstead's talent, it's possible to view the first-world problems of this Manhattan titan of finance with empathy, as his true lot in life is revealed. The more the reader learns about Winn Van Meter and his family, both his children and those who came before him, the more his situation is apparent. He thinks he is the ultimate insider, yet it is revealed that family truths he grew up believing may not be so. He is trying to hold together a view of the world that upholds certain standards, doing his bit as a part of the establishment, yet he doesn't fit in as firmly as he had believed.
The novel takes place during the weekend of the oldest daughter's wedding. She is in her third trimester, but she is not the novel's focus. His youngest daughter could use a little understanding. She's not getting it, mainly because Winn is trying to uphold perceived standards about what is and is not proper. And in trying to uphold those standards, his conduct is far from becoming.
As the novel opens, every day for Winn is "a platform for accomplishment". His professional position appears secure, apart from the young sharks that anyone his age would face, and in Connecticut he has efficiently loaded the big car to take stuff, lots of stuff, to his wife and daughters already at their island summer home on Waskeke Island. But what's on Winn's mind? One of his daughter's bridesmaids. He's like Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty, wanting that youth in a daughter's friend in an entirely inappropriate way.
What Winn may want more than the frisson of interest he receives from being around Agatha, the bawdy bridesmaid, is to turn back the clock, to a time when his daughters were still children. That's when he could rely on peace and quiet:
"Waskeke was the great refuge of his life, where his family was most sturdy and harmonious. To have all these people, these wedding guests, invading his private domain rankled him, though he could scarcely have forbidden Daphne from marrying on the island. She would have argued that the island was her island, too, and she would have said Waskeke's pleasures should be shared."
Ah, this is a family that doesn't share. And it shows in their fractures. The youngest daughter, Livia, fell in love, hard, with the son of one of the families Winn believes he is in the circle of. He dumped her, she aborted the baby and now the boy's parents, the Fenns, may be the key to Winn getting into the private golf club on the island. That goal appears more important to him than his oldest daughter, Daphne, having a successful wedding and Livia having her heart healed. Winn continually brings it up in conversation until even his faithful wife Biddy tells him to can it. Winn thinks Livia's actions or the fact that he slept with Fee Fenn before Jack Fenn met her may be in his way. Why can't they all let bygones be bygones? Yet it is Winn who remembers why others should hold grudges.
The importance of these social clubs to Winn is shown through his memories of his emotionally distant father, who belonged to many clubs. Winn kept Fenn from joining a Harvard club when they were both undergraduates, and Winn thinks that may be yet another reason the Fenns are keeping him from joining that golf club now.
In an interesting subplot, Fenn's son is following in his father's footsteps to join the army as a soldier. His father "won" the Vietnam lottery and voluntarily joined up instead of going to Canada or trying to get into the guard, as other fortunate sons were able to do. Winn and the other guys at college don't understand this decision. The discussion these Ivy League characters have of obtaining a deferment, because the loss of one of their own would be a waste, could serve as a discussion opener today of who has served in the post-draft world.
But there is still the wedding. It is starting to feel like "a treacherous puzzle, full of opportunities for the wrong thing to be said or done". Whether it's Agatha, the groom's wayward brothers, heartbroken Livia or patriarch Winn, some or all of them will take what they think is theirs and not do it in proper form. This is after Livia's need for parental love became clear, and the bluntness with which Winn let her down is jaw-dropping.
Finishing Seating Arrangements can leave a reader grateful to not be a WASP. That can be extended to not wanting to be like the people that Winn wants to be liked by, or not wanting to fall into the kinds of traps in which he fell about the need to be so well-regarded by others. But it is possible to finish the novel wanting to be the kind of person who can read about characters representing people far outside one's circle, and wish for better for them.
The rich are different from you and me, as Fitzgerald is supposed to have said to Hemingway. It's not, as Hemingway is supposed to have replied, that they have money. It's what they think the money replaces. After reading novels such as Seating Arrangements and Fitzgerald's masterful The Great Gatsby, it's good to not be like them. The occasional, fascinated peak into their world is enough.
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LibraryThing member bookchickdi
Shipstead writes beautifully, I admired her well-crafted sentences. She is a young woman, and I was delightfully surprised that this novel focused more on middle-aged patriarch Winn and not as much on the bride-to-be or her sister.
Some reviewers have said that Winn is an unlikeable character, and
Poor Winn has been surrounded and perplexed by the women in his life. His wife Biddy, whom I found to be a fascinating and relatable character, Daphne and Livia frequently confounded him. If you are the only woman in an otherwise all-male family or the only male in an otherwise all-female family, you may be better able to understand Winn’s situation. The author describes him as “a man among women.”
I liked the relationship between Winn and Biddy, a middle-aged husband and wife who love each other, but don’t communicate well. Winn is proud that he has always been faithful to Biddy, yet Biddy believes that there have been incidents of infidelity by Winn. As long as he hasn’t embarrassed her, she is willing to live with it.
This book is filled with wonderful scenes: a gathering with the future in-laws, Biddy in her bath reflecting on her life, the rehearsal dinner at the restaurant. Shipstead peopled her book with interesting characters and set them in this specific world of WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) that intrigued me (and made me crave a lobster roll). I look forward to her next creation.
Some reviewers have said that Winn is an unlikeable character, and
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he may be that, but he is also complicated and unique. I’d much rather read about an interesting yet flawed character than a likable, boring one.Poor Winn has been surrounded and perplexed by the women in his life. His wife Biddy, whom I found to be a fascinating and relatable character, Daphne and Livia frequently confounded him. If you are the only woman in an otherwise all-male family or the only male in an otherwise all-female family, you may be better able to understand Winn’s situation. The author describes him as “a man among women.”
I liked the relationship between Winn and Biddy, a middle-aged husband and wife who love each other, but don’t communicate well. Winn is proud that he has always been faithful to Biddy, yet Biddy believes that there have been incidents of infidelity by Winn. As long as he hasn’t embarrassed her, she is willing to live with it.
This book is filled with wonderful scenes: a gathering with the future in-laws, Biddy in her bath reflecting on her life, the rehearsal dinner at the restaurant. Shipstead peopled her book with interesting characters and set them in this specific world of WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) that intrigued me (and made me crave a lobster roll). I look forward to her next creation.
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LibraryThing member shazjhb
A nice touch to narrate the story from the "man's" point of view. A commentary on the "rich, not so famous, and not so nice people".
LibraryThing member bobbieharv
I probably wouldn't have read this book if I had not been planning a wedding myself - it seems the definition of "chick lit," which I detest. The cardboard-like characters had no depth, most especially Winn, the father, who's lusting after one of his daughter's bridesmaids (really? just couldn't
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quite believe this). What plot there was was superficial and, again, unbelievable. But the writing was good, and it moved quickly. A perfect summer read, I suppose, if you like that sort of thing. Show Less
LibraryThing member ccayne
Perfect book to ready on a plane, which is what I did. I expected a higher class of chick-lit from this book and that is what it was. What was interesting was the point of view, Winn, the father of the pregnant bride. The most developed characters, Winn and his daughter Livia, are both sorting out
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their views on love, albeit from very different perspectives. Diverting and fun with a sudden ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member Gracelovsbks
Liked not loved. Light, chick-lit with well developed characters but not much else to chew on or care about.
LibraryThing member kmoellering
This was a great book on cd. The characters were, for the most part, pretty awful people. The setting is a weekend wedding in a posh suburb in the Northeast. The characters are privileged people who attended exclusive boarding schools and private colleges. The father of the bride is particularly
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odious person and I listened to the book mainly to find out if he would ever achieve some level of self awareness. The ending was very ambiguous, so it's hard to say whether he did or not. I've got to look up some reviews to see what others thought about this novel. This is another work that I *think* would make a good book group pick, but, on the other hand, my book group members might hate the characters so much they wouldn't finish it! I did like the story though, and would probably recommend it to someone who likes realistic, contemporary fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member herschelian
Seating Arrangements is a comedy of manners written by Maggie Shipstead. Daphne Van Meter is to be married at her family's summer home on an east coast island which was once a whaling station. The action takes place over the three days prior to the wedding and the wedding day itself. As friends and
The book reminded me of what used, in the British theatre, to be called 'A Whitehall Farce' - with people rushing in and out of the various doors on stage.
It is a light-hearted read, perfect for summer - and/or for anyone who is involved in arranging a wedding! None of the characters are particularly attractive as people but each had some redeeming quality.
A most entertaining and enjoyable read.
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family gather together for the celebrations various emotions are unleashed, giving rise to events which are at times hilarious and at times extremely poignant. Various couplings and uncouplings ensue - not surprizing given that the bride is seven months pregnant, her sister who is maid of honour has been dumped by the chap she thought was the love of her life, one of the bridesmaids is uncontrollably promiscuous, and the father-of-the-bride is fretting about why he has not been approved as a member of the toffee-nosed golf club which adjoins his property. The book reminded me of what used, in the British theatre, to be called 'A Whitehall Farce' - with people rushing in and out of the various doors on stage.
It is a light-hearted read, perfect for summer - and/or for anyone who is involved in arranging a wedding! None of the characters are particularly attractive as people but each had some redeeming quality.
A most entertaining and enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member aelizabethj
It's always interesting to me when you have a fantastically fleshed out male protagonist and then you flip back to the cover and realize a 29 year old female is the author. I love it.
This was such a WASPy, first world problems book and I utterly loved it. It was similar to another novel I had read
I think this book was bumped up from three to four stars for me based on this quote alone : "female friendship was one tenth prevention and nine tenths cleanup" So much yes. Love. 3.5 stars.
This was such a WASPy, first world problems book and I utterly loved it. It was similar to another novel I had read
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recently, Friend of the Family, but both (female) authors wrote as a washed up middle aged male so seamlessly that the similarities weren't off putting. I think this book was bumped up from three to four stars for me based on this quote alone : "female friendship was one tenth prevention and nine tenths cleanup" So much yes. Love. 3.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member Samchan
I was in the mood for some East Coast prep and Seating Arrangements didn’t disappoint in this regard. Shipstead takes us into the lives of the Van Meter family for three days as they gather on some New England island to prepare for the wedding of the eldest daughter. And boy do we get a lot of
The story mostly focuses on the patriarch of the Van Meters, Winn. He’s at a stage in his life where he’s feeling some existential angst. Here's someone who’s always done the right things, stayed on the right side of propriety, held on to the markers of class and status that have been important to him all of his life. And yet there’s a sense that’s something’s missing. As Winn works through these feelings of dissatisfaction, he confronts his attraction to one of his daughter’s bridesmaids and obsesses over why the island’s golf club refuses to offer him membership. Meanwhile, we also get flashbacks of different points in his life that have shaped him up till this point, and a lot of it is not flattering. We see that he’s not exactly the most likable person, but somewhere along the way, as the book progresses, we still root for him.
At the same time, we also get into the head of Winn’s youngest daughter, the passionate, emotional Livia, who's reeling from a break up with her boyfriend. Not only is she a maddening person for her parents—making questionable decisions that embarrass the family—but also for the reader. It is difficult to empathize with someone who’s whiny, stubborn, and tiresome. While I totally get Winn’s story, I don’t understand why Livia’s story needed to be told. Character unlikability alone is not a good enough reason for me to dislike a book, but in this case, I don't understand the purpose of Livia's character, unlikable or not. Perhaps it has to do with setting up contrast between the way the Winn and Livia face the world? Regardless, it didn’t work for me. My three-star rating is based entirely on the strength of the father’s story.
Seating Arrangements is a breezy enough social satire to help you pass the time. The story isn't earth-shattering; it didn't feel like it was a story that needed to be told, something that was vital. But then again, not all books have to be 'vital,' I guess. The writing is solid, the characterizations vivid—I am impressed with Shipstead's ability to get into the head of a WASPy man for what, to my eye, was a pretty convincing portrait.
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prep. We get characters called Biddy, Mopsie, Greyson; we get guys who wear seer sucker suits and whale prints on their pants; we get concerns about getting into the right clubs; and of course, we get a whole lot of repressed emotions.The story mostly focuses on the patriarch of the Van Meters, Winn. He’s at a stage in his life where he’s feeling some existential angst. Here's someone who’s always done the right things, stayed on the right side of propriety, held on to the markers of class and status that have been important to him all of his life. And yet there’s a sense that’s something’s missing. As Winn works through these feelings of dissatisfaction, he confronts his attraction to one of his daughter’s bridesmaids and obsesses over why the island’s golf club refuses to offer him membership. Meanwhile, we also get flashbacks of different points in his life that have shaped him up till this point, and a lot of it is not flattering. We see that he’s not exactly the most likable person, but somewhere along the way, as the book progresses, we still root for him.
At the same time, we also get into the head of Winn’s youngest daughter, the passionate, emotional Livia, who's reeling from a break up with her boyfriend. Not only is she a maddening person for her parents—making questionable decisions that embarrass the family—but also for the reader. It is difficult to empathize with someone who’s whiny, stubborn, and tiresome. While I totally get Winn’s story, I don’t understand why Livia’s story needed to be told. Character unlikability alone is not a good enough reason for me to dislike a book, but in this case, I don't understand the purpose of Livia's character, unlikable or not. Perhaps it has to do with setting up contrast between the way the Winn and Livia face the world? Regardless, it didn’t work for me. My three-star rating is based entirely on the strength of the father’s story.
Seating Arrangements is a breezy enough social satire to help you pass the time. The story isn't earth-shattering; it didn't feel like it was a story that needed to be told, something that was vital. But then again, not all books have to be 'vital,' I guess. The writing is solid, the characterizations vivid—I am impressed with Shipstead's ability to get into the head of a WASPy man for what, to my eye, was a pretty convincing portrait.
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LibraryThing member melissarochelle
This is one of those books where I didn't really like any of the characters. I have no idea why I finished it, but it could have been the great writing because it certainly wasn't Winn, Livia, Agatha, Sterling or any of the other really annoying, arrogant, idiotic characters.
If you like reading
Here's the thing, it isn't even that I disliked the book, I just hated the characters. It was also a little annoying that it focused on the days up to the wedding, but the actual wedding day got only ten pages (approximately). Lesson: if all the bad stuff happens the days before your wedding...the day of will be great!
If you like reading
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about people that have a lot of money but still don't have it together at all, then read this book.Here's the thing, it isn't even that I disliked the book, I just hated the characters. It was also a little annoying that it focused on the days up to the wedding, but the actual wedding day got only ten pages (approximately). Lesson: if all the bad stuff happens the days before your wedding...the day of will be great!
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LibraryThing member missizicks
This book was recommended to me by a friend. I was searching for something light hearted. This book isn't quite a comedy, but it is more positive about life and people and the world than a lot of what I've read recently! We are with the Van Meters, at the wedding of their eldest daughter. The groom
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is a thoroughly decent Duff. We see the weekend unfold through the eyes of the Van Meters. Head of the family Winn is having a crisis. His wife Biddy is stoic. Youngest daughter Livia is an uncontained whirl of emotion. Set in the upper class community of the Eastern seaboard of America, we learn what it means to fit in, and what it costs to be yourself. The writing style has shades of Edith Wharton, shades of F Scott Fitzgerald, and the story has echoes of Virginia Woolf. Strong literary fiction worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lightfantastic
Ehh. . . ok, not great. Too much pleasure at the idiocy of the rich for my taste.
LibraryThing member applessixeleven
Engaging and thoroughly descriptive writing put me right on Waskeke with the Van Meters. The main characters are all so flawed, and all so very human, all yearning for a true connection that you can't help but pity them as they struggle with their own inner desires and unspoken wishes suppressed
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underneath the stifling demands of having to keep up appearances. Above all, there is a great sense of desperation from the characters who all yearn for a life of freedom but don't exactly understand how they'd live if they got it. The Van Meters are cautionary examples against living an inauthentic life, but at the same time one can relate to their basic human need for connection, hope and love. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Back when this came out it got a fair bit of press so that when a free copy came my way, I read it right away. I’m glad that’s how I came by it because it’s not something I’m going to revisit. Not for the reason most people give, that the characters are loathsome, which they are, but
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because they’re boring, too. It’s been about a week since I turned the last page and I can’t really tell you anything about it, that’s how non-affecting it was. Rich people with lots of baggage and delusions. Winn’s obsession with various clubs and the social importance he thinks they give was pretty funny. Especially when he’s told straight out that he won’t get into his most coveted aerie. Even his family thinks he’s ridiculous. Livia was just immature and I didn’t find her as interesting as her dad. There is some nice language in it and phrases and the atmosphere is thorough, so I can’t fault the writing. The subject though isn’t interesting enough for me to return. Show Less
LibraryThing member Brainannex
A family prepares for a wedding. Over the course of a few days, sadness/hilarity/mayhem ensues. The hapless main character was not my type of protagonist but the surrounding characters redeem it.
LibraryThing member jaaron
Completely engrossing tale of high WASP and wannabee high WASP characters, organized around a weekend wedding on an island in New England. Extremely well written, with most characters full of life and truth. Lots of surprises; no hackneyed plot twists. Hated to finish!
LibraryThing member SonjaYoerg
Here's a quick diagnostic to assess whether you'd enjoy this book:
If someone told you they were wearing seersucker ironically, would you walk away or would you ask how it was working for them?
Seating Arrangements is populated with characters in seersucker, whale belts and pastel pop-collared polos,
And yet I didn't hate them or dismiss them. You might (see question above), but I was entertained on nearly every page, and even moved. Maggie Shipstead's writing is superb; I crossed from admiration into envy several times. She manages to weave the back story into the grim present with finesse, and we come to see that for all their stuffy posturing, their suffering (and loyalty) is very real. It's a neat trick, and served up with plenty of laughs.
If someone told you they were wearing seersucker ironically, would you walk away or would you ask how it was working for them?
Seating Arrangements is populated with characters in seersucker, whale belts and pastel pop-collared polos,
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and very few of them wear--or do--anything with irony. Those that try largely fail. So we are surrounded by Biddy and Mopsy and Oatsie (I kid you not) and more last-names-as-first names than the freshman class of Hah-vahd, all organized around a wedding and the middle-age flailings of Winn Van Meter. It's almost as easy to hate these people as it is to dismiss them.And yet I didn't hate them or dismiss them. You might (see question above), but I was entertained on nearly every page, and even moved. Maggie Shipstead's writing is superb; I crossed from admiration into envy several times. She manages to weave the back story into the grim present with finesse, and we come to see that for all their stuffy posturing, their suffering (and loyalty) is very real. It's a neat trick, and served up with plenty of laughs.
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LibraryThing member paulinewiles
Shipstead is an immensely talented writer, with laser-accurate descriptions and characters of remarkable depth. But this book was too subtle for my taste: the plot moved too slowly and the sparse dramatic events fizzled to nothing. I'm broadcasting my ignorance here, but I was left without much
Much of my dissatisfaction may have been the simple result of mismatched expectations; the blurb mentions a wedding, champagne, lust and an escaped lobster. It's true, all these things are present, but I was expecting a lighter, more comical story, not the kind of novel which gets itself on the literature syllabus at serious universities.
I take my hat off to Shipstead's prowess as a writer, but for entertainment, I prefer a faster-moving yarn.
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understanding of how the characters were transformed by the few days we spent with them.Much of my dissatisfaction may have been the simple result of mismatched expectations; the blurb mentions a wedding, champagne, lust and an escaped lobster. It's true, all these things are present, but I was expecting a lighter, more comical story, not the kind of novel which gets itself on the literature syllabus at serious universities.
I take my hat off to Shipstead's prowess as a writer, but for entertainment, I prefer a faster-moving yarn.
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LibraryThing member jayne_charles
What a good read this was – rich in detail and characterisation, conveying a strong sense of physical location, as well as the class-conscious demographic among which it is set. The story covers just a couple of days in the lives of the Van Meter family, but with many flashbacks and a perceptive
It is such a wise book – its wisdom all the better for being understated, whether it is shining a light on the obsession with exclusive clubs and social climbing in a supposedly class-free nation, or just the business of life in general: (“....Dominique didn’t know if she was strong or not. All she knew was that her best decisions had been the ones that brought her freedom, but talking about freedom with Biddy would be like explaining Africa to a giraffe that had been born in the Bronx Zoo.”). Definitely an author to watch.
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eye for the subtleties of social interaction, it paints a fascinating picture of a troubled family, and in particular its ageing patriarch, Win. He is in many ways a quite appalling character and yet his cringemaking attitudes and actions are explained by his past, and you can’t hate him.It is such a wise book – its wisdom all the better for being understated, whether it is shining a light on the obsession with exclusive clubs and social climbing in a supposedly class-free nation, or just the business of life in general: (“....Dominique didn’t know if she was strong or not. All she knew was that her best decisions had been the ones that brought her freedom, but talking about freedom with Biddy would be like explaining Africa to a giraffe that had been born in the Bronx Zoo.”). Definitely an author to watch.
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LibraryThing member zmagic69
This book really should have been better. Sadly too many books are more about exposing all that the author learned in their creative writing class, than they do focusing on the story itself.
Yes the book is well written but there is too much stereotyping and predictability running through the
Yes the book is well written but there is too much stereotyping and predictability running through the
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storyline, and the end of the story if you want to call it that, seemed rushed and unfinished. Show Less
LibraryThing member froxgirl
I listened to this book and could not wait to get back in the car for the next chapter. Seriously, this is a PERFECT SUMMER READ: light subject but with thoughtful analysis, gorgeous language and descriptions, and ridiculous situations. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! Drop everything else and order this
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post haste. Show Less
Awards
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — 2012)
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize (Shortlist — 2012)
Dylan Thomas Prize (Winner — 2012)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Fiction/Poetry — 2012)
Language
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
320 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
0307743950 / 9780307743954