Book Summary and Reviews of The Wedding People by Alison Espach

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Cathryn_Conroy

Is Erudite ChickLit a Genre? That Best Describes This Wonderful, Insightful, and Hilarious Novel
Is erudite ChickLit a genre? Even if it's not, this is the best way to describe this surprising book by Alison Espach about a hoity-toity six-day (!) wedding in posh Newport, Rhode Island. But this is so much more than champagne bubbles; this book has real substance.

Smart and studious Phoebe Stone has a PhD in 19th-century literature. She is an adjunct college English professor at a university in St. Louis with minimal hope for promotion to a real position. Phobe is still reeling from multiple failed IVF treatments and a divorce two years ago from her cheating husband, Matt, a philosophy professor at the same college. She is clinically depressed and even her therapist isn't much help. At 40 years old, Phoebe has lost all hope so she makes a shocking decision: She will travel to a posh hotel in Newport and die by suicide. On the second day of classes for the fall semester, she just skips out without telling anyone and flies to the East Coast.

When Phoebe arrives at the opulent 19th century hotel, the place is surprisingly mobbed. The check-in line feels miles long. It's a Tuesday! What is going on? What is going on is a wedding—a six-day, $1 million wedding. Lila, 28, is marrying Gary, 40, a widower with an 11-year-old daughter who is nicknamed Juice. Lila is rich (very, very rich) and spoiled (very, very spoiled). She has bought out the hotel—or so she thought. When she realizes that Phoebe is not only not a wedding guest, but also has snagged the penthouse suite with the best view of the ocean, she is upset. But that is nothing compared to how she feels when Phoebe lets her know her unsettling plans. Phoebe would turn Lila's wedding into a crime scene!

It's not a spoiler to say that although Phoebe tries to die by suicide, she fails. (It's not a spoiler because that is the whole point of the book.) And that failure has given her a new way of viewing her life. She shouldn't be here…but she is. If Phoebe is not going to die, then Phoebe is going to live in a whole new way. And with that decision, everything changes. Lila finds that Phoebe is the only one who will be honest with her. Gary realizes that he can confide in Phoebe, who will really listen to him. Phoebe embraces "the wedding people" as she calls them, and they in turn embrace her—changing all their lives.

For me, two things made this novel so special that it rose far above standard summer ChickLit to become smart and bookish ChickLit:
1. There are many intelligent and even eloquent discussions of various psychological and emotional matters with smart insights and understandings.

2. This is a literary dream come true. As an English professor and a lifelong avid reader, Phoebe throws out book titles and even mini-analyses of several of them. I kept track of the books cited in the novel, and it's a fun booklist: "Jane Eyre," by Charlotte Bronte; T.S. Eliot poems; "Moby-Dick," by Herman Melville; John Donne poems; "Leaves of Grass," by Walt Whitman; "Mrs. Dalloway," by Virginia Woolf; "Sonnets," by William Shakespeare; "The House of Mirth," by Edith Wharton; "Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain; "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice," by Jane Austen; and Dante's "Inferno."

This is a wonderful, insightful book with a poignant and often hilarious storyline, memorable characters, and a big fat can't-miss-it message: Live life to the fullest!

Trigger Warning: Suicide is a prominent plot point, and this could be a trigger for many. Read with caution if this is you.

Becky_T

Unexpected bonds
4.5

A test, splurge, catastrophize…

Phoebe is disillusioned with her life - her failed IVF, her divorce, and the death of her cat. On a whim, she travels alone from St. Louis to Newport, RI where she checks into the beautiful Cornwall Inn.

She finds herself among wedding guests who have booked the entire inn for a 6-day wedding extravaganza.

Phoebe was contemplating suicide but instead forms unexpected bonds with various wedding guests.

She scrutinizes her life and arrives at conclusions about past events. She will come to a decision about her future life.

THOUGHTS:

Realistic characters. Great character development.
Interesting bond between Phoebe and the bride, Lila.

Sensitive topics handled well . (Depression, IVF failures, thinking about suicide)

Great ending!

Lots of buzz about this! That’s why I bought it!

jillg

A Wedding to Remember
THE WEDDING PEOPLE
By Alison Espach
Narrated by Helen Laser

3.5 ??
The Wedding People is a contemporary novel set in post-Covid Newport, Rhode Island, following Phoebe Stone’s journey to rediscover her purpose and sense of self. After checking into a luxury hotel, she unexpectedly finds herself swept up in all the chaos of a multi-day wedding celebration, becoming the sound board for Lila, the bride-to-be, in a twisted story of sadness and love.

I enjoyed the luxury hotel setting and was initially drawn in by the mystery behind Phoebe’s escape. There were some humorous moments, but many fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with most of the characters—even though I do enjoy reading flawed personalities, Lila’s self-absorption made her difficult to take, and several others didn’t feel all that believable.

Ultimately, this one missed the mark for me. It didn’t pull me in the way I had hoped. That said, many others loved this book, so I encourage you to check out their reviews. I would consider reading other books by this author.

The narration by Helen Laser was done very well, especially in capturing Phoebe’s voice and emotional tone.

Themes of relationships, love, marriage, personal challenges, and finding purpose.

Other books by Alison Espach at BookBrowse