After spending a couple years in Boston for graduate school gallivanting to the various quaint New England towns on the weekends, I immediately signed up for a review copy of  Seating Arrangements by Author Maggie Shipstead.

New England, a wedding, the food, the flavors, her wedding dress and shoes….tell me more! Well, sort of.

The story takes place on an island off the East Coast much like Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard populated by a bunch of over-privileged characters involved in a pregnant bride’s wedding.  Interestingly, the main character is not the bride herself, but her father who is a man I would probably like to avoid in real life.  Towards the end of the book, he has an incident riding his bike with a man in a golf cart.  I think that was my favorite part, perfect karma for cheating on his wife with his daughter’s friend and having screwed up priorities.

There are funny scenes and the author’s excellent writing will keep you turning the pages.  This is where I sit.  I really cannot say that I loved the book.  But I say this only because I prefer to spend my spare time reading books that are light, happy, airy or give me recipes & tips that make me a goddess in my kitchen!  Yes, cookbooks and 32 page picture books are my favorite (And The Help- LOVED it!)

I’m the same way with movies.  I needed therapy after watching the first 30 minutes of Slumdog Millionaire (a movie that won awards!)  And I think I hid under the covers through high school until I could fully watch the Wizard of Oz- pathetic I know.  I had bad dreams about the monkeys and the witch.

That being said, if you like reading about crazy well developed characters with fancy names and their scandalous activities, pick up a copy of Seating Arrangements this summer.  Generally, when a book slightly disturbs me, everyone else loves it or it wins an award.

Disclosure:  I was sent a free copy of this book and will receive a little gift card for my review.  All opinions are my own.

After spending a couple years in Boston for graduate school gallivanting to the various quaint New England towns on the weekends, I immediately signed up for a review copy of  Seating Arrangements by Author Maggie Shipstead.

New England, a wedding, the food, the flavors, her wedding dress and shoes….tell me more! Well, sort of.

The story takes place on an island off the East Coast much like Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard populated by a bunch of over-privileged characters involved in a pregnant bride’s wedding.  Interestingly, the main character is not the bride herself, but her father who is a man I would probably like to avoid in real life.  Towards the end of the book, he has an incident riding his bike with a man in a golf cart.  I think that was my favorite part, perfect karma for cheating on his wife with his daughter’s friend and having screwed up priorities.

There are funny scenes and the author’s excellent writing will keep you turning the pages.  This is where I sit.  I really cannot say that I loved the book.  But I say this only because I prefer to spend my spare time reading books that are light, happy, airy or give me recipes & tips that make me a goddess in my kitchen!  Yes, cookbooks and 32 page picture books are my favorite (And The Help- LOVED it!)

I’m the same way with movies.  I needed therapy after watching the first 30 minutes of Slumdog Millionaire (a movie that won awards!)  And I think I hid under the covers through high school until I could fully watch the Wizard of Oz- pathetic I know.  I had bad dreams about the monkeys and the witch.

That being said, if you like reading about crazy well developed characters with fancy names and their scandalous activities, pick up a copy of Seating Arrangements this summer.  Generally, when a book slightly disturbs me, everyone else loves it or it wins an award.

Disclosure:  I was sent a free copy of this book and will receive a little gift card for my review.  All opinions are my own.