The Wedding People: A Novel

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn't here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she's dreamed of coming for years-she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she's here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan-which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can't stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach's The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined-and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

"1144054625"
The Wedding People: A Novel

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn't here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she's dreamed of coming for years-she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she's here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan-which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can't stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach's The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined-and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

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The Wedding People: A Novel

The Wedding People: A Novel

by Alison Espach

Narrated by Helen Laser

Unabridged — 11 hours, 37 minutes

The Wedding People: A Novel

The Wedding People: A Novel

by Alison Espach

Narrated by Helen Laser

Unabridged — 11 hours, 37 minutes

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Join us on Tuesday, September 3 at 3 PM ET when Alison Espach discusses her new novel and our August Book Club selection, THE WEDDING PEOPLE. Please register on Eventbrite to attend this event here.

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Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The author of the acclaimed Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance (one of our former Fiction Monthly Picks) cordially invites us to the Cornwell Inn. With a tender heart and a wry sense of humor, this is a thoughtful gem of a story.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn't here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she's dreamed of coming for years-she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she's here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan-which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can't stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach's The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined-and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.


Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

06/10/2024

Espach (Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance) offers a sparkling and slightly macabre novel of a 30-something woman finding a new lease on life. After adjunct English professor Phoebe Stone’s husband leaves her for her colleague, she declines an invitation to return the next semester, unable to stomach seeing her husband’s new lover. Unable to find another teaching job, she checks into a luxury hotel in Newport, R.I., where she’s always wanted to stay, and plans to end her life with her cat’s painkillers. She doesn’t count on the hotel teeming with wedding guests, or meeting the 20-something bride, Lila, who, after hearing of Phoebe’s plans, does everything she can to keep Phoebe alive, worried a suicide would mess up her perfect wedding. During an early morning soak in the hotel’s hot tub, Phoebe is drawn to a handsome stranger and buoyed by their connection, even though he lets her know he’s taken after she brazenly hits on him. The next day, Phoebe learns he’s the groom. Over the course of her brief stay, Phoebe, having chosen to stay alive, musters the courage to break her old patterns and stop letting people walk over her, which leads to a triumphant finale. Readers are in for a treat. (July)

From the Publisher

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

The #1 Indie Next Pick for August 2024

One of The Washington Post’s 10 Noteworthy Books for July and August

Named a Best Book of Summer 2024 by People Magazine, Bustle, Star Tribune, Goodreads, and LitHub

The Wedding People is the perfect book to wrap up your summer reading. . . . heartwarming [and] hilarious.”

—Jenna Bush Hager, The Today Show's #ReadwithJenna

“A collision of diametrically opposed life events and general drama, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Maggie Shipstead’s Seating Arrangements. . . . Espach has an eye for the full gamut of emotions that go hand in hand with lifelong commitment, from humor to self-involvement to pathos.”

—Elisabeth Egan, The New York Times Book Review

“Espach’s wit and warmth deliver a gratifying story about how people who have given up might find a reason to start caring again.”

—Becky Meloan, The Washington Post

“Deeply satisfying. . . . A story of what it means to lift oneself out of one life and into another through acts of individual will and fellowship with others. . . . Espach is now three for three on delivering funny, emotionally moving explorations of the difficulties people have in being themselves.”

—John Warner, Chicago Tribune

“A feel-good testament to the life-altering magic of chance meetings.”

People

“Full of witty dialogue and lovably imperfect characters you’ll root for till the end.”

Real Simple

“They say a good actor can read a phone book and still keep an audience spellbound. Alison Espach is that kind of writer. She is a master of taking the seemingly mundane and creating moments that transfix.”

—Maren Longbella, Star Tribune

“Filled with hilarious scenes and brilliant banter.”

—Marion Winik, Newsday

“By deftly invoking many popular romantic comedy tropes, Espach fills this novel with champagne-tinged fizz, while never losing sight of the more sober emotional truths that kicked off her narrative.”

—Bustle

“Think: Eleanor Oliphant and Meredith, Alone vibes. As of this writing, The Wedding People is my favorite book of 2024.”

—Isabelle Eyman, Camille Styles

“Witty dialogue is just a bonus in this engrossing read centering on complex women making life-changing decisions. Recommend to readers who enjoy Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, or Elizabeth Berg.”

Library Journal (starred review)

The Wedding People is so much more than a funny story (though it is very funny). Espach has penned a keenly observed novel about depression, love, the ways women make themselves small, and how one woman got over it. Fully realized and completely memorable.”

Booklist (starred review)

“Sparkling . . . Readers are in for a treat.”

Publishers Weekly

The Wedding People is a wickedly funny and deeply satisfying novel about a woman with nothing to lose, armed with a green dress, some chocolate wine, and a coconut pillow, cut loose to cause delightful mayhem. It’s a story of lovers who turn into strangers, strangers who turn into friends, and the weird and wonderful connections that make us feel truly alive. I loved it.”

Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street

The Wedding People is my very favorite kind of novel—hilarious and witty with enormous heart and characters I fell in love with. I was delighted to be at this wedding, in the middle of the drama and gossip, watching the entanglements of friendships old and new. I haven’t stopped talking about this book since I finished it, and I won’t stop until I’ve made everyone I know read it . . . so read it! Now! You can thank me later.”

—Jennifer Close, bestselling author of Marrying the Ketchups

“Alison Espach! How does she do it? I mean, really—how? The Wedding People is so utterly, ringingly true it feels less like fiction than like a field guide to personhood. It's so funny and romantic that I sometimes laughed out loud and sometimes got actual goosebumps. I tore through it like I didn't have a disordered deficit of attention. It's a perfect novel. I loved it.”

—Catherine Newman, author of Sandwich

Library Journal

★ 03/01/2024

Espach's latest (after Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance) brings Phoebe Stone to an exclusive small hotel in Newport, RI, where she quickly discovers that everyone else is there for a six-day, million-dollar wedding extravaganza. Phoebe is there to kill herself. After several unsuccessful rounds of IVF, losing her husband to another woman, and the death of her cat, she figures the solution is to give up on life, but in style at this dream vacation spot. Phoebe has no qualms about telling the wedding's bride, Lila, why she is there, and Lila is as incensed—a suicide during her wedding week is not on the agenda. Lila recently lost her father, whose dying wish was for her to get married, and he left her the money to pay for the lavish ceremony. Lila harangues Phoebe into joining the wedding festivities, and they spend quite a bit of time together. Sometimes, it is easier to confide in a relative stranger than a loved one, and both women learn quite a bit about each other during the wedding week. VERDICT Witty dialogue is just a bonus in this engrossing read centering on complex women making life-changing decisions. Recommend to readers who enjoy Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, or Elizabeth Berg.—Stacy Alesi

JULY 2024 - AudioFile

Helen Laser gives a nuanced performance of this audiobook about an unlikely friendship between two women. On the cusp of 40, Phoebe is divorced, infertile, stalled in her academic career, and her beloved cat has died. She goes to an exclusive Newport, Rhode Island, resort, where she is the only guest who is not there for a wedding. In the elevator, she meets Lila, the bride, who is snide and confident but also seems lonely among her family and friends. Laser creates an immersive portrait of the glamorous locale and its privileged characters of all ages and genders. She brings forth the story's wit and sharp observations, and is especially adept at showcasing the poignant exchanges between the two women. Those sensitive to mentions of suicidal ideation should take note. M.J. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940159558183
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication date: 07/30/2024
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 200,001
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