June 30, 2012

Maggie Shipstead's Seating Arrangements

In this cleverly written social satire, we are given a three day glimpse into the world of an East Coast blue blood dysfunctional family.  It’s Thursday and Winn Van Meter is on his way to his New England summer home for his eldest daughter’s wedding.   The house is filled with too many women including his drunken sister-in-law, her daughter's "bombshell" bridesmaids and his overwhelmingly depressed youngest daughter.   Not a good combination for Winn who is so full of self-pity, because his oldest rival seemingly has kept him out of the island's prestigious golf club for three years, that he starts to consider fulfilling some unfulfilled desires.  Thankfully the author provides different perspectives from several characters and we don't just witness Winn’s cringe-worthy behavior.  In all honesty, I thought this book would be much funnier and it’s not necessarily a compelling storyline however I really enjoyed the way Shipstead writes.  She writes in a descriptive and almost poetic way that you get lost in the book even if you don't like any of the characters. 

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