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Title details for The Wedding People by Alison Espach - Wait list

The Wedding People

A Novel

by Alison Espach
Helen Laser
Audiobook
0 of 3 copies available
Wait time: About 8 weeks
Place a hold Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
0 of 3 copies available
Wait time: About 8 weeks

"As narrator, the terrific Laser, an actress and puppeteer, only enhances the swoon-worthy quirks and romance." —Vulture
A Today show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick, A Goodreads Choice Awards 2024 Winner, and long-listed in many Best of the Year 2024 picks!
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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 30, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781250349705
      • File size: 334805 KB
      • Duration: 11:37:30

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 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.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      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
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from December 1, 2024

      Adjunct English professor Phoebe Stone has always wanted to visit the luxurious Cornwall Inn in Newport, RI. Though she had imagined spending time there with her husband, he recently left her for a colleague. Still heartbroken after the divorce, failed IVF treatments, and her cat's pitiful death, Phoebe books a room at the inn, deciding that she'll kill herself, but she'll do it in style. Once there, she finds herself in the middle of a massive wedding party, buzzing with a frenzied gaiety utterly at odds with her mood. Phoebe reveals her plans to the bride, Lila, making Lila furious--how dare Phoebe ruin her magical wedding week? Soon, a surprising encounter with a stranger in the hot tub and an even more startling friendship with Lila have Phoebe wondering if the future might hold promise after all. Helen Laser pulls out the stops with her animated narration of Espach's (Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance) latest, nimbly moving from Phoebe's initially grim demeanor to Lila, who, chameleon-like, shifts from pure pique to chipper charm. VERDICT Poignant, hilarious, and uplifting, Espach's novel is an audio treat. Share with fans of Sally Rooney and Richard Roper.--Sarah Hashimoto

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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