Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead Published by Knopf/DoubleDay on June 12, 2012
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 302
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)
A social satire, Seating Arrangements is a wonderful debut novel by Maggie Shipstead about the Van Meter family, who comes together for the wedding of their pregnant daughter to another socialite from the Duff clan. With clandestine affairs, falls from grace, and secrets abound, the weekend unfolds in the most unlikely of ways.
Taking place on the exclusive New England island of Waskeke, no character is left untouched. With the exception of the bride and groom, who defied the proper order of things by becoming pregnant before the wedding (and having the audacity to get married with her belly bulging), the family is pitifully hilarious.
Please make me into a movie!
The Van Meter family consists of the bride, a wife who assumes her husband is a cheat, a faithful husband trying to gain admittance to an exclusive golf club, and a daughter who fell from grace all on her own. Then, there is the groom’s family, which includes a wannabe Buddhist and a playboy. By the time you throw in the bridesmaids and the cooky aunt, hilarity ensues.
If you’re looking for a fun, social satire, then this is the book for you. It is vaguely reminiscent of Tigers in Red Weather, which was my favorite book last summer and both are sure to delight. (It is also another reason why I am going to continue taking advice from the IndieBound Next List!)
