Seating Arrangements
By Maggie Shipstead
Knopf June 2012
299 pages
From the library
Winn Van Meter is setting off for the family's beloved sanctuary on the island of Waskeke. But he is not looking forward to this particular trip. His daughter Daphne is getting married and his usually calm summer home will be overrun by bridesmaids, extended family, and future in-laws. Everyone is a bit distracted - Daphne by her pregnancy, her sister Livia by her recent traumatic breakup, her mother Biddy by the craziness of wedding planning, and Winn by one of the alluring bridesmaids.
This is one of those books where you know that the writing is strong and insightful. Ms. Shipstead is obviously a talented author. But somehow that doesn't translate into a book that you can't put down. It's a well-written satire, but at times it seems a bit too heavy handed. Perhaps that is the problem with much of satire - it creates so much distance between the reader and the characters.
Much of this novel is centered around social status. Winn is desperate to be accepted as a member of a golf club on the island. As a man who grew up with wealth and prestige, he finds himself stymied by changing social standing. He is actually confused by most of his life - the wife he doesn't pay much attention to, the daughters he never took the time to know, and the way time continues to march on without him.
The characters who I found most fascinating were unfortunately the ones who got the fewest pages. I wanted to spend more time with Biddy and discover if her feelings about family and society matched those of her husband. I was also intrigued by Daphne's friend Dominique who might have been used more often as our eyes into this very dysfunctional family. Dominique does her own thing and seems to be one of the few sane members of the wedding party. Instead, we spend most of the book with Winn and his unwillingness to see beyond his perceived societal snub and Livia, who seems unable to move past the despair of her broken heart.
This might be a good read for a lazy summer day at your vacation home or if you are a reader who particularly appreciates a good satire of the upper crust vacationing on Martha's Vineyard. But for me, it didn't live up to the hype.
Have you entered the giveaway yet for Sleeping in Eden? Check it out here.
This might be a good read for a lazy summer day at your vacation home or if you are a reader who particularly appreciates a good satire of the upper crust vacationing on Martha's Vineyard. But for me, it didn't live up to the hype.
Have you entered the giveaway yet for Sleeping in Eden? Check it out here.
