{"product_id":"the-wedding-people","title":"The Wedding People","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAlison Espach\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the novels \n\u003ci\u003eThe Adults\u003c\/i\u003e, a \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Editors' Choice and a Barnes \u0026amp; Noble Discover pick, and \n\u003ci\u003eNotes on Your Sudden Disappearance, \u003c\/i\u003ewhich was named a best book of 2022 by the \n\u003ci\u003e Chicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e and NPR. Her short stories and essays have appeared in \n\u003ci\u003eMcSweeney's\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eVogue, Outside, Joyland\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eand other places. She is a professor of creative writing at Providence College in Rhode Island.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post's \u003c\/i\u003e10 Noteworthy Books for July and August\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNamed a Best Book of Summer 2024 by \u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eMagazine\u003c\/i\u003e, Bustle, \u003ci\u003eStar Tribune, \u003c\/i\u003eGoodreads\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eand LitHub\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People \u003c\/i\u003eis the perfect book to wrap up your summer reading. . . . heartwarming [and] hilarious.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Jenna Bush Hager, The \u003ci\u003eToday\u003c\/i\u003e Show's #ReadwithJenna\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A collision of diametrically opposed life events and general drama, the likes of which we haven't seen since Maggie Shipstead's \n\u003ci\u003eSeating Arrangements. . . . \u003c\/i\u003eEspach has an eye for the full gamut of emotions that go hand in hand with lifelong commitment, from humor to self-involvement to pathos.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Elisabeth Egan, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Espach's wit and warmth deliver a gratifying story about how people who have given up might find a reason to start caring again.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Becky Meloan, \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--John Warner, \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A feel-good testament to the life-altering magic of chance meetings.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Deceptively complex...Espach's story of a life-changing chance encounter is as rewarding as it is unexpected.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Lucy Feldman, \u003ci\u003eTime \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A refreshingly sharp and funny examination of loss, love and wrestling with the expectations we have for our lives. This book is the rare lush escape that avoids falling into predictability; the characters feel full and real, and offer genuine moments of insight and warmth amidst their quirky circumstances.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Jillian Capewell, \u003ci\u003eHuffPost\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Espach thumbs the depths of emotions most of us would fear speaking aloud, not to mention pour out on the page. It's honest, wry and delightfully unpredictable.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Anna Kaufman, USA Today\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Full of witty dialogue and lovably imperfect characters you'll root for till the end.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eReal Simple\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Maren Longbella, \u003ci\u003eStar Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Filled with hilarious scenes and brilliant banter.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Marion Winik, \u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBustle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"It's simply delightful, entertaining, and heartfelt.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Stephanie McNeal, \u003ci\u003eGlamour\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Think: \n\u003ci\u003eEleanor Oliphant\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eMeredith, Alone\u003c\/i\u003e vibes. As of this writing, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e is my favorite book of 2024.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Isabelle Eyman, \u003ci\u003eCamille Styles \u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Sparkling . . . Readers are in for a treat.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eJenny Jackson\u003c\/b\u003e, \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003ePineapple Street\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Jennifer Close, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eMarrying the Ketchups\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Alison Espach! How does she do it? I mean, really--how? \n\u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Catherine Newman, author of \u003ci\u003eSandwich\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe runaway \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller with over one million copies sold\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e Editors' Choice, and a #1 Indie Next Pick \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed a Best Book of the Year by \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e Biblioracle, \u003ci\u003eHuffPost\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUS Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eReal Simple\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGlamour\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew. \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt'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. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach's \n\u003ci\u003e The Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal Prepub Alert\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/01\/2024 pg. 1 (EAN 9781250899576, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/10\/2024 (EAN 9781250899576, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/01\/2024 pg. 35 (EAN 9781250899576, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 12\/30\/0001 (EAN 9781250899576, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eEspach, Alison\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlison Espach\u003c\/b\u003e is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Editor's Choice, a \u003ci\u003eToday \u003c\/i\u003eShow Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, a Barnes and Noble Book Club Pick, and a #1 Indie Next Pick. \u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e spent several dozen weeks on the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Seller list and will be published in over 35 countries. She is also the author of \u003ci\u003eNotes on Your Sudden Disappearance\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e and NPR \"Best Book of the Year,\" as well as \u003ci\u003eThe Adults\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Editor's Choice and Barnes and Noble Discover Pick. Her fictional audio series \u003ci\u003eIn-Depth Market Research Interviews with Dead People\u003c\/i\u003e is an Audible Original. She has written for \u003ci\u003eMcSweeney's\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOutside\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLitHub\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJoyland \u003c\/i\u003eand other places. She lives and teaches creative writing in Rhode Island. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlison received her MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. She has been a writer-in-residence at the Ucross Foundation for the Arts, Millay Arts, The Wassaic Project, the Cuttyhunk Writers Residency and the San Miguel Literary Sala. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Henry Holt \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496246051094,"sku":"9781250899576","price":34.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781250899576.jpg?v=1783058108","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/the-wedding-people","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}