The Wedding People

失意の只中で自殺予定の主人公が、結婚式会場である豪華ホテルに滞在し、明るく未来ある結婚予定の花嫁に振り回されながらも、人生の再出発に成功する。設定がユニークで引き込まれます。 コメディと割り切れば問題ないですが、自殺をテーマにしつつ、あっさりとポジティブな精神状態に変化してゆく主人公の経過が引っ掛かるかも。 新郎とのロマンス展開がありそうで、最終的にはウヤムヤになるのは、少々フラストレーションが溜まります。

主人公が自殺を考えているという暗い物語との事前情報を受け、半年くらい購入を避けていましたが、英語も簡単で、笑える箇所も多くすぐに読み切ることができました 結婚式と新郎・新婦の関係、最終的な終わり方などモヤモヤした気持ちもありましたが、主人公の境遇について、嫌でも共感してしまう部分(不妊治療の記述のところ)もあり、生きることに対する考え方の変化は希望を感じました

この作品は、多くの人が絶賛していると耳にし、ベストセラーだという点にも惹かれて読んでみました。期待していた以上に、笑いと感動が詰まった物語で、読後には心が温かくなるような余韻が残りましたね。特に、主人公のフィービーが、まさかの「部外者」として結婚式に巻き込まれていくという設定がユニークで、最初から引き込まれました。 まず、この本の最大の魅力は、登場人物たちの人間臭さが非常に魅力的に描かれている点だと思います。人生のどん底にいるフィービーが、完璧な結婚式を目指すブライドのリラ、そしてその周りの「ウェディングピープル」たちと交流することで、予期せぬ形で自身の人生と向き合い、再出発していく過程が丁寧に描かれています。特に、フィービーとリラの間に芽生える奇妙ながらも深い友情は、この物語の核だと感じました。お互いの「ベストな計画」が崩れていく中で、本音で語り合い、支え合う姿には、思わず感情移入してしまいましたね。他者の意見でも、この二人の関係性の発展が本作のハイライトだと評されているのを多く見かけ、とても共感できます。 一方で、少し気になったのは、フィービーの初期の状況がかなり絶望的であるにも関わらず、物語が比較的ライトなトーンで進む部分です。深いテーマを扱ってはいるものの、あくまでコメディタッチで描かれているため、より重厚な人間ドラマを求めている方には、少し物足りなさを感じるかもしれません。しかし、その軽やかさこそが、読者に重くなりすぎずに物語を楽しませる要因になっているとも言えます。 この小説は、人間関係の複雑さや、人生の予期せぬ展開に興味がある方におすすめです。特に、結婚式の裏側で繰り広げられる人間模様や、不器用ながらも必死に生きる人々の姿に心惹かれる方には、ぜひ読んでいただきたい一冊です。失恋や人生の転機に直面しているけれど、前向きな気持ちになりたいと思っている人にも、きっと希望を与えてくれるでしょう。読了後には、あなたの心にも温かい光が灯るはずです。

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a good yarn with a bit of romance thrown in. The two women, Phoebe (the narrator character) and Lila (the bride) form the irresponsible dual focus of this escapade, with the men thrown in as supporting, but timid and weak, characters. Other women are portrayed with bit parts and only the receptionist, Pauline, seems to have grown up. The child "Juice", a progeny of the widowed groom's first marriage, also seems to exhibit maturity denied to the adults. The characters are all caricatures like in a cartoon, and bash each other in the same way. It contains a fair bit of American style humour (humor) like altering the hotel decor to fit personal style, and American style assertiveness, particularly in Lila whose personal insecurity is manifest in demanding thoughtless behaviour. The crass adults all have tragic backstories which might go some way to explaining their idiosyncrasies, but the main driver is merely the screenplay like a theatre farce, to drive the rapid progression of one slapstick to another. However, the yarn is supported by an excellent understanding of human behaviour, and thoughts and emotions, and these are expressed by the characters in highly unlikely private discussions, or in Phoebe's own thoughts rendered into text to convince the reader that she is a real person. In addition, most, if not all the adult characters indulge in episodes of coupling, which personality attribute is further enhanced by the booking of a sex lady for the hen night. These insights make the book much more enjoyable than if it was merely the child's cartoon that the actions alone might portray. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but you must take it on the level it is written and don't reject it simply because real people are not like these characters at all; it is a good story, just enjoy it.

I started off quite disliking this book. At first I scanned a few passages of descriptive as I found them excessive and unnecessary. But gradually as more dialogue developed, it became a real page-turner. And this is where the book shines; the sparkling, witty, amusing dialogue. It's all very middle-upper class New York, highly entertaining, funny, sad and engrossing. A very engaging book, thoroughly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. It manages to balance emotional and heavy topics with humor in a very natural way. The story starts in a way that feels a bit intense and unusual, but the characters quickly pull you in, especially the dynamic between them. I also loved the writing style — it was engaging, easy to read, and emotional without feeling overly dramatic. Overall, it’s one of those books that makes you laugh, reflect, and feel attached to the characters at the same time. Definitely recommend it if you enjoy contemporary fiction with emotional depth and a bit of dark humor

If you are in a reading slump, without a second thought, pick this one up. There was so much hype about this book, yet I somehow didn't believe it. So finally when I decided to read the sample, ahem! Ahem. Rest was history. Phoebe Stone a divorced English Professor, decides one moning to walk out of her home, work - basically life. She flies to Newport, Rhode Islands to stay at this luxurious 19th Century Hotel. Enter bride Lila and her grand six days wedding with her extended family. And boom! Every plan that Phoebe had turns upisde down. What I really loved about the book was Phoebe's character arc - she wore her emotions on her sleeve and was so real and relatable. The story was filled with witty banter, emotional, reflective conversations and so much drama. There wasn't a moment of dullness. The plot was packed with tiny twists and surprises that I thought were going to follow a predictable line of conduct, then it totally twisted. After finishing this book, I found myself smiling and feeling sad that it ended. That's how beautifully written this story is. Everyone needs to read this book, I cannot reiterate that enough!.

Hermosa novela, con personajes reales, en movimiento y bien definidos. Es difícil cortar la lectura para seguir luego, te engancha desde el inicio. Mucho humor, diálogos exquisitos y una trama finamente armada. Muy recomendable.