Author Patricia Nicoll publishes a selection of the best books: Marriage
Some friends once rocked the wrong marriage. Arriving in a picturesque village, they follow the sound of laughter, popping champagne corks and music to a beautiful garden, where they fill their boots with fizz and canapés.
It was only when they saw a table plan that they discovered that the reception they were supposed to receive was at the opposite end of the village.
There was a time in my late 20s and early 30s when every second weekend from May to September seemed to involve a reception or hen do. Then, I resented the stress on my purse and wardrobe.
I didn’t realize there was a particularly intense social period: the last wedding I attended was two years ago and I was no longer one of the young party people, but a matronly aunt.
In Monica Ali’s Love Marriage, the young doctors, Yasmin and Joe, are confident about their future, but seem concerned about their family’s identity.
A summer wedding can be a gorgeous, but stressful affair, so it’s no wonder that many writers have used it to plot a variety of tension, sex, family, and unpleasantness.
Amanda Craig’s The Three Graces takes place among the rolling hills of Tuscany, where Ruth, an expat retiree, is bulldozed into organizing her grandson Ollie’s wedding. His daughter-in-law, Tanya, is an influencer, blogging the whole thing.
Another very modern couple are Dubliners Celine and Luke, the main characters in Naois Dolan’s The Happy Couple. Flowing into the relationship, this bisexual couple is now tying the knot. But should they?
In Monica Ali’s Love Marriage, young doctors, Yasmin and Joe, are confident about their future, but worried about their family’s identity.
Another very modern couple are Dubliners Celine and Luke, the main characters in Naois Dolan’s The Happy Couple.
He is of British Muslim Indian heritage; Her mother, Harriet, was an outspoken feminist.
But it’s when their mothers unexpectedly bond, agreeing that Harriet should arrange the wedding, that things get messy.
Many stories end in marriage. But wise writers know that every marriage is a beginning.
If you missed out on wedding season this year, try one of these books — cheaper and less stressful than sourcing frocks and fascinators.