A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve (2005, Hardcover)

As an avid fan of Anita Shreve's past novels ("Light on Snow" and "The Weight of Water"), I couldn't wait until her newest book became available. To my disappointment, "A Wedding in December" did not measure up to her previous works. The "New York Times" said it was "Provocative", but in my opinion it was merely a diversion -- a quick summer read requiring little thought or investment.

The characters, whiney and self-indulgent, quickly grow tiresome while the story is predictable and tedious (I began to think that if I read one more passage about how beautiful and tastefully decorated the inn was I would scream). Also, the annoying "story within a story" was an unnecessary waste of paper.

The book seems to suddenly stop without proper closure, leaving several story-lines undeveloped. Perhaps Shreve became bored with it herself and simply wanted to stop writing. Whatever the reason, "A Wedding in December" does not live up to Shreve's potential.