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At Weddings and Wakes
At Weddings and Wakes
Author: Alice McDermott
Scenes of a family unfold through childrens' eyes in Alice McDermott's extraordinary novel. Here, among family rituals and relationships, love and longing, recriminations and regret, an Irish-Catholic family comes vividly, brilliantly to life. — Twice a week, Lucy Dailey leaves suburbia with her three children in tow, returning to the Bro...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780385319850
ISBN-10: 0385319851
Publication Date: 1/12/1998
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 2.5/5 Stars.
 24

2.5 stars, based on 24 ratings
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

bookaddict avatar reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on
Helpful Score: 3
A really marvelous book. The story of a family, told from different points of view, with some deft time-shifting. Beautifully written.
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A female "Angela's Ashes."
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 51 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Try to read this when and where you will be free of distractions, because in order to grasp fully the beauty of McDermott's style, you have to pay attention. She writes a bit like Henry James, with long and somewhat complicated sentences. Nevertheless, the story and the way it is told is both moving and memorable. You will feel right at home identifying with the children through whose eyes the tale develops.
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Life in an Irish family as seen and told by the children.
Kind of a comfy read,and very interesting.
Characters are real and at the end you don't want to let them go
Read All 11 Book Reviews of "At Weddings and Wakes"

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MediumDebbi avatar reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 92 more book reviews
I started this because I read Charming Billy and really enjoyed it. This one just didn't grab me. It seemed very stilted and choppy.
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 51 more book reviews
Wonderfully written story of adult life from a child's perspective. Many varied and interesting characters.
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on
NY Times Best Seller
Book of the Month Club selection.
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 88 more book reviews
The author writes with beautiful flowing words. The story is told from the point of view of the Dailey children but, for me, that didn't work well. I would have expected more childlike thoughts & feelings. I feel like I didn't get to know the characters well. However, there is a lot of praise for the book so maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea. So it goes.
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 39 more book reviews
"A moving evocation of life's inexplicaable calamities and a magical celebration of childhood and familial love...the story of three generations of an Irish-American family through the eyes of its youngest members.
reviewed At Weddings and Wakes on + 4 more book reviews
Enjoyable reading.


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