Review: The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Once again, I find myself kicking myself for not getting my posts up on time. It's not that I was busier than normal, but I had a birthday this past week. Yes, a birthday. It was really nice, and I have to say thank you to past students, family, and friends who each made sure I didn't brush the day off! Thanks for making it a really nice day!

As for reading, I really feel that fall & winter are my time. I love nothing more than curling up with a blanket and good book. Because of that, I've managed to get through some really good books, including Madeleine Wickham's (aka Sophie Kinsella) The Wedding Girl.

Synopsis: Milly is preparing for her marriage to the man of her dreams. Her husband to be is all that she's dreamed of, but before the wedding has even arrived she fears that a secret from her past will pop up to destroy her future. As a favor to friends she met while attending Oxford, she married an American who wanted his citizenship so that he could continue his relationship with Rupert, a man they were both friends with. Fast forward to the present, Rupert has married a woman, who has no idea of his past, and who has no way of helping Milly find the man she so impulsively married for a favor. Will she find the man, will her fiance understand, will this secret ruin Rupert's life and marriage?

Review: I really enjoy the novels written by Sophie Kinsella, and have read a few of the novels she's written as Madeleine Wickham (one review here: Sleeping Arrangements). There seems to me to be a pretty distinct difference in the tones adopted by Kinsella and Wickham. Kinsella feels a bit more whimsical and humorous, while Wickham tends to take on more serious plot twists, with more modern world issues. To be perfectly honest, I do like the Kinsella novels much more, but find that by either author, you're sure to get a good story.

This particular novel I listened to on audiobook. The reader tended to use a British dialect that sounded like Queen's English, with a bit more of a "mum" sound to it. It did lead me to certain ideas about Milly that might not have been the case had I read it for myself. It's not that the reading wasn't well done, it just felt as though each of the characters were much older than Wickham intended. That's just me though!

The story itself was engaging, and I did want to know what happened to each character. in some cases though, especially with Rupert, I almost felt a deeper anxiety for him and how things fell apart between him and his American than I did with Milly and her fiance. It did take a little time to wrap up the full conflict, which led me to think all sorts of other problems were going to pop up. In the end though, the story tied everything together. I did like this novel more than Sleeping Arrangements, but still can't say that I enjoy them more than Kinsella's penned tales.

Now, off to continue reading! I'm actually in the process of reading Kinsella's newest Twenties Girl. Are there authors that you read that have two different pen names? Do you find that they choose to write in different ways under these names?

I'll head out now to get some reading done, but will share Kinsella's newest soon. Enjoy your fall, wherever you might be.

For more information see: The Wedding Girl.