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My Daughter’s Wedding
When `bride to be' and single parent, Charlotte, discovers that her 61-year-old widowed mother is in a new relationship, she struggles to come to terms with it. "Why do you need to have a man, at your age?" Charlotte asks, "Can't you just be a grandma?" The growing tension between mother and daughter combined with preparations for the wedding impact on both family and friends. In this compelling and unashamedly romantic tale of finding love in later life, the experience of a young care-leaver who is tasked with making the wedding bouquet, is skilfully intertwined with the family's - sometimes turbulent- preparations for a modern wedding.
197 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2019
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 29, 2019
Just sometimes, you can tell from the opening pages when you’re reading a book that you’re going to enjoy – an exchange between mother Angie and her slightly abrasive and demanding adult daughter Charlotte, her assertion that “I am not old yet, I have a right to my own life” – and I happily allowed myself to relax into the story. Angie was so very lovely, extremely likeable and easy to identify with: I loved her friendship with Alison – the author writes excellent, really natural, dialogue – and I then watched with delight as she met Martin at her Uncle Jack’s funeral and the relationship slowly developed. I very much liked the insights into the lives and thoughts of both characters, and their very different relationships with their families – Martin’s easy one with daughter Jessica, as she encourages his new relationship, Angie’s with daughter Charlotte rather more fraught.
When I reviewed Different Genes, I said it was “a gentle, tender and very real later-life love story, with two extremely likeable and beautifully drawn main characters”. It might be a tad lazy of me, but I can say exactly the same about this one. There’s an absolute authenticity about the characters, their hopes and fears – their questions about earlier relationships, their different lifestyles, their financial divide, their growing ease with each other, their feelings as they develop, their concerns about intimacy. I particularly liked the telephone calls as they got to know each other – feeling their way, slowly relaxing into their relationship, privately expressing their doubts and fears.
But a relationship is invariably about more than just two people, and I liked the way the family relationships were portrayed. Angie’s daughter, at first, is quite insufferable – her mother’s relationship affects her life and childcare plans, and she demonstrates totally unreasonable selfishness when her mother wants to be more than “just a grandma”, expecting her to “show a bit of dignity”. Six year old grandson Joe is a lovely little character – heaven knows how, with his unbearable mother! – and I particularly liked the way he bonded with Martin over successive visits (even if the initial attraction was his little red Fiat!). The friendship with Alison was well handled too, with an unexpectedly poignant story unfolding – and I loved her exchanges with Angie at every point in her difficult journey.
And then, in the second part of the book, the focus changes – and it’s not just a shift in perspective, it’s an entirely separate and rather darker story of the life of Carly, at first a child in care, then as a fugitive from domestic violence and her attempts to rebuild her life thereafter. I’ll admit that I did feel rather wrenched from the story I’d been enjoying, but I did quickly become immersed in Carly’s life – and began to cheer every small victory as I grew to know her, and admire her resilience and resourcefulness. The third part of the book returns to the original story, and the approaching daughter’s wedding of the title – and the two stories are very cleverly drawn together, with a particular originality in the part played by both weddings and funerals.
I’ve mentioned the wrench, but I actually think the book’s structure works really well – I might have preferred a slightly softer transition, but the whole was a read I really enjoyed. And I must mention another element of the story I loved, its vivid sense of place. Bexhill, Hastings and their surroundings are unknown territory for me, but I felt like I’d had a rather lovely holiday – the descriptions are just wonderful, the restaurants and the markets, the geography and the attractions, the detail drawn with care but never intruding, just enhancing the backdrop for the story. And there were other lovely bits of detail too – the flowers, the main characters’ homes – and some really well drawn minor characters, particularly Angie’s rather intrusive neighbour as a source of both humour and concern.
I really like the author’s writing – her style is straightforward and easy to read, her dialogue a particular strength, the developing romance and other emotional content beautifully handled, the pacing excellent, and there are some lovely touches of lightness and humour. And I particularly like the authenticity with which she captures and portrays the thoughts, feelings and experiences of her older characters – very real, and quite superbly done. Highly recommended by me.
When I reviewed Different Genes, I said it was “a gentle, tender and very real later-life love story, with two extremely likeable and beautifully drawn main characters”. It might be a tad lazy of me, but I can say exactly the same about this one. There’s an absolute authenticity about the characters, their hopes and fears – their questions about earlier relationships, their different lifestyles, their financial divide, their growing ease with each other, their feelings as they develop, their concerns about intimacy. I particularly liked the telephone calls as they got to know each other – feeling their way, slowly relaxing into their relationship, privately expressing their doubts and fears.
But a relationship is invariably about more than just two people, and I liked the way the family relationships were portrayed. Angie’s daughter, at first, is quite insufferable – her mother’s relationship affects her life and childcare plans, and she demonstrates totally unreasonable selfishness when her mother wants to be more than “just a grandma”, expecting her to “show a bit of dignity”. Six year old grandson Joe is a lovely little character – heaven knows how, with his unbearable mother! – and I particularly liked the way he bonded with Martin over successive visits (even if the initial attraction was his little red Fiat!). The friendship with Alison was well handled too, with an unexpectedly poignant story unfolding – and I loved her exchanges with Angie at every point in her difficult journey.
And then, in the second part of the book, the focus changes – and it’s not just a shift in perspective, it’s an entirely separate and rather darker story of the life of Carly, at first a child in care, then as a fugitive from domestic violence and her attempts to rebuild her life thereafter. I’ll admit that I did feel rather wrenched from the story I’d been enjoying, but I did quickly become immersed in Carly’s life – and began to cheer every small victory as I grew to know her, and admire her resilience and resourcefulness. The third part of the book returns to the original story, and the approaching daughter’s wedding of the title – and the two stories are very cleverly drawn together, with a particular originality in the part played by both weddings and funerals.
I’ve mentioned the wrench, but I actually think the book’s structure works really well – I might have preferred a slightly softer transition, but the whole was a read I really enjoyed. And I must mention another element of the story I loved, its vivid sense of place. Bexhill, Hastings and their surroundings are unknown territory for me, but I felt like I’d had a rather lovely holiday – the descriptions are just wonderful, the restaurants and the markets, the geography and the attractions, the detail drawn with care but never intruding, just enhancing the backdrop for the story. And there were other lovely bits of detail too – the flowers, the main characters’ homes – and some really well drawn minor characters, particularly Angie’s rather intrusive neighbour as a source of both humour and concern.
I really like the author’s writing – her style is straightforward and easy to read, her dialogue a particular strength, the developing romance and other emotional content beautifully handled, the pacing excellent, and there are some lovely touches of lightness and humour. And I particularly like the authenticity with which she captures and portrays the thoughts, feelings and experiences of her older characters – very real, and quite superbly done. Highly recommended by me.
August 6, 2019
Bridezilla Charlotte isn’t keen on her mother’s new man!
What a delight to have an older protagonist in Angie as the focus for My Daughter’s Wedding. So many stories feature only 30 something characters with older people maginalised that to have a real, older and successful, woman in a new relationship with an equally older man, Martin, was a real joy. Angie’s insecurities blended with her maturity and success made her all the more vivid. I think Charlotte’s unreasonable initial attitude to their developing coupledom illustrated perfectly the usual reluctance to feature those of middle age frequently enough. Bravo Claire Baldry I say!
Speaking of Charlotte, I thought she was spoilt and quite vile. Angie has far more patience with her daughter than I’d ever have and reading about Charlotte brought out the very worst in me. I’d have quite happily climbed into the pages of My Daughter’s Wedding and given her a large and loud piece of my mind. In contrast, I slightly fell in love with Martin myself as he is a real man, not some kind of plastic superhero that can all too easily seep into women’s fiction. Claire Baldry has created a cast of people who felt real, flawed and authentic.
I found My Daughter’s Wedding very entertaining because it felt so true to life. The wedding is the plot’s hook but there us plenty more on offer too with all life, and death, between the pages. I confess to feeling an initial jolt in the second part of the story when Carly is introduced as her narrative seemed totally disparate from Angie’s but it was a real pleasure to see how Claire Baldry brought the strands together as the book progressed.
My Daughter’s Wedding felt relevant, fresh and entertaining. I very much enjoyed reading it and I think anyone who has ever been involved in a family wedding might just find themselves represented between its pages! It’s a lovely read.
What a delight to have an older protagonist in Angie as the focus for My Daughter’s Wedding. So many stories feature only 30 something characters with older people maginalised that to have a real, older and successful, woman in a new relationship with an equally older man, Martin, was a real joy. Angie’s insecurities blended with her maturity and success made her all the more vivid. I think Charlotte’s unreasonable initial attitude to their developing coupledom illustrated perfectly the usual reluctance to feature those of middle age frequently enough. Bravo Claire Baldry I say!
Speaking of Charlotte, I thought she was spoilt and quite vile. Angie has far more patience with her daughter than I’d ever have and reading about Charlotte brought out the very worst in me. I’d have quite happily climbed into the pages of My Daughter’s Wedding and given her a large and loud piece of my mind. In contrast, I slightly fell in love with Martin myself as he is a real man, not some kind of plastic superhero that can all too easily seep into women’s fiction. Claire Baldry has created a cast of people who felt real, flawed and authentic.
I found My Daughter’s Wedding very entertaining because it felt so true to life. The wedding is the plot’s hook but there us plenty more on offer too with all life, and death, between the pages. I confess to feeling an initial jolt in the second part of the story when Carly is introduced as her narrative seemed totally disparate from Angie’s but it was a real pleasure to see how Claire Baldry brought the strands together as the book progressed.
My Daughter’s Wedding felt relevant, fresh and entertaining. I very much enjoyed reading it and I think anyone who has ever been involved in a family wedding might just find themselves represented between its pages! It’s a lovely read.
August 16, 2019
Uplifting Story of love and marriage
My daughter's wedding is an uplifting story about life, marriage and family dynamics. It includes various generations, parents, grandparents, and children who are coping with life's challenges, such as parenting and grandparenting, family relationships, love and marriage. I enjoyed the setting in south-east England. I really want to go back to Hastings after reading!
My daughter's wedding is an uplifting story about life, marriage and family dynamics. It includes various generations, parents, grandparents, and children who are coping with life's challenges, such as parenting and grandparenting, family relationships, love and marriage. I enjoyed the setting in south-east England. I really want to go back to Hastings after reading!
July 21, 2019
Lovely stories within stories
Loved the different stories of different types of families and how they all cross paths. Another enjoyable book aimed at the older romantics
Loved the different stories of different types of families and how they all cross paths. Another enjoyable book aimed at the older romantics
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews