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Other People's Weddings
Laurie is a wedding photographer who has photographed more than a thousand weddings over the last ten years. One morning, when wakes up and wonders what happened to all those couples. She starts making calls. Some of them are still together. Others have split up. She begins a photography project to document what happens to love after the wedding. She photographs widowers and divorcees, homewreckers and stalkers.
She is still photographing weddings, and at one of them she meets a man who has sneaked into the proceedings. A crasher. They share a spark, a few moments of powerful chemistry, and then he's gone. Later, at home, she finds pictures of him at eleven other weddings she's photographed and wonders if his propensity to crash weddings is sweet or creepy. She starts looking for him at every wedding she photographs. When she finally sees him again, a romance begins between them.
Through her courtship, glimpses of her past emerge-her own first marriage and divorce, the things she is trying to get over, to get past, that threaten her new relationship. Her past makes her a ghost at all the weddings she photographs. Before the book is over, she has to tear down all the walls she has built.
She is still photographing weddings, and at one of them she meets a man who has sneaked into the proceedings. A crasher. They share a spark, a few moments of powerful chemistry, and then he's gone. Later, at home, she finds pictures of him at eleven other weddings she's photographed and wonders if his propensity to crash weddings is sweet or creepy. She starts looking for him at every wedding she photographs. When she finally sees him again, a romance begins between them.
Through her courtship, glimpses of her past emerge-her own first marriage and divorce, the things she is trying to get over, to get past, that threaten her new relationship. Her past makes her a ghost at all the weddings she photographs. Before the book is over, she has to tear down all the walls she has built.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
About the author
Noah Hawley
12 books2,697 followersNoah Hawley is an Emmy, Golden Globe, PEN, Critics' Choice, and Peabody Award-winning author, screenwriter, and producer. He has published four novels and penned the script for the feature film Lies and Alibis. He created, executive produced, and served as showrunner for ABC's My Generation and The Unusuals and was a writer and producer on the hit series Bones. Hawley is currently executive producer, writer, and showrunner on FX's award-winning series, Fargo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 24, 2021
This was an EXCELLENT read!
For everyone who has ever loved and lost, this book is for you. You will identify with the Laurie - wedding photographer extraordinaire, laugh at her crazy sister, Lisa, and bite your nails in torment over Laurie's walking-wounded love-interest, Gilligan - a heart-broken wedding crasher.
Will they or won't they? This is not a frothy, light-hearted romance. This couple have to work through their past relationship debris in order to find the courage to make what they could have together last. Do they make it? Read it and find out! I was very glad that I did!
Noah Hawley, of the Legion and Fargo TV series fame, is a gifted, imaginative writer. Laurie tells her story convincingly: more than once I had to remind myself that Noah Hawley is a MALE author. A very intelligent, philosophical, wise male, who can write a mighty steamy love scene!
For everyone who has ever loved and lost, this book is for you. You will identify with the Laurie - wedding photographer extraordinaire, laugh at her crazy sister, Lisa, and bite your nails in torment over Laurie's walking-wounded love-interest, Gilligan - a heart-broken wedding crasher.
Will they or won't they? This is not a frothy, light-hearted romance. This couple have to work through their past relationship debris in order to find the courage to make what they could have together last. Do they make it? Read it and find out! I was very glad that I did!
Noah Hawley, of the Legion and Fargo TV series fame, is a gifted, imaginative writer. Laurie tells her story convincingly: more than once I had to remind myself that Noah Hawley is a MALE author. A very intelligent, philosophical, wise male, who can write a mighty steamy love scene!
September 8, 2016
Where has this author been my whole life? He's absolutely unbelievable. I've now read three of his books (the only three?) and his writing takes my breath away...and his story lines are completely believable and compelling. Beautifully done.
September 20, 2015
Do not be fooled by the chick-lit style cover, this is not a beach read. Very dark, very emotional first person narration of a very damaged life. Beautifully written in the way Hawley has exposed his protagonist's deepest insecurities and still has us believing in her.
August 26, 2017
This is good writing and I consumed it like candy, but it's really a very rich and nutritious meal. Noah Hawley has moved on to success with the Fargo series, but in this novel from 2004, you can see he knows what to do with words. "...the stories that make you who your are, are precious. They're worth being miserly with, worth protecting. If you tell everyone you meet your most private thoughts, your most painful memories, it cheapens them. Turns them into anecdotes." The jacket of my volume says he adapted it into a screenplay and it was optioned, but as a project it must have floundered. If you can find this one, read it anyway. The story is engaging, but the writing is the biggest treat.
March 21, 2022
“Other People’s Weddings”, published in 2004 by Noah Hawley, may LOOK like a Romantic Comedy from the cover, but it’s not. It’s full of Hawley’s wonderful “dark humor” and off-beat surprises.
Since it’s set almost 20 years ago, some of the contemporary references are unintentionally hilarious (a character is bereft when Gwyneth and Brad broke up!) but the main themes of love, marriage, and divorce, are pretty much the same now as they were then!
Since it’s set almost 20 years ago, some of the contemporary references are unintentionally hilarious (a character is bereft when Gwyneth and Brad broke up!) but the main themes of love, marriage, and divorce, are pretty much the same now as they were then!
November 28, 2021
Quick read. I liked the main character, her sharp humor and her side photo project. I’m not quite sure the author fully wrapped her back story / her parents’ instability into her present day relationship issues, but I liked the character development that eventually happened.
September 4, 2021
I somehow cannot believe this was written by a man.
January 31, 2023
I have now read every Noah Hawley book (and it’s been a terrific literary journey!). This one is definitely the one that stands out the most because it is the one that is so different from all his others… and whether that is good or bad depends on what you like most about Hawley’s books. The rest of his works lean more into the dark and thrilling side of human nature and psyche while briefly touching on the “sappier” emotions; this one flips that style completely and briefly goes into those darker elements (and there is one shocking moment that I am still thinking about!). Other People’s Weddings was a fun read, but it did feel the least “Hawley” of them all, and that’s not a bad thing.
April 10, 2013
Here's the breakdown by category of judgment for this book: Writing: I found several glaring grammatical errors. Mistakes are acceptable at any level, but it looks like Mr. Hawley still has trouble with conjugating the word lie. That's one that really bothers me.
Storytelling: I'm almost maxing out this category, because he really did it well in this book. First-person, present tense is difficult to write, and can even be tricky to get used to reading if you don't see it very often - which almost none of us do. But he pulls it off. And this was written from the perspective of a 36-year-old female. Had I not known it was Noah, I would have believed a woman had written it.
Storyline: Not quite your basic love story, but not far from it. I like how he got into photography in this one and told a story about this woman's search for herself and the meaning and reasoning for love throughout the book, based on her escapades in photography. It was very intense and emotional, and just overall a great read because of the imagery and use of props to tell the story.
Overall, I give this one a 4.0. I really dig Noah's work, and would like to read a lot more. I wish he would write more novels. At some points during this one, I felt physically ill, and others I was ecstatic. And he kept me guessing right up until the end if what you think of as the obvious would really happen or not. Noah also seems to tie up all the loose ends very well, never forgetting a plot path he had left open. I was impressed with his ability to get the story told and top it off really cleanly. Very good story, told in a different approach than I've ever seen, and definitely a re-readable book.
Storytelling: I'm almost maxing out this category, because he really did it well in this book. First-person, present tense is difficult to write, and can even be tricky to get used to reading if you don't see it very often - which almost none of us do. But he pulls it off. And this was written from the perspective of a 36-year-old female. Had I not known it was Noah, I would have believed a woman had written it.
Storyline: Not quite your basic love story, but not far from it. I like how he got into photography in this one and told a story about this woman's search for herself and the meaning and reasoning for love throughout the book, based on her escapades in photography. It was very intense and emotional, and just overall a great read because of the imagery and use of props to tell the story.
Overall, I give this one a 4.0. I really dig Noah's work, and would like to read a lot more. I wish he would write more novels. At some points during this one, I felt physically ill, and others I was ecstatic. And he kept me guessing right up until the end if what you think of as the obvious would really happen or not. Noah also seems to tie up all the loose ends very well, never forgetting a plot path he had left open. I was impressed with his ability to get the story told and top it off really cleanly. Very good story, told in a different approach than I've ever seen, and definitely a re-readable book.
April 18, 2020
Strange. One star for short chapters that made it easy to read. One star for giving the main character a good reason to be messed up.
I didn’t really find that the main character was believable though. I don’t know if it’s because it was a man writing a woman, or if it just wasn’t developed enough. Something just was lacking for me. Then again, maybe the emotional unavailability of the character was exactly the point. I don’t really go for that in real life so I also didn’t really love it here, but it’s a thing I guess some people respond to.
I didn’t really find that the main character was believable though. I don’t know if it’s because it was a man writing a woman, or if it just wasn’t developed enough. Something just was lacking for me. Then again, maybe the emotional unavailability of the character was exactly the point. I don’t really go for that in real life so I also didn’t really love it here, but it’s a thing I guess some people respond to.
January 8, 2014
i LOVED this book. it was so much deeper than your usual romantic chick lit. i was flipping through pages, thinking deep thoughts, and laughing all at the same time. any woman who has struggled to let go of her past and free themselves to let themselves have what they deserve needs to read this book.
January 22, 2013
Loved it. Didn't want it to end.
February 16, 2022
Oh, what a book! This is a love story but much more than just a love story!
Laurie meets a man at a wedding under unusual circumstances and we are off and running! Filled with flawed and down-to-earth characters, this book kept me captivated. The writing is sharp, witty, sarcastic. The plot is fantastic. It is a real page turner.
The main characters have pain in their pasts that help keep them unsure of their future and of their love endeavors. But does love conquer all? Can these people get past their wounds, rise above their hurt, and move on to love?
Just a wonderful read that I can't stop gushing about. It is certainly not chick lit and it is not a romance-type book. It is just a damn fantastic book. Noah Hawley can certainly write in any genre!
Highly recommend!!!!!
Laurie meets a man at a wedding under unusual circumstances and we are off and running! Filled with flawed and down-to-earth characters, this book kept me captivated. The writing is sharp, witty, sarcastic. The plot is fantastic. It is a real page turner.
The main characters have pain in their pasts that help keep them unsure of their future and of their love endeavors. But does love conquer all? Can these people get past their wounds, rise above their hurt, and move on to love?
Just a wonderful read that I can't stop gushing about. It is certainly not chick lit and it is not a romance-type book. It is just a damn fantastic book. Noah Hawley can certainly write in any genre!
Highly recommend!!!!!
August 18, 2018
A wedding photographer has worked at her job for almost ten years but lately is becoming disillusioned about love. She begins an art project in which she revisits couples she photographed at their weddings to see how the marriages fared. Now she is photographing them in divorce court, or years later with their children trying to discover that elusive element that makes some relationships work and others not work... all in the effort to try to examine why her marriage failed and how to save the relationship with her new love. This seemingly lighthearted read soon turns deep and serious.
August 30, 2021
Decent for a chick-lit book. Many points on being cynical and disappointed by love I could agree with. I enjoy books of this genre that don’t waste time on character descriptions- the clothes they wear etc. I still think reading about sex is awkward. The main character is understandably damaged yet I found her a bit annoying how much it closed her off. I do like the idea of the series of when-love-turns-bad survivors.
July 4, 2019
I enjoyed this book. I didn’t like how the author wrote dialogue. The transitions between characters talking was rough and didn’t seem real. I also don’t like that Gilligan ended up being secretly rich. Yeah, he said he isn’t ever going to touch the money but I still hate the whole “found a rich guy who loves me” idea. It makes me feel like it plays on the guys saving the girls trope.
November 6, 2019
Picked this up on the strength of Before the Fall, which I loved. This shares that book's obsessively detailed backstories and interesting characters, but lacks its edge, instead bending Hawley's crisp writing into the service of what seems a bit like a rom com screenplay. I mean, a really good, thought provoking rom com screenplay, but still. Enjoyable, but didn't move me like the other book.
June 20, 2020
This is an enjoyable romp through a wedding photographer's life and snippets of her various clients. Also sprinkled throughout are musings on love, true or not, taking chances and living happily ever after. I found the adventure highly enjoyable, light and fun. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever been in love or hopes to be in love!
December 8, 2020
I was expecting more from this. The idea had so much potential but didn't really go anywhere interesting, for any length of time anyway. The romantic gestures of Gilligan (why?!) were overwritten and unbelievable...and Laurie, at 36, was so old and wise. Maybe I would've enjoyed this more if I were younger.
March 24, 2022
I absolutely loved this book. The first thing you have understand going in is that this really isn’t a plot driven book. Don’t expect big story arches with twists and turns. It’s a character study and dialog driven book. The writing is stellar. It’s funny, raw, emotional, and downright real. If you’ve love and lost this book is for you.
April 26, 2023
Laurie is a 36-year old wedding photographer. She undertakes a photography project that explores what comes next after the wedding. It explores some of the extremes and the dark side of love. Noah Hawley is an excellent writer. The central character is self-destructive but trying to understand and change.
July 30, 2017
It was fine. You can tell he's a screenwriter. Main character a bit over dramatically broken. Everything very well described yet at arms length, despite that it's written in first person. Maybe I'm too used to third person omniscient?
March 3, 2018
Girl meets boy, girl gets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy back. But here, the girl and boy are incredibly broken, so their journey is more than a little difficult. An endearing enough story, but one that seems better suited to a TV movie than a novel.
March 20, 2018
I enjoyed this book. the redemptive narrative and the descriptions of overwhelm of emotions, but I wouldn't rave about it. I would however read other books by this author, as I trust the mate their recommender
January 3, 2017
This might look like a chic flick but it is not at all. It is a wonderful read on how past relationships affect our lives and reinforces your opinion on how ridiculous wedding ceremonies have become
May 13, 2017
This is not a chick lit book. It is about desperate lonely people looking for love.
May 17, 2017
This wasn't my favourite book of his though I liked that he wrote from the woman's perspective. Not as engaging or intriguing as Before The Fall.
June 25, 2017
Good story, some cringy writing here and there.
October 15, 2017
So Dang Good!
Keeping this one forever! This book joins the ranks of my few favorites! Noah Hawley is brilliant. Thank you, sir.
Keeping this one forever! This book joins the ranks of my few favorites! Noah Hawley is brilliant. Thank you, sir.
Want to read
March 1, 2018DNF I'll try again later
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews