Seating Arrangements in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 08, 2012 Kay Green rated it liked it

This was not the hilarious satire of posh weddings that I expected. Most of the characters were really unhappy or caricatures of a WASP stereotype. The story was told from a 59 year old father of the bride whose main goal in life was to become a member of an exclusive golf club. Maybe that was supposed to be funny but it was pathetic. He also gave the worst rehearsal dinner toast possible. Still the writer is extremely talented and there were many quotable sentences. Just do not expect to laugh ...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Sam rated it liked it

Shelves: 1-contemp-literary, read-2012, reviewed

I was in the mood for some East Coast prep and Seating Arrangements didn’t disappoint in this regard. Shipstead takes us into the lives of the Van Meter family for three days as they gather on some New England island to prepare for the wedding of the eldest daughter. And boy do we get a lot of prep. We get characters called Biddy, Mopsie, Greyson; we get guys who wear seer sucker suits and whale prints on their pants; we get concerns about getting into the right clubs; and of course, we get a wh I was in the mood for some East Coast prep and Seating Arrangements didn’t disappoint in this regard. Shipstead takes us into the lives of the Van Meter family for three days as they gather on some New England island to prepare for the wedding of the eldest daughter. And boy do we get a lot of prep. We get characters called Biddy, Mopsie, Greyson; we get guys who wear seer sucker suits and whale prints on their pants; we get concerns about getting into the right clubs; and of course, we get a whole lot of repressed emotions.

The story mostly focuses on the patriarch of the Van Meters, Winn. He’s at a stage in his life where he’s feeling some existential angst. Here's someone who’s always done the right things, stayed on the right side of propriety, held on to the markers of class and status that have been important to him all of his life. And yet there’s a sense that’s something’s missing. As Winn works through these feelings of dissatisfaction, he confronts his attraction to one of his daughter’s bridesmaids and obsesses over why the island’s golf club refuses to offer him membership. Meanwhile, we also get flashbacks of different points in his life that have shaped him up till this point, and a lot of it is not flattering. We see that he’s not exactly the most likable person, but somewhere along the way, as the book progresses, we still root for him.

At the same time, we also get into the head of Winn’s youngest daughter, the passionate, emotional Livia, who's reeling from a break up with her boyfriend. Not only is she a maddening person for her parents—making questionable decisions that embarrass the family—but also for the reader. It is difficult to empathize with someone who’s whiny, stubborn, and tiresome. While I totally get Winn’s story, I don’t understand why Livia’s story needed to be told. Character unlikability alone is not a good enough reason for me to dislike a book, but in this case, I don't understand the purpose of Livia's character, unlikable or not. Perhaps it has to do with setting up contrast between the way the Winn and Livia face the world? Regardless, it didn’t work for me. My three-star rating is based entirely on the strength of the father’s story.

Seating Arrangements is a breezy enough social satire to help you pass the time. The story isn't earth-shattering; it didn't feel like it was a story that needed to be told, something that was vital. But then again, not all books have to be 'vital,' I guess. The writing is solid, the characterizations vivid—I am impressed with Shipstead's ability to get into the head of a WASPy man for what, to my eye, was a pretty convincing portrait.
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