The Wedding

By: Dorothy West

Narrated by: Regina Taylor

Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In her first novel in 47 years, Dorothy West, the last surviving member of the Harlem Renaissance, offers an intimate glimpse into the African American upper middle class. Set on bucolic Martha's Vineyard in the 1950s, The Wedding tells the story of life in the Oval, a proud, insular community made up of the best and brightest of the East Coast's black bourgeoisie.

Within this inner circle of "blue-vein society", we witness the prominent Coles family as they gather for the wedding of their loveliest daughter, Shelby, who could have chosen from "a whole area of eligible men of the right colors and the right professions." Instead, she has fallen in love with and is about to be married to Meade Wyler, a white jazz musician from New York. A shock wave breaks over the Oval as its longtime members grapple with the changing face of its community.

With elegant, luminous prose, Dorothy West crowns her literary career by illustrating one family's struggle to break the shackles of race and class.

©2012 Simon & Schuster Audio (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"West is a wonderful storyteller, painting vivid and memorable scenes of the life and plight of African Americans from slavery to the fifties. The Wedding is an engrossing tale." ( USA Today)

"In The Wedding, West brilliantly portrays the ferocity of class, race, and gender distinctions within family, groups, and generations." ( Entertainment Weekly)

"A fascinating and unforgettable tale." ( People)

Timeless Read

One of my favorite book of all time. The book and movie will never get old.

The movie was better

too short, did not like the ending. which lead to watch the movie. worth it

Good Story about women's struggle to separate lust from real loveEnjoyed

I enjoyed the story was about women black and white. They had heart aches from learning about lust from love. I enjoyed Regina's delivery of the story, I could picture the setting in a lot of the situations. This was a good book club read. I would suggest it to another book club as well as to a friend.

Interesting

Refreshing to read about wealthy Blacks in Martha's Vineyard! There were parts that I questioned if it really could have happened.

Amazing!

This book flows from start to finished and is packed with descriptions that paint crystal clear images that place you on Martha's Vineyard as a silent observer. Dorothy West is an excellent writer!

Audible should warn about “Abridged” version

I loved the book and looked forward to also enjoying the audible. Unfortunately, Audible’s version skipped some very important scenes among the characters. I love the author, Dorothy West. Very disappointed in Audibles.

More than I expected

When Sunny Hostin said on The View that this was her favorite book, I knew it was going to be good. What I didn’t expect was for it to be so thought provoking on the subject of race and class. I will think about this book for a long time to come!

TOTAL RIP OFF

What would have made The Wedding better?

Amazon should notate that NOT ALL OF THE CHAPTERS WERE READ FOR AUDIBLE RECORDING...

What did you like best about this story?

I have the hard copy.... I love the story

Would you be willing to try another one of Regina Taylor’s performances?

No

What character would you cut from The Wedding?

None

Any additional comments?

Amazon should give a refund to all who purchased this book for audible.... There is so much of the story not told.. Chapters skipped. This takes away from the entire experience...

Missing parts

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve read this book before and I know there’s so much of the story that was left out. It was very disappointing because I wanted the entire story. The backstory that explained so much of what was the current storyline was dropped. The narrator was exceptional that’s the only good thing I can say about this!

The wedding audio

What disappointed you about The Wedding?

This is an interesting book. But I DO NOT RECOMEND PURCHASING THE AUDIO VERSION. The audio skips SECTIONS AND CHAPTERS. Your better off reading it on your own.

Any additional comments?

They need to improve this, so that it can be a pleasant experience.