Diary of a Mad Bride [Paperback]

Laura Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2001

Marriages are made in heaven - but weddings are made in hell ...What is it about getting married that can turn a sophisticated, level-headed woman into an obsessed wreck? That's what Amy wonders as she watches her girlfriends nosedive into bridal dementia: dropping a hundred I.Q. points, losing all fashion sense, and dramatically increasing their ability to cry. Amy will never let that happen to her! But when her boyfriend unexpectedly drops to one knee in the popcorn queue she can't help but say yes. And before she knows it, she too has been struck by the madness. Can Amy overcome her mania? Regain her senses? Stop agonising over the perfect white satin pump in time to get the wedding day of her dreams? Or will it all go horribly, wincingly, hilariously wrong?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Amy Sarah Thomas, a magazine editor, is going to marry Stephen Stewart, a computer programmer that is, if planning the wedding doesn't kill the romance. Told in diary form over the course of a year, with many iterations of a 70-point Things-to-Do list, Wolf's first novel seems determined to provoke an epidemic of elopements. The pre-wedding jitters are endless: obscenely expensive shoes and humiliating dresses, in-laws even more upsetting than one's own parents and siblings, bitchy co-workers and a stoned caterer, and the inevitable onslaught of redundant kitchen gadgets. At moments, there's an antic charm at work here, and the narcissistic Gram is a deliciously insidious little old lady, but Amy's narrative voice is more predictable and less funny than she seems to think. She's absolutely, positively never going to get married and the next thing you know, she's engaged. She's absolutely, positively going to keep her name until she decides to change it. There won't be chicken on the wedding menu, no way and guess what? Punctuated by gift cards, thank-you notes and line drawings, this breezy novel emits plenty of hot air, but until the rhapsodic last scene, there's little bliss to enchant brides-to-be.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

At 29, Amy Thomas is content being single, happily dating Stephen, and wondering what has come over her friend Mandy, who's getting married and spends all her time planning and talking about her wedding. Then, in the concession line at a movie theater, Stephen asks Amy to marry him, and suddenly she has her own wedding to plan, and it's overwhelming. Her wedding to-do list grows from a modest 20 items to a whopping 70, and Stephen is no help at all. Amy is devastated when she finds out that her parents and Stephen's parents will each give them only five thousand dollars. That puts the grand New York wedding she's been dreaming of out of reach, so she settles for having the reception in her parents' backyard. But she still needs a dress, shoes, a band, and a gazillion other things, and before she knows it, Amy has turned into the "mad bride" she's always rolled her eyes at. A frolic that will appeal to brides and bridesmaids alike. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Orion Paperbacks (July 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752846124
• ISBN-13: 978-0752846125
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (129 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,302,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, the madness!!, December 11, 2002

By 

Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diary of a Mad Bride (Paperback)

I haven't laughed this hard since reading the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella! Laura Wolf is undoubtedly an entertaining, funny, talented writer, and she had me in stitches more times than I can count. I highly enjoyed Diary of a Mad Bride and can't wait to read her next book.

Meet Amy Thomas -- a self-proclaimed anti-marriage posterwoman. I mean, why fix it when it isn't broke, right? Amy is wildly in love with Stephen and the marriage question hasn't even come up, which suits her just fine. Why turn herself into a crazy woman with all those nutty, self-absorbed, time-consuming wedding plans anyway? Then out of the clear, blue sky, Stephen proposes and opens up a whole new world for Amy. One she didn't even know she wanted. Follow Amy on her hilarious (I mean, of the knee-slapping kind) journey from normal, satisfied woman to harried wedding planner of the worst kind. And relish every step of the way.

Written in easy to read diary form, Diary of a Mad Bride is addictive and breezy and the pages will fly right by -- which can be a bad thing since you really don't want the book to end! Amy is endearing, her two friends, Mandy and Anita, are priceless in their own crazy way, and the families-in-law are almost too much to bear. Prepare to laugh and your mood to be lifted -- this novel is the best medicine. Looking forward to reading futher Mad adventures.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny!!, June 28, 2005

By 

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Diary of a Mad Bride (Paperback)

This book was absolutely hilarious!! I picked it up seeking a funny, light, enjoyable read after some of the heavier themed books I've finished, and I sure found it!

This book zips right along, formatted as diary entries of Amy Thomas, whose friends it seems are all getting married, and going crazy. Amy vows never to become a crazy, delusional bride-to-be. But when Stephen her boyfriend proposes to her, things quickly start spinning out of control. Before she knows what's happening, she's second guessing her antique engagement ring, the way Stephen proposed, her wedding dress, and fighting in public about her bridal flowers!

As soon I finished this book I IMMEDIATELY picked up the next one, Diary of a Mad Mother-To-Be, and am half-way through already. I highly recommend this book, it's fast-paced and VERY funny! A great book for future brides, married women, or anyone even remotely interested in weddings!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it in one day!, January 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Diary of a Mad Bride (Paperback)

I feel like I have gone above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to supporting soon-to-be-wed friends, so when I read the main character, Amy, think to herself, "What is it about a wedding that turns an otherwise normal person into a raging narcissist?" I knew I had to get this book. While I agree with other reviewers that Amy went improbably quickly from "I'm not the marrying kind" to "I'm engaged!" her metamorphasis from normal person to raging narcissistic diva without even being aware of it was truly hilarious. As the last single woman in my circle of friends, it has been my job to listen to all of my friends obsess over napkin monograms, length of corsage stems, pastel versus white jordan almonds, and all of the other incredibly important details about their weddings. The only thing that gets me through it is the tiny hope that, someday, it will be my turn to drive them insane! If you are married, engaged, or single, this book will speak to you. I highly recommend it!