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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointingly Average, January 1, 2008
This review is from: On This Day (Paperback)
At their best, Melody Carlson's stories are crisply written and filled with the kind of realistic, mind-grabbing plots that force readers to keep reading just one more page. Unfortunately, this "quieter" story by Carlson is the opposite of the above description. "On This Day" chronicles the intertwined stories of five seemingly unconnected women who attend a lavish wedding while struggling to come to terms with their separate issues. Aunt of the bride Elizabeth feels certain that her marriage is quietly crumbling, grandmother Margaret confronts her mortality, bridesmaid Ingrid questions the wisdom of her engagement, sister-in-law Laura struggles with feelings of inadequacy in the face of her husband's wealthy family, and family acquaintance Suzette hides fury over her husband's affair behind an impeccable appearance.
While each of their stories began promisingly, and were potentially the sort of situations that could easily have crafted into compelling reading, somehow each fell flat. One glaring problem, especially as the novel continued, was the amount of repetition. Each woman's problem was discussed so thoroughly and continuously that I often felt like skipping a few pages to get to a part where something fresh happened. Yes, I know that these detailed revelations were meant to draw the reader deeply into each woman's mind, but in this case, the tactic failed too often. Furthermore, these separate yet connected stories often slowly wound their way toward a sadly weak conclusion. Suzette had a snobbish, dramatic nature that could have made her one the most interesting characters, but her storyline fizzled out in a hasty way that seemed almost purposeless. Elizabeth's worries at first evoked sympathy, yet after being so "built up" but ultimately so tidily resolved, they seemed slightly silly. Ingrid's story had satisfying twists and in general, a resolution that would satisfy most readers. Laura's honesty was refreshing throughout "On this Day," although her story suffered some of the same "tidy resolution" problem that Elizabeth's had. As for Margaret, her quiet, sweet wisdom made her a loveable character (and one had to enjoy the small surprise she received at the end of the wedding day).
"On This Day" just doesn't come together as a truly engaging novel. The premise of strikingly different characters thrown together for a single day was intriguing, but was not fully developed, and while flashes of Carlson's best writing occasionally emerged, she failed to craft the kind of captivating plotlines that made previous "Finding Alice" and "Looking For Cassandra Jane" the kind of books that I carried with me until I finished them. Solidly average and unfortunately forgettable, I can only give "On This Day" 2.5 stars.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
With gentle surprises, a very satisfying read, March 28, 2006
This review is from: On This Day (Paperback)
What would happen if you were able to follow five unrelated women around for a day as they attend a grand, expensive wedding at a remote mountain lake resort? Well, if you were Melody Carlson you would write a delightful book about it called On This Day, which completely immerses the reader into the thoughts and feelings of each woman.
Elizabeth's beloved niece, Jenny, is getting married, and she is determined that nothing will spoil Jenny's day. Elizabeth's worries that her own marriage is falling apart and that her husband is having an affair, but confronting him today of all days is definitely out. When Elizabeth is assigned the task of making sure high maintenance Suzette Burke doesn't cause a scene during any of the festivities, she is forced to hear about Suzette's marital problems. Suzette has just discovered her husband is having a fling with his secretary, and she isn't about to let the floozy have him without a fight.
The maid of honor, Ingrid, is having serious doubts about her own upcoming marriage to her fiancé, especially when she sees Jenny's handsome cousin, Patrick, for the first time in two years. Sister-in-law to the groom, Laura, has just had her first baby and is having her own issues, what with rushing upstairs to feed her baby, leaking breast milk all over her new dress during the luncheon, and worrying that she's underdressed and outclassed at this overly fancy wedding.
Margaret is the grandmother of the bride, and she worries that she is just in the way. She's already had one heart attack, and her doctor has warned her she doesn't have much time left unless she has heart surgery. However, she doesn't want to have the surgery. Her husband is already gone, "So," she wonders, "why would I prolong my reunion in heaven with my beloved Calvin?"
This book delivers a few gentle surprises at the end, which makes it a satisfying read. - Melanie Dickerson, Christian Book Previews.com
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fly On the Wall, April 30, 2008
This review is from: On This Day (Paperback)
I enjoyed reading from the perspective of each character - ladies connected to the bride one way or another. Each woman is going through a different phase in life. You have the aunt of the bride, the grandmother of the bride, a friend of the family's, the bride's best friend, and the bride's soon-to-be sister-in-law. All have their "angst" that day. It shows how weddings bring out the stress in people, particularly with this one being a "grand" event with the fussy mother-of-the-groom being an "everything in life must be perfect" kind of woman. I felt privy to the day's events - like a fly on the wall.
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