Wedding (Virago Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Dorothy West (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 1997 | Series: Virago Modern Classics

Set on the Elysian isle of Martha's Vineyardm among an insular community of proud and prosperous black families, Dorothy West's first novel for nearly fifteen years centres around the marriage of Shelby Coles, daughter of the community's foremost family to a struggling white jazz musician. Not just the story of one wedding, but of many, this thought-provoking and deeply interesting novel offers insights into issues of race, prejudice and identity while maintaining its firm belief in the compensatory power of love.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

While younger writers obsess over the need to show rather than tell, the octogenarian West simply grabs you by the lapels and drags you headlong through a multigenerational saga of affluent, Martha's Vineyard blacks who are so fair in complexion that they're almost white. And she does it all in something like 225 pages, sounding very much like Faulkner even when she's over the top, which is only now and then. You won't mind, because there is greatness here as well as gripping storytelling. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The tranquility of a late summer weekend in 1953 is shattered by a tragic accident in this spare, affecting novel by one of the last surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance. The Oval, the exclusive black enclave on Martha's Vineyard, prepares for the marriage of Shelby Coles, daughter of one of the community's most admired couples. Shelby's choice of white jazz musician Meade Wyler awakens dormant but unresolved racial issues in her family, which includes her physician father, enduring a loveless but socially proper union; her mother, confronting a dwindling pool of partners for her discreet affairs, and her great-grandmother, who dreams of escaping her ambivalence by returning to her aristocratic Southern roots. The arrival of black artisan Lute McNeil upsets the precarious equilibrium of the Oval when his aggressive pursuit of Shelby leads to disaster. Through the ancestral histories of the Coles family, West (The Living Is Easy) subtly reveals the ways in which color can burden and codify behavior. The author makes her points with a delicate hand, maneuvering with confidence and ease through a sometimes incendiary subject. Populated by appealing characters who wrestle with the nuances of race at every stage of their lives, West's first novel in 45 years is a triumph. BOMC and QPB featured selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Virago Press Limited (February 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860490565
• ISBN-13: 978-1860490569
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,213,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple story, complex characters (mellion108), July 19, 2003

By 

mellion108 (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wedding: A Novel (Paperback)

Shelby Coles chooses a husband, and this should be cause for a glorious celebration for the pampered summer residents of The Oval at Martha's Vineyard. However, it is the skin color of her beloved that unravels the underlying issues of race, identity, and history among these people. Set in the 50s, The Wedding portrays generational and contemporary issues among a group of upper-class African-Americans. The reader is allowed to glimpse into the most personal of issues with the various characters including Shelby herself, her mother, her father, and her grandmother. When a horrible tragedy is introduced into the mix, we also see how these characters either pull together or fall apart.

Yes, this is a novel that touches on racial issues and "place" in society. It is difficult to present these characters without also presenting the way that skin color affects all aspects of their lives. However, I really appreciate the intricate family relationships that are presented in this story. West does an amazing job of painting some realistic people during a very confusing time in American history.
(mellion108 from Michigan)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love is Truth Not Race or Class, October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wedding: A Novel (Paperback)

I have never read a book that touched my heart, made me laugh, made me cry, and written with such great depths of reality as "The Wedding". I could not put this book down because of the special relationship of Shelby and her sister. Shelby is the exact opposite of her sister. Shelby marries for love while her sister marries for class status and acceptance. The bond and relationship that these sisters share enhances the book further by showing the intricate relationships in the family. It has been a year or more since i've read this book, so you'll have to pardon me if i have any facts wrong, and yet i long to read it once again. Shelby shows her family that love is not determined by race or class but it is defined by truth. Shelby's character shows strength even at times when she is unsure of her own identity. I especially remember the time when shelby ran away and the people in the town couldn't find her because they thought Shelby was white. The story has a tragic ending which I did not anticipate unlike many books or movies which are so predictable. Each character in the book has their own flaws, strength and beauty. Although it is a work of fiction, this book is educational by the fact that it shows how assumptions, ideologies and expectations of class, race,gender, marriage damage,corrupt and influence people in society. Dorothy West's writing is simplistic yet eloquent as the story is constructed and built upon the lives and history of a family. The telling of the story through a family tree concept is not only original, but intellectual. It is a great work of literature that transcends time by the lessons it teaches. This book is "Unforgettable".

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Trailblazer, September 18, 2001

By 

Angela Brown "angiebrown" (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wedding: A Novel (Paperback)

Dorothy West shines in this novel about the African American middle class. Because so much of our history has been downplayed or dismissed, this book provides a breathtaking glimpse into a world that many African Americans never even knew existed. THE WEDDING is the story of Shelby Cole, beloved daughter of the prominent Coles family. But more than that, it is the story of black culture, that part that both embraced and rejected itself. It is the story of love outside of the color-divide and it is the story of how no matter how hard we try and how hard we try to dismiss it---color is, and will always be an issue. It's not a white issue or a black issue but a human issue. Dorothy West presents it in a way that is upfront and honest. She doesn't try to "whitewash" the history of color-struckness that continues to plague many in the African American community. Through the story of the Coles family, she began to hack away, even if only a little, at the very core of what continues to divide and in some cases conquer the African American community's ability to move on from our shackled past.