by Cathy Kelly (The Orion Publishing Group, R258)
After reviewing a book, I sometimes pop on to the internet for a quick peek at how my ramblings compare with those of other reviewers.
In this case, I sought reassurance that it was not just lack of sleep that was preventing me from fully appreciating the Irish author’s 389 pages of storyline weaving … And it seems I’m not the only one who struggled to keep track of the vast cast of characters in this book.
The cover, with its picture of Paris is deceiving.
Katy and Michael are the happy couple whose engagement takes place at the Eiffel Tower in Paris in the beginning of the book, but the Paris connection is only resurrected right near the end, and it is the couple’s family and friends back in Bridgeport that are the main focus.
According to the dust jacket blurb, there are three chief characters, but various “significant others” are also accorded plenty of space.
The happy couple’s parents, Birdie and Howard, and Stephen and Grace provide a backdrop to wedding preparations.
Vonnie comes with a side order of fondly-remembered dead husband Joe; prospective husband and step-daughters; as well as an arch-rival, Jennifer.
Katy’s friend, Leila, meanwhile, strings along an unwieldy posse which includes Tynan, the ex; Susie, the sister; Devlin, the boss; Dolores, the mom and Pixie the dog, just for good measure.
While I admired the writer’s ability to juggle all her many characters – remembering them all must have been quite a feat to pull together into a cohesive whole.
It seemed some of the sub-plots were not as developed as they might have been had there been fewer characters to consider.
Nonetheless, the writing was vaguely reminiscent of the much-loved Maeve Binchy’s, and once I got my head around the who’s who of the characters – about 100 pages in – I did find myself settling into what was a somewhat predictable, though light-hearted read with obligatory happy endings, ideal for a lazy Sunday afternoon.