Bridgewater Book Club
Lenell Riley, Betsy Boschert, Julie Forlenza, Delia Wadlington, Heidi Locke and Alicia Williford
The Bridgewater Book Club recently read The Wedding People and had a fun and festive wedding themed book club meeting to discuss the book! The gathering was held at the Bridgewater at Old Agency clubhouse and the members brought their own wedding photos and wedding albums to share with the group. Thanks to Heidi Locke and Alisha Williford for planning such a fun neighborhood event. If you are interested in joining the Bridgewater Book Club, please reach out to Lenell Riley to get on the email notification lis at Lenell.c.riley@gmail.com.
The Wedding People
BOOK REVIEW
BY Alicia Williford
The Wedding People is a contemporary fiction by Alison Espach set in Newport, Rhode Island. This book follows Phoebe Stone’s path to rediscovering her purpose and who she is in regards to sense of self.
Phoebe arrives at Cornwall Inn along with many of the wedding goers, including the bride herself, Lila. To Phoebe’s surprise, only Lila and her guests were supposed to be at Cornwall Inn for the week long wedding celebration. As mishaps happen, Phoebe gets a room as the only non-wedding guest. Lila, thinking Phoebe is one of her soon to be husband’s guests, finds an unexpected connection with Phoebe.
Both Phoebe and Lila have meticulously planned their respective stays at Cornwall Inn - of course, for very different occasions. Lila has planned her perfect wedding. Knowing that her father wanted her to marry Gary and use the million dollars he gave her upon his death, she would go through with the wedding. Phoebe, carrying depressed feelings with her past struggles of infertility, her husband Matt’s affair, career struggles and the death of her cat, booked a room at the Cornwall Inn.
Through themes of navigating marriage expectations in today’s society, finding friendships in unexpected places and much more, Espach touches on tough topics of infertility, pregnancy loss and suicide, along with how society can influence one’s decisions regarding their true self-identity.
August 2025 Book Club Read
- Book: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
- When: Aug 21st at 5:30 p.m.
- Where: TBD