num_pages: 240
description: Three years ago, Amanda Beesley's wildest dream came the love of her life slipped a diamond ring on her finger and said the magic words. From the moment she utters the word "Yes," Amanda enters the world she began planning when she first put a white towel on her head as a child. Told in a warm, engaging voice, Something New takes readers from Amanda and Nicky Weinstock's engagement to their first anniversary. Her engagement ring bruises her it must be an omen. The hunt for a wedding dress takes on the questlike importance of finding the significant other--at an upscale bridal boutique she feels like Cinderella; at a more downscale shop she's the ugly stepsister. While studying to be a bride, she unexpectedly fails Maid of Honor 101.Never far from this bride's mind, however, is the recent news that her mother has Alzheimer's. The ever-present question for Amanda as she plans the big day "How can I become a wife when the one wife I've always known is disappearing in front of me?"When the newlyweds move from city to country, and go from the bustle of planning a wedding to the solitude of planning a life, Amanda suddenly has plenty of time to reflect on how the subtle changes unsettle her--and often thrill her. The division of chores brings up gender issues, Nicky's frequent trips into the city leave Amanda surprisingly lonely, the dog adjusts to country living better than she does, and friends now seem mysteriously to come in pairs. She also finds some peace as she observes her father tending to her mother with immeasurable tenderness, patience, and love, causing her own ideas of what it is to be married to deepen and grow. Hers is a beautiful story--affecting and whimsical yet always sweetly inspiring.When the newlyweds move from city to country, and go from the bustle of planning a wedding to the solitude of planning a life, Amanda suddenly has plenty of time to reflect on how the subtle changes unsettle her--and often thrill her. The division of chores brings up gender issues, Nicky's frequent trips into the city leave Amanda feeling isolated, the dog adjusts to country living better than she does, and friends now seem to come mysteriously in pairs. She also finds some peace as she observes her father tending to her mother with immeasurable tenderness, patience, and love, causing her own ideas of what it is to be married to deepen and grow. Hers is a beautiful story--affecting and whimsical yet always inspiring. --&gt;
language: English
title: Something New: Reflections on the Beginnings of a Marriage
titlecomplete: Something New: Reflections on the Beginnings of a Marriage
ratings_count: 11
publisher: Doubleday