Wedding of the Season
February 23, 2023
Graydon House
It’s the wedding of the season, and all of Newport is abuzz in this delightful, witty novel about two modern-day society families and the summer wedding that has the whole town talking…
Despite its beauty, Newport is a place Cass Coventry would prefer to forget. But after a long absence, she’s back in her hometown to celebrate her sister’s engagement—even if she’s marrying into the family that stole the Gilded Age Coventry mansion out from under them a decade ago.
The moment Cass pulls up to the estate, she’s in for one surprise after another. The bride-to-be is hiding a big secret. Her eccentric mother has royal-wedding aspirations. And, when the date is set for only three months away, a local gossip blog makes the two families—and their famously complicated history—its new favorite subject.
As Cass tries to keep things from spinning out of control, her weekend in town becomes a full summer season with few friendly faces. Her plan is simple: stay out of the spotlight until the wedding and then return to her life abroad. But when the grand affair arrives and buried truths come to light, she must finally face her own thorny past in Newport and decide how to honor the Coventry legacy in all its chaotic glory.
“Atmospheric and clever, with captivating, evocative characters, Wedding of the Season is perennial—like the best sort of party where the memory echoes long after the final toast.”
—Joy Callaway, international bestselling author of The Grand Design
“Filled with sharp, witty dialogue and a gorgeous sense of place, this novel of family, and ultimately the true meaning of home, is as delightful as a perfect summer day.”
—Jillian Cantor, USA TODAY bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools
“RSVP Yes to Wedding of the Season! With wit and charm, this delightful novel plunges the reader into a world of high society, faded glory, and the weight of legacy.”
—GINA SORELL, author of the NYTBR Editor’s Choice The Wise Women
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Discussion Questions
1. Why was Cass so eager to leave Newport, and so hesitant to return? How do you feel about your own hometown? Do you ever visit?2. How are Hope and Susie similar and/or different? Do they have more in common than they realize? Do you think they’ll ever manage to see eye to eye?
3. Discuss how Cass’s job as a photographer informs her perspective of events and her response to them throughout the novel.
4. Though Net-a-Newport is a fictional gossip blog, there are many real-life accounts that similarly chronicle the lives of celebrities. Do you read any such accounts? Why or why not?
5. Do you agree with J.P.’s choice to take Granny Fi’s letters out of the time capsule? What would you have done in his position?
6. Compare the mother-daughter relationship between Cass and Hope to the one between Hope and Granny Fi. How did one influence the other?
7. Discuss the conflict in the novel between motherhood and career. How have things changed or not changed from Granny Fi’s generation to Maggie and Cass’s?
8. Why do you think it bothered Maggie so much that Cass continually referred to her as “perfect?” Why do you think Cass saw her this way?
9. Did you understand why Archer stayed in Newport all these years?
10. Were you surprised that Cass and Spencer were ultimately willing to try again at a romantic relationship? Why or why not?
11. Who was your favorite character in the novel? Why?
12. Where do you imagine the Coventry-Gilford and Utterback families will be in five years?
Ladies of the House
February 23, 2023
Graydon House
Set in high-society Georgetown, an irresistible family drama about two sisters and the public scandal that just may lead them to rewrite the rules…
No surprise is a good surprise. At least according to thirty-four-year-old Daisy Richardson. So when it’s revealed in dramatic fashion that her esteemed father had been involved in a public scandal before his untimely death, Daisy’s life becomes complicated—and fast.
For one, the Richardsons must now sell the family home in Georgetown they can no longer afford, and Daisy’s mother is holding on with an iron grip. Her younger sister, Wallis, is ready to move on to bigger and better things but falls fast and hard for the most inconvenient person possible. And then there’s Atlas, Daisy’s best friend. She’s always wished they could be more, but now he’s writing an exposé on the one subject she’s been desperate to avoid: her father.
Daisy’s plan is to maintain a low profile as she works to keep her family intact amid social exile, public shaming, and quickly dwindling savings. But the spotlight always seems t find the Richardsons, and when another twist in the scandal comes to light, Daisy must confront the consequences of her continued silence and summon the courage to stand up and accept the power of her own voice.
“I was absolutely charmed by Ladies of the House. A wonderful debut.”
—Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing
“A stellar novel that celebrates sisterhood and the way women can step out of flawed men’s shadows. I delighted in every page.”
—Amy Meyerson, bestselling author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays and The Imperfects
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Discussion Questions
1. Discuss the plot differences between Ladies of the House and Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. How does Lauren Edmondson’s novel update Jane Austen’s?
2. What do you think Jane Austen might say about the society in which Daisy and Wallis operate? What has or has not changed for women since the Austen era?
3. Did you understand Daisy’s justifications for not initially going public about her father’s behavior?
4. Did you think Daisy’s ultimate decision to speak out was the right move? Why or why not? What might you have done in her situation?
5. How did you feel about Wallis at the beginning of
the novel versuom their beliefs?
7. Toward the end of the novel, Daisy tells Blake Darley: “You think you’re something special, don’t you? You think you’re unique. But you’re just one of the millions in this town who will regularly choose power above all.” Is this a fair assessment of him? Or did you have more sympathy for Blake?
8. As parents, how are Gregory Richardson, Cricket Richardson, Melinda Darley, and Judge Collette Reed similar and/or different?
9. Which character(s) did you most identify with in the novel? Why?
10. How can society better support women and raise up their voices?
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