Clearing the Aisle

by Karen Schwartz

They're getting hitched. When Rachel Silverstein and her longtime boyfriend Dan Gershon decide to get engaged, they hardly expect that planning a wedding will be more difficult than any life changes they've braved in the five years they've been dating. After all, they already live together. But suddenly everyone from parents to friends to cousins to caterers seems to be losing their minds completely. Surely it can't all be in Rachel's head. Can it? She's going insane. Between her budget-crazed father, her flighty mother, her stepmother, her seemingly perfectly well-meaning in-laws, and a fiancé who's suddenly questioning the very institution of marriage, Rachel's barely holding it together. If the guest-list wars and menu battles don't kill her, the dress-shopping will. And what's it going to take for Dan to step up and realize that his beloved future bride needs his help coping with the madness if she's ever going to make it to the altar?

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Humor, Romance, Adult Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2004

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Fiddler on the Roof" this is not, but if you have ever planned a wedding and have a slight familiarity with Jewish customs, you will enjoy this book.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was basic chick lit for young brides. I had a hard time getting invested in the characters because they were grumpy, negative, and a lil too whiney. Although, I did enjoy the questions raised for the couple as the wedding planning consumed them. It made them think twice about why they were really getting married, so when the day came, there wasn't a doubt in either of their minds. It was alright.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly little book about a Jewish New Yorker planning her wedding with all of the usual wedding drama: crazy family members, budget troubles, & unsupportive friends. It was ok but could have been juicier.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a scene where the bride is annoyed that her college group assigned her the spice girl of baby spice, and she thinks to herself ‘baby, I’m about to be a married lady, so clearly I’m not the baby’. After reading that, I can’t with this book. So wildly immature even for a trashy beach read.

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very pessimistic and negative, taking me 50 pages to get into it. The book was written in first person past tense? Just odd. It did have a nice finished ending, but the book wasn’t memorable.

[Bridget Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book i have read from this author. While it started off somewhat good, the ending was less than desirable. The book did accurately follow a couple as they get everything ready for the wedding and all of the stress the bride goes through and struggles to understand if she is being out of control or if she is truly being caused this grief by her parents and she is sane. It was enjoyable to read for the most part. The couple is Jewish so there were a lot of Jewish references that as I am not Jewish and do not know a lot of the customs felt hard to read as the words would be in Hebrew or it was assumed i would know the customs which was not enjoyable to read as I had no clue. The end of the book is clearly the wedding but instead of writing about it like the rest of the novel was written, it was written like i was watching it on video which i dont know about you but who really enjoys watching people's wedding video other than the couple and maybe their parents? The insane detail and step by step process that the wedding chapter went through was enough to make me crazy. I almost wanted to just put the book down then and skip the rest of the wedding and end of the book but i didn't. This was not one of my favorite books but it wasn't the worst either. If you get it for free read it, if not don't waste money on this one.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rachel and David are getting married. Simple enough, but first they have to overcome her cheap father, obnoxious stepmother, melodramatic mother, his 1950's-thinking parents, unenthusiastic friends, meddling relatives, and then find their own meaning in a Jewish ceremony. Rachel eventually pulls-off a wonderful event, full of personal touches and special acknowledgments to family and friends. She also grows closer to David and learns to accept her mom, dad, and stepmom (and in-laws) for who they are.

A fitting read when I was in the middle of planning my own wedding! I was relieved to know that things could be worse - at least I don't have the parent problem (or the issue of kosher meals). I think the book drifted off near the end, with the author's need to tie everything up in a neat package. The last part is a detail of the wedding video, which is given short-shrift as compared to the build-up to the event.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, although it's definitely brain candy! It was very entertaining, made me laugh, and even made me a bit disappointed that I finished it in one day. The protagonist, Rachel, was probably one of the most refreshing main characters that I've come across in a chick lit book. She was smart, funny, and true to herself/ideals without being pretentious or nauseatingly perfect. The supporting characters were just as irresistible, even Rachel's "I've got a stick up my butt" dad and "what about me?" stepmom. I also really appreciated the fact that Rachel had strong religious beliefs and was determined to incorporate them into her plans.

I know wedding stories have been done to death, but this was a good one. The author was inspired by her own wedding planning experience, and I think she did a fine job turning that into a novel.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, mindless and probably more fun to read since I am getting ready for my own wedding. The parents in this book are CRAZY and I'm lucky both sets of my parents are much more flexible and understand that it's my wedding. I think the last chapter especially was interesting since I went to my friend's Jewish wedding last year and a lot of the ceremony was familiar.

One slip up the author made in referring to Phyllis as Anita struck me as surprising since it was a careless error and the book was otherwise typo-free.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble when I was planning my wedding.

I loved this book - it was a great picture of how it is planning a wedding (though Rachel's issues are a little more extreme than the average bride), and the characters were really likable and realistic.

I've also reviewed this book on my blog - http://browncoatmom.blogspot.com/2011...

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I think of as "chicklit that's actually good." Disclaimer: I'm planning my own wedding and totally biased, so I may have been more interested in the plot than the casual reader, but I really enjoyed it. Rachel, the narrator, was well developed and relatable, and although there were a good number of characters, I felt like for the most part the character development was very solid considering the genre. Definitely a good read for this point in my life.

[Allison Junkans · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book. I picked up this book b/c I thought it would be a fun, funny read about planning a wedding, as I was doing the same. However, the focus was more about her dysfunctional family, which is not particularly fun or funny. I couldn't keep track of all the members of her extended family and her various friends, but I didn't even care about them anyway.

[Ellenjsmellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...all the typical stuff that happens during an engagement thru the wedding. The "shit or get off the pot", the dealing with the parents especially divorced ones and then the actual fairytale wedding.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun read! If you're into what I like to call "chick novels," you will certainly love this one. And more importantly, if you've ever thought your family was insane, for one reason or another, you'll be able to relate to Rachel's situation!

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a nice, light read and I did enjoy the way the author told her story, especially at the end when she used the video watching to share her wedding story. I am not sure most folks would appreciate this if they weren't, or hadn't recently, planned a wedding, though.

[Mary Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty predictable but the description of the wedding at the end was charming...

[Lauren Tamraz · Rating 4 out of 5]

a cute story about a cak decorator-always-a-bridesmaid. A good filler for days at work.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was mainly amusing because I am going through the same experience right now.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes I love to read books about weddings and brides. It was OK--predictable but a good read.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can only read so much of another person's whining.

[Britny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really didn't interest me very much, just kept reading it, hoping for it to get really good but it never did.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written chick lit. I found the details of a jewish wedding interesting. The family drama was a bit much, but I think it was maybe because it hit too close to home. Interesting characters.

[Joanne Gentiluomo]

OmG. it took me a year to read this boring book! Sure, all weddings come with some kind of parental drama (who to invite, not to invite) but this was boring!