The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson
Harvey
Hardcover, 416 pages
Publication: March 29th 2022 by Gallery Books
Genre:
Historical Fiction, Womens Fiction
From
Goodreads: The New York Times bestselling
author of Under the Southern Sky and the Peachtree Bluff
series brings “her signature wit, charm, and heart” (Woman’s World) to
this sweeping new novel following four women across generations, bound by a
beautiful wedding veil and a connection to the famous Vanderbilt family.
Four women. One family heirloom. A secret connection that will change their
lives—and history as they know it.
Present Day: Julia Baxter’s wedding veil, bequeathed to her great-grandmother
by a mysterious woman on a train in the 1930s, has passed through generations
of her family as a symbol of a happy marriage. But on the morning of her
wedding day, something tells her that even the veil’s good luck isn’t enough to
make her marriage last forever. Overwhelmed and panicked, she escapes to the
Virgin Islands to clear her head. Meanwhile, her grandmother Babs is also
feeling shaken. Still grieving the death of her beloved husband, she decides to
move out of the house they once shared and into a retirement community. Though
she hopes it’s a new beginning, she does not expect to run into an old flame,
dredging up the same complicated emotions she felt a lifetime ago.
1914: Socialite Edith Vanderbilt is struggling to manage the luxurious Biltmore
Estate after the untimely death of her cherished husband. With 250 rooms to
oversee and an entire village dependent on her family to stay afloat, Edith is
determined to uphold the Vanderbilt legacy—and prepare her free-spirited
daughter Cornelia to inherit it—in spite of her family’s deteriorating
financial situation. But Cornelia has dreams of her own. Asheville, North
Carolina has always been her safe haven away from the prying eyes of the press,
but as she explores more of the rapidly changing world around her, she’s torn
between upholding tradition and pursuing the exciting future that lies beyond
Biltmore’s gilded gates.
In the vein of Therese Anne Fowler’s A Well-Behaved Woman and
Jennifer Robson’s The Gown, The Wedding Veil brings
to vivid life a group of remarkable women forging their own paths—and explores
the mystery of a national heirloom lost to time.
My
Thoughts: I am a HUGE
Kristy Woodson Harvey fan. I have read all
of her books and always look forward to reading her books. This book is a historical fiction. It is a look into the life of the Vanderbilts
and their family heirlooms of the wedding veil. Every woman has worn the veil and had a good
marriage and happy life since wearing the Vanderbilt veil. In current time Julia in the runaway bride,
escaping from a cheating fiancée. The
Biltmore, which is where the Vanderbilts lived, is her favorite place to visit
and study the history of the family and the architecture.
Everything
about this book is amazing. I devoured
each page, loving the dual timelines.
The characters were wonderful.
The storyline had me falling into the story and never wanting to
leave. I felt like I was invested in
Julia finding her happiness. I was intrigued by the Vanderbilt family and their
family dynamics. I absolutely loved
Babs, Julia’s grandmother. She was full
of wit, experience, and advice without being pushy.
Kristy Woodson
Harvey is a must-read author and I recommend all her books. The Wedding Veil is her first steps into
historical fiction and my favorite so far.
**Thank you
Kristy Woodson Harvey for a print copy of the book in exchange for my honest
review.
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Meet Kristy
Woodson Harvey: (Taken from her website) Kristy Woodson Harvey is
the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s
Weekly bestselling author of nine novels including Under the
Southern Sky, The Peachtree Bluff Series, and the forthcoming The
Wedding Veil. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson
Award for Excellence in Creative Writing, a finalist for the Southern Book
Prize, her work has been optioned for film and her books have received numerous
accolades including:
- Southern Living’s Most Anticipated
Beach Reads
- Southern Living’s Best Spring Break
Reads
- Southern Independent
Bookseller Association’s Okra Pick
- Parade’s Big Fiction Reads
Every Book Club Will Love
- Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks
- Us Weekly’s Sweet Reads for Right
Now
- Woman’s WorldBest Books
- PopSugar’s Ultimate
Summer Reading
- USA Today Happy Ever After’s
Best Women’s Fiction
- New York Live’s
“Ashley’s A-List”
- Deep South Magazine’s
Summer Reading List
- Raleigh News &
Observer‘s
“The Best Reads of Summer”
- Charlotte Observer’s “Summer’s Best Books”
- Bustle’s Books to Read
and Discuss With Your Mom and Grandma
- Huffington Post’s Summer Reading:
Women’s Fiction Style
She blogs with
her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be
the catalyst for creating a beautiful life. Design Chic is the inaugural member
of the design blogger hall of fame, sponsored by Traditional
Home, and winner of Amara’s Best Luxury Blog, as chosen by Roberto
Cavalli. She also loves connecting with readers on kristywoodsonharvey.com.
Harvey is a Phi
Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill’s school of journalism and holds a master’s in English from East
Carolina University, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational
literature. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications and websites,
including Southern Living, Traditional Home, Parade, USA
Today, Domino, Our State and O. Henry.
She has been seen in Today.com, Women’s Health,The
Washington Post, US News and World Report, The Huffington
Post,Marie Claire’s The Fix, Woman’s World, Readers’ Digest,
Bustle, New York Live and North Carolina Bookwatch, among
others.
Kristy is a
co-founder and co-host of the hit weekly webshow and podcast, Friends &
Fiction, with fellow authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Patti Callahan
Henry and Mary Alice Monroe. She is a proud member of the Tall Poppy
Writers, serves on the board of The University of North Carolina’s Library
Board, the Beaufort Historical Association, and is a member of the University
of North Carolina’s Women’s Leadership Council. She is a frequent speaker at
fundraisers, book conferences and private events. She lives in North Carolina
with her husband and seven-year-old son where she is working on her next novel.
Praise for
Kristy Woodson Harvey:
“The Secret to
Southern Charm is a compelling, beautifully drawn tale of love, hope and
small town secrets. The richly detailed backdrop of a charming
coastal town and the struggles and joys of four generations of women
solidifies Kristy Woodson Harvey’s spot as a rising star of Southern Fiction.”
—Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times Bestselling Author of Beach House for
Rent
“A major new
voice in Southern fiction.” —Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling
author
“Harvey pulls
the reader into the hearts and souls of her characters.” —Heather
Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author
“One of the
hottest new Southern writers.” —Parade.com
“Southern
fiction at its best. . . . Beautifully written.” —Eileen Goudge, New York
Times bestselling author
“Sweet as sweet
tea on the outside and strong as steel on the in- side. . . . Kristy Harvey is
a natural.” —Ann Garvin, author of On Maggie’s Watch and The Dog Year
Praise for Slightly South of Simple
“Kristy Woodson
Harvey really knows how to tell a southern tale. Every single time her stories
unwind gently, like a soft wind in Georgia, then that wind catches you off
guard and throws you into her characters’ tumultuous lives. Slightly South of
Simple is the same. One gracious, old home inherited from Grandma, one mother
who has so many secrets if the walls talked they would pour out like lemonade
on a hot summer day, and three head- strong sisters, all working their way
through the chaotic mess and joy of life, together. I loved it.” —Cathy
Lamb, New York Times bestselling author
“Kristy Woodson
Harvey cuts to the heart of what it means to be a born-and-bred Southerner,
complete with the unique re- sponsibilities, secrets and privileges that
conveys. Discover four women who are at once different yet utterly the same,
and a town that you won’t ever want to leave. Interior design, family secrets,
life on the coast . . . it’s easy to see why everyone is buzzing about Slightly
South of Simple.” —Cassandra King, author of The Sunday Wife and The Same Sweet
Girls
“Heartfelt and
warm, Slightly South of Simple deftly explores the familial ties that bind
us—and those that have the power to break us. Kristy Woodson Harvey’s cast of
characters—and the charming beach town of Peachtree Bluff—will crawl into your
soul and stay there.” —Colleen Oakley, author of Close Enough to Touch
“Fans of Nancy
Thayer and Patti Callahan Henry will devour this story of the first of three
sisters, the men in their lives, and the mother who bonds them
all.” —Booklist
“Harvey’s
devotion to realistic character development pays off by the end of the novel,
which provides clear resolutions to some plots and leaves other hanging in a
way that practically begs for a sequel . . . Slightly South of Simple is so
warm, inviting and real . . .” —Bookpage
“My prediction
is that writers come and writers go, but Kristy Woodson Harvey is here to stay.
The warmth, wit, and wisdom of this novel pave her way into the exclusive
sisterhood of southern writers.” —Huffington Post
“With a
charming, coastal Southern setting, Slightly South of Simple is a heartfelt
story about the universal themes of love, loss, forgiveness and family. I’m
thrilled to hear that this book is part of a series and look forward to getting
to know this cast of strong Southern women even better.” —Deep South
Magazine
“Harvey,
considered to be the ‘it girl’ of Southern fiction, intro- duces the first
novel in the Peachtree Bluff Series this spring. Child, this book is
everything! We’re hoping to see this soapy read on the Hallmark
Channel.” —Jamey Giddens, Daytime Confidential
“Full of heart,
emotion, and Southern charm . . .” —PopSugar
“If you’re
looking for a new series to get lost into, this story of three sisters and
their mother will have you flying through the pages.” —Glitter Guide
