Seating Arrangements

The New York Times bestselling author of Great Circle

‘Joyously good’ DAILY MAIL

‘A ferociously clever comedy of manners’ GUARDIAN

‘A wise, sophisticated and funny novel about family, fidelity, class and crisis’ MARIE CLAIRE

‘A well-observed, hilarious, yet moving novel’ WOMAN & HOME

New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2012 Dylan Thomas Prize and 2012 L.A. Times First Novel Prize

The Van Meters have gathered at their family retreat on the New England island of Waskeke to celebrate the marriage of daughter Daphne to an impeccably appropriate young man. The weekend is full of lobster and champagne, salt air and practiced bonhomie, but long-buried discontent and simmering lust seep through the cracks in the revelry.

Winn Van Meter, father-of-the-bride, has spent his life following the rules of the east coast upper crust, but now, just shy of his sixtieth birthday, he must finally confront his failings, his desires, and his own humanity…

‘Maggie Shipstead is a hugely talented young writer – definitely one to watch’ GRAZIA

‘Distinctive and dazzling … The world has found a remarkable, humane new voice to explain us to ourselves’ Allison Pearson

Reviews

‘Joyously good’ Daily Mail

‘A ferociously clever comedy of manners’ Guardian

‘Shipstead’s sophisticated and summery debut more than lives up to the hype’ Independent

‘Distinctive and dazzling … The world has found a remarkable, humane new voice to explain us to ourselves’ Allison Pearson, Telegraph

‘A wise, sophisticated and funny novel about family, fidelity, class and crisis’ Marie Claire

About the author

Maggie Shipstead graduated from Harvard in 2005 and earned an M.F.A at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Currently, she is a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Seating Arrangements is her first novel.

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