Rating: 
Summary: The Wedding-Could use a little work
Review: I didn't enjoy this book because of many reasons, but the main one was that it was too hard to follow. It went from past to present too many times for me to stay interested in it. There was too much detail in it also, spreading things out and losing my interest. There also wasn't a clear plot through out the story. It seemed like a lot of little plots that weren't very entertaining and the book became boring after a while. There also wasn't a issue that was carried throughout the book except the struggle that some of her ancestors had to go through to be excepted in society. There was a plot in the beginning that only came out in the last twenty pages. Those last twenty pages were very interesting and kept my interest, but I would have liked the whole book to keep my interest and maybe only twenty pages lose it. The book wasn't even really about a wedding but reflections before it. There weren't even any conflicts between characters that lasted more than a few pages. For these reasons, I would not recommend this book for anyone to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected!
Review: I guess I should have read the book first and watched the made for tv film directly after. The book moved slow. I enjoyed the made-for-tv film immensely. Unfortunately the book did not hold my interest.Sorry. Trinice Speight-Moses
Rating:
Summary: Love is Truth Not Race or Class
Review: I have never read a book that touched my heart, made me laugh, made me cry, and written with such great depths of reality as "The Wedding". I could not put this book down because of the special relationship of Shelby and her sister. Shelby is the exact opposite of her sister. Shelby marries for love while her sister marries for class status and acceptance. The bond and relationship that these sisters share enhances the book further by showing the intricate relationships in the family. It has been a year or more since i've read this book, so you'll have to pardon me if i have any facts wrong, and yet i long to read it once again. Shelby shows her family that love is not determined by race or class but it is defined by truth. Shelby's character shows strength even at times when she is unsure of her own identity. I especially remember the time when shelby ran away and the people in the town couldn't find her because they thought Shelby was white. The story has a tragic ending which I did not anticipate unlike many books or movies which are so predictable. Each character in the book has their own flaws, strength and beauty. Although it is a work of fiction, this book is educational by the fact that it shows how assumptions, ideologies and expectations of class, race,gender, marriage damage,corrupt and influence people in society. Dorothy West's writing is simplistic yet eloquent as the story is constructed and built upon the lives and history of a family. The telling of the story through a family tree concept is not only original, but intellectual. It is a great work of literature that transcends time by the lessons it teaches. This book is "Unforgettable".
Rating: 
Summary: Timeless message not delivered very well
Review: I looked forward to reading Dorothy West's THE WEDDING because I'd heard it was excellent, an instant classic. I must say I was extremely disappointed. This is not a well-written book, mainly because the dialogues are forced. The author gives information to the reader through stilted dialogue rather than letting the characters speak as people really would. Sure, if your standard of literature is Danielle Steel or Mary Higgins Clark or Jackie Collins, Dorothy West is still a good writer. But, hey, if you are coming to this from an ethnic/feminist point of view, then instead read Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, or Gloria Naylor. If you are looking for good women's writing regardless of ethnicity then what about Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, Anita Desai, Arundhati Roy, Nawal el-Saadawi, Assia Djebar, Jamaica Kincaid, Keri Hulme, or Christina Stead ? If you are looking for just good writing, then read any of the above or any good male author. I can't recommend this novel except for beach reading. Even though love is certainly love no matter what and race is a disastrous concept that has spoiled millions of lives and created limitless suffering, THE WEDDING is still overrated.
Rating: 
Summary: Dorothy West Fan
Review: I loved the beginning of West's The Wedding. Her characters are always fully developed and her plots are intricate. However, being a woman of African descent and not inclined to play the skin-color game, I found the frequent references to skin tone tedious and pretty soon tired of the reading. That's not to say that I won't pick it up and finish it (I can't get away from several of the characters in the book). West knows a lot about race relations on the east coast and I find that fascinating. I find her works are intriguing as Dr. Morrison's. As a writer, I love her flow of words and the scenic structure of her settings. As an African American who spends a great deal of time teaching young Black citizens that the love of your color comes from the inside out and not just something worn on a tee-shirt, I find that some of her characters too defeating or, rather, defeated because there are too many instances when the quality of their lives are lessened because they refuse to get beyond things that have been instilled on us through colonization.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I loved the book when it was first published in 1995 and encouraged our book club to read it last December. We were thrilled to hear that Oprah was making a movie of it and we contacted each other in the book club to watch the min-series on ABC. Thanks Oprah for giving it your support.
Rating:
Summary: Great family saga with a tragic ending
Review: I loved this book. I found the multi-generational family history to be compelling. I also was intrigued by the revelations regarding the class and color struggles among members of the same race and the same family. My only criticisms are that I thought the relationship between Lute and Shelby needed more explanation, and I found the ending too tragic (I won't spoil it for you if you have not yet read the book ... but I cried.) and somewhat unnecessary. Notwithstanding these criticisms, I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: it all reveloved around the past... what about the present
Review: I thought that it dwelled far too much on the past of the Coleses and not enough on the present. It goes into great detail, and it crafted well. But the wedding wasn't what I expected at all.
Rating:
Summary: A Hard Read for A Teenanger
Review: I thought that it had a great lesson in the end but, it had a lot of things that could be let out. I thought that in a lot of instances it became boring. I don't recommend it to anyone under the age of 17.
Rating:
Summary: I thought the movie was very inspiring, I loved it.
Review: I thought the movie was very great and inspiring to people who has been in the same situation. I really enjoyed the movie and hope that it airs again in the near future. I also thought that the author was wonderful. She needs some some kind of award.
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