The Wedding Veil

Content warnings: infidelity, death of a spouse, grief

One wedding veil connects generations of North Carolina women.

One wedding veil connects several women through history -- Edith Vanderbilt, her daughter Cornelia, contemporary bride Julia Baxter, and her grandmother Babs.

Edith Vanderbilt is pleasantly surprised when she becomes fond of her husband George, despite their marriage of convenience. She needed his money and he needed her old money clout. After his departure from this world, George leaves behind Edith and daughter Cornelia with no funds to run their beloved Biltmore Estate and the girls must get creative to care for their lands and community.

Julia Baxter is getting married at her favorite place, the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina. During the festivities, the entire bridal party received a scandalous video that will have consequences for Julia whether she decides to marry her fiancé or not. She panics before donning the family's famous veil -- guaranteed to give the wearer a lifetime of happiness -- and leaves the wedding alone for their destination honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands. There she must find what it means to be just Julia after a decade-long relationship with fiancé Hayes.

Julia's grandmother Babs is grieving her departed husband and battling loneliness after his constant presence over the past fifty-plus years. She can no longer sleep in their marital bed and is contemplating moving to a senior living community. She meets a man there that was a former flame before she married her husband. Her twin daughters are mothering her and stifling Babs, who at eighty is still of sound mind.

All of the women are connected by a wedding veil, but the story of how the veil became a part of Babs' and Julia's family after the Vanderbilts is a mystery that Julia and Babs must figure out together.

The narrators' performances are all good, but Babs' narrative shines. The narration captures the older Southerner vibe so well that the reader may think of Babs as their own grandmother.

Recommended for readers of historical and contemporary women's fiction.

Kristy Woodson Harvey is a blogger, podcaster, and bestselling author of Southern fiction. She studied journalism at UNC Chapel Hill and graduated from East Carolina University with her master's in English. She lives in North Carolina.

Publisher: Gallery Books

Narrators: Shannon McManus, Janet Metzger, Rebekkah Ross, & Megan Tusing

Running Time: 11 hours, 24 minutes

Length: 416 pages

Release Date: March 29, 2022

Representation: twins, elderly main character

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.