
Seating Arrangements
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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Maggie Shipstead
About this listen
Maggie Shipstead's stunning debut novel, Seating Arrangements is an irresistible social satire that is also an unforgettable meditation on the persistence of hope, the yearning for connection, and the promise of enduring love.
Winn Van Meter is heading for his family's retreat on the pristine New England island of Waskeke. Normally a haven of calm, for the next three days this sanctuary will be overrun by tipsy revelers as Winn prepares for the marriage of his daughter Daphne to the affable young scion Greyson Duff. Winn's wife, Biddy, has planned the wedding with military precision, but arrangements are sideswept by a storm of salacious misbehavior and intractable lust: Daphne's sister, Livia, who has recently had her heart broken by Teddy Fenn, the son of her father's oldest rival, is an eager target for the seductive wiles of Greyson's best man; Winn, instead of reveling in his patriarchal duties, is tormented by his long-standing crush on Daphne's beguiling bridesmaid Agatha; and the bride and groom find themselves presiding over a spectacle of misplaced desire, marital infidelity, and monumental loss of faith in the rituals of American life.
Hilarious, keenly intelligent, and commandingly well written, Shipstead's deceptively frothy first novel is a piercing rumination on desire, love and its obligations, and the dangers of leading an inauthentic life, heralding the debut of an exciting new literary voice.
©2012 Maggie Shipstead (P)2012 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
What listeners say about Seating Arrangements
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Robert
- 08-03-14
Trite, predictable, over the top PC
Would you try another book from Maggie Shipstead and/or Arthur Morey?
Disliked the book, love Arthur Morey
Would you recommend Seating Arrangements to your friends? Why or why not?
No
Any additional comments?
The headline says it all; even Arthur Morey (whom I love) couldn't salvage this one
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- vjutur
- 10-23-12
Test Review - only for tech testing
this is nothing but a test and shall not go online at any point and if it does please ignore
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- P.J.
- 10-26-12
Resist, Not Worth the Credit
Boring, boring, boring. Who listens to this stuff and likes it? I think I get over zealous on the sales, though I always read reviews, because this is the third book purchased on the last 6 months that was simply terrible.
I can't give you a redeeming value because the book had none. I listened for 4 hours and decided to move on to one of the many great books available.
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3 people found this helpful
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Performance
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- Barbara
- 06-26-12
Annoying narrator
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I would suggest reading this book instead of listening to the audio version.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Arthur Morey?
I would cast someone that could do a better job with women's voices. I would also prefer that the father did not sound like he was 95 years old.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Janet
- 03-14-13
Liked it a lot!
Seating Arrangements was a really good book about family dynamics and relationships. I'm sure most people could relate to at least some of the characters. It helps to remind us that constantly striving for more is not the route to happiness.
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Performance
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Story
- Marcia
- 06-19-12
Poor Narrator Ruins Good Book
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
A better reader.
What didn’t you like about Arthur Morey’s performance?
He reads in a monotone which makes it extremely difficult to follow.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Seating Arrangements?
None.
Any additional comments?
I think this is probably a very charming book with wonderfully quirky characters. But I have started over three times and am still hang trouble because the reader is so boring.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Barbara
- 09-06-12
Slow
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
No, it's too slow and tedious
What was most disappointing about Maggie Shipstead’s story?
Nobody goes anywhere or develops and learns anything
Did Arthur Morey do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Yes but his characters were not particularly interesting
Did Seating Arrangements inspire you to do anything?
no
Any additional comments?
I won't read one of hers again
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- JBH
- 12-10-12
Funny, easy listen.
Any additional comments?
This book is enjoyable is if you know that it is just light and silly. But the truth is that there are real people like the characters in the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Marsha
- 08-15-18
Struggled to finish. Weak content.
Halfway through I realized it wasn't going to get better but tried to remain hopeful.
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- annimation
- 10-06-14
Slow in parts, but an interesting story!
What other book might you compare Seating Arrangements to and why?
The characters are a lot like Gossip Girl characters (aka rich, beautiful, and generally unsympathetic), although the writing style is very different.
What three words best describe Arthur Morey’s performance?
I know the characters are supposed to be annoying, but it would be nice if he didn't make the voices sound *quite* so irritating.
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