Alliott Catherine. The Wedding Day

A Novel.Annie O'Harran is the wrong side of thirty. A harassed single mother (of almost teen-aged Flora), she's escaped her faithless first husband with a few shreds of dignity intact, and against all expectations- met her hero: David Palmer is a kind and gentle doctor with a private practice in Belgravia, and Annie has a blissful summer ahead to plan their wedding. But first Annie must escape the constant interruptions of her tiny Fulham house, and surround herself with calm in order to meet the horrible deadline set by the only publisher ever to have expressed interest in her writing. Giving mad Aunt-to-be Gertrude a cameo role in her novel is surely a small price to pay for the loan of a fabulous writer's retreat on a Cornish cliff with its own private beach? No sooner has she arrived in Cornwall, however, than the doorbell starts ringing. Everyone, it seems, from her competitive sister Clare and her noisy brood, to her louche ex-husband Adam and his nubile young girlfriend, has had the same idea for their summer holidays. And then there's the houseguest who doesn't even bother to knock.
Just as long as none of them affects her big day at the end of the summer.Somewhat barmy Londoner Anni O'Harran — urged by her physician fiancé, David Palmer, to vacation at his elderly aunt's empty Cornwall home — sets off on a summer holiday with her 12-year-old daughter, Flora, and visions of finishing her perpetually unfinished novel. Sister Clare and brood are just up the road in their own rental, but plans immediately go awry when Yank Matt Malone arrives. He's rented the house from the dotty aunt, but he amiably agrees to share it with Annie and her daughter. Matt is cute, and has his own writing project on the table. The inevitable Matt and Annie romance is telegraphed early on, but Alliott's insights into relationships urge one forward, as she covers everything from the give-and-take of sisterly bonds to the nastiness of custody battles. Alliott's portrayal of adolescents is spot on, and the rich inner lives of the adults, while often monologued, give this conventional romance depth. As the day of the nuptials approaches, it is unclear who, precisely, will be at the altar.Catherine Alliott worked in London as a copywriter in advertising. She now lives in Hertfordshire with her husband, a barrister, and their three children.