The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I've been wanting to read a book by Kristy Woodson Harvey because Susan always raves about them. I've hesitated only because I'm not as partial to southern fiction as Susan is. When I saw that The Wedding Veil had a plot line involving Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt, I knew that this would be the book I read.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

March 2022; Gallery Books; 978-1982180713
audio, ebook, print (416 pages); women's fiction

I've visited Biltmore Estate twice. Ironically, my last visit (to see the Downton Abbey exhibit) was the week before everything shut down in March 2020 because of COVID-19. I say ironic because this was about the time Harvey started working on this book and couldn't take the expected research trips to the estate.

I did have a little trouble getting into the book. The opening scenes with Julia at the wedding were a little too southern fiction for me. I started enjoying the book as we got more of Edith's story. By the time Julia was honeymooning in the British Virgin Islands, I had warmed up to her too (it might just be because I'm desperate for a real vacation and I was enjoying living vicariously through her). I liked Babs, Julia's grandmother, who is still grieving the loss of her husband but also wants to move on with her life. She is a fun character.

I loved getting the tidbits about Edith and Cornelia. When you visit Biltmore Estate there is little about them on the tour, even though they lived at the house much longer than George did. But even they seemed to be doing everything to keep George's legacy alive and not so much for their own sake. 

Overall, this book would be a great summer beach read. It has some historical moments with Cornelia and Edith and some romantic comedy elements with both Julia's and Babs's storylines. There's even a little mystery surrounding the heirloom wedding veil. It all works together to create an engaging story.

P.S. if you haven't visited Biltmore Estate, you should plan a trip. It is really beautiful. The descriptions in this book took me right back there and I could picture it, especially the description of the winter garden. I wish I could remember where my photo of it is. It is my favorite part of the house, though I love the library too, of course.

Buy The Wedding Veil at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.