Marriage Matters

Ellingsen (The Whole Package) offers a delightful, romantic tale of three generations of women all seeking love and affirmation, following a joint bouquet-catch at a family wedding. Psychology grad student Chloe’s hectic schedule of classes, internship, and work doesn’t allow her time to date or even to hang out much with her best friend, Ben. When a high-profile psychologist she admires asks her on a date, she is suddenly out of her comfort zone. Meanwhile, her mother, Kristine, feels disconnected from Chloe’s father, whose work travel takes him away from home more and more frequently. Kristine’s mother, June, feels the need to butt into Chloe and Kristine’s love lives, but she could use some wisdom herself regarding her next-door neighbor and gardening nemesis, handsome widower Charley. After a flurry of proposals, three simultaneous weddings are planned, but who will walk down the aisle? Actually, the outcomes are never in doubt, but readers will enjoy the comical wedding-planning journey and relate to characters who talk like actual people and deal with realistic relationship ups and downs. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Apr.)