The Toaster Broke So We're Getting Married

by Pamela Holm

Book Overview

The Toaster Broke So We're Getting Marriedis a hilarious and heartwarming look at one woman's odyssey from divorced single mom with a rebellious streak and a string of soured relationships to blushing... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1931561125
• ISBN13: 9781931561129
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing
• Length: 175 Pages
• Weight: 0.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

my thoughts on...

The Toaster Broke, So We're Getting Married, was a book recommended to me by my mother. Not normally my most reliable source for books that actually interest me, mostly they are the type of book which tell of deep and meaningful coming of age moments in a confused and misguided teenagers life, one word, boring. But I decided to give it a try because I knew some of the people in the book. The Toaster Broke, So We're Getting Married,was a good book and a fairly quick read. The length is a good indicator for the context, short but not flimsy. So what's the book about? It's a narration by a single mother of a teenage daughter who is on the verge of getting married for the second time. A seemingly typical structure for a family of characters in a book or story. But the way it is written is what sets this book apart. The story is not told by a third person narrator, who at best as a detached "watchers" of the story can tell the movements of the characters and recount dialogue. It is a prefect mixture of the thoughts inside the head of Pamela Holm and dialogue between her and the many different people who must be talked to and met with in the course of planning a wedding. The book starts as a listing of all the previous relationships Pamela has had, and as the list grows longer it can be seen why she might have some doubts as to whether she could be suited to be married ever again after a first failed marriage and many failed relationships after that. But the little adventures of deciding on the perfect wedding gown and which cake is ridiculous for $800 dollars, are told with the perspective of a down to earth person who knows it is ridiculous to spend years of time and salaries for the one day. Over-all a very good book, don't expect War and Peace, but something that could be a nice escape, but not too far from reality.

Enjoyable Interlude

Although I have read or tried several books in this genre, this one was different somehow. Maybe because it was short, or the way it was divided into topics, or the author's engaging style...whatever it was, the book was enjoyable and humorous.Holm surprises even herself with how much she cares about all the frippery associated with modern weddings and writes about it with honesty, poking fun at herself in the process!The author also had some thoughtful reflections on commitment, family, and marriage that really seemed to hit the mark.Complicating the wedding planning was the fact that this was a second marriage for both the bride and groom, and the author has a 15-year-old daughter. But all turns out well, even with a few glitches.

the sheer joy of finding happiness

How and why we read certain books is a study in itself...I had heard of this book through some rather vague, disparate word of mouth....which always piques my interest...rather than the usual publisher hype...so I ordered it and had the chance to read it on a recent cross-country flight...and was I pleasantly surprised....many of us search for that elusive thing called happiness...and here in this very personal book Pamela Holm, who clearly has lead a very intersting life....including having an addictive mother (for which I envied her -- most of my friends who come from some sort of dysfunctional family are always far more interesting...a relatively unhappy first marriage that produced a child (that I woudl have liked to learn more about --though it appers that mother and daughter really are on the same wavelength)and a series of what appears to be very interesting, but less than totally satisfying, "jobs" --more like work experiences ..but at the end of the day something was missing and then --and this is the part that I can truly relate to --you meet someone who you are just smitten with --blown away by, and then realize that maybe, just maybe, you may not be able to live with that person because they are your total opposite --you are casual and carefree and they worry about how the forks are put in the dishwasher or other such "pivotal" issues but you come together and appear to live happily ever after... since there are those wonderful compromises that make these things worthwhile and work..anyway, I felt after reading this book that I knew Denzil and Pamela.....and finished this lovely little book with a great big smile on my face ....and so will you. Get it...it's very inspiring and delightful

A truly entertaining read

This very funny book tells a story of wedding planning from a real person's perspective. Ms Holm bravely unveils the shameless marketing techniques of the wedding industry, as she simultaneously finds herself seduced by its fantasy. Her journey goes deep into her own heart as she questions our definitions of relationships, love, marriage, and family. A truly entertaining read for anyone who is thinking of, or already has made the committment.