Two of a Kind

Two of a Kind

“Yona Zeldis McDonough is at her best with
Two of a Kind
, a sumptuous romantic feast of missed opportunities on the road to true love. Whether you take this to the beach or curl up with it on a rainy day, this hilarious and heartwarming story will give you hours of reading pleasure.”

—Adriana Trigiani,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Shoemaker's Wife

“A beautiful and heartfelt novel,
Two of a Kind
tells of the unexpected love that blossoms between a most unlikely duo. With an exquisite eye for detail, McDonough pulls you into her characters' world and keeps you rooting for them until the final page. If you've ever longed for a second—or third—chance, this book's for you.”

—Camille Noe Pagán, author of
The Art of Forgetting

“Tightly and beautifully plotted, with such winning characters. A compelling and moving novel.”

—Gregory Murphy, author of
Incognito

“A deeply touching and romantic exploration of the joys and complications of falling in love the second time around. Christina and Andy's journey to navigate the waters of new love and blended families always rings true; you'll root for McDonough's winning characters from the very start.”

—Erika Marks, author of
The Guest House

“With grace, sensitivity, and humor, but pulling no punches,
Two of a Kind
explores the trickiest of relationships—both romantic and parental—immersing readers in the lives of four people over the course of a year. In deft and captivating prose, these characters quickly become as real as your neighbors, your friends, your family, as they finally face losses they've tried to forget, learn to live in the present, and ultimately face their futures together with the greatest healer of all: love.”

—Sharon Short, author of
My One Square Inch of Alaska

“McDonough takes readers on an intriguing ride throughout the New York area—Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island—as she deftly brews a novel like a perfect cappuccino, with the ideal balance of substance and lip-smacking froth.”

—Sally Koslow, author of
The Widow Waltz

A Wedding in Great Neck

“A touching, airy novel that manages to meld the concerns of family members spanning four generations into a delightfully well-written story. Readers who enjoy Mary Kay Andrews and Nora Roberts will relate to the Silverstein family as it embraces the deep wells of emotion that seem to surface only at major family events. With an authorial voice that switches deftly between impulsive teen-speak and a stately matriarch's flashbacks, McDonough's skill is to be commended. A tender, clever story with emotional heft.”

—
Booklist

“In prose as sparkling as a champagne toast, McDonough's delicious new novel gathers together one extraordinary wedding, two complicated families, and then shows how a single day can change everything. A funny, moving look at the bonds of love, the ties of family, and the yearning for happily ever after.”

—Caroline Leavitt,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Pictures of You

“In this delightful tale, Yona Zeldis McDonough limns the ups and downs of family life with a grace that brings to mind Cathleen Schine at her best. McDonough does not shirk the dark side, but her characters, as flawed as they may be, retain their humanity in the face of life's slings and arrows. A wise and witty novel from an author at the top of her form.”

—Megan McAndrew, author of
Dreaming in French

“Spirited, entertaining, and a delight to read,
A Wedding in Great Neck
offers a penetrating glimpse into the lives of one particular family, with its myriad shifting alliances, disappointments, and secrets.”

—Lucy Jackson, author of
Posh

“Emotional and evocative, hilarious and harrowing,
A Wedding in Great Neck
is a must read for every mother and daughter who've ever dreamed of, fought over, and loved each other through a wedding day.”

—Pamela Redmond Satran,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Possibility of You

“Deftly handling a well-drawn ensemble cast of characters,
A Wedding
in Great Neck
is a playful yet touching parsing of the tugs and tangles of familial bonds. This breezy novel offers the reader graceful writing while exploring contemporary suburban turf with an anthropologist's sharp eye.”

—Sally Koslow, author of
Slouching Toward Adulthood: Observations from the Not-So-Empty Nest

“Yona Zeldis McDonough is a born storyteller and her powers of perception are at full tilt in
A Wedding in Great Neck
. Beautifully structured around the secret longings and high emotions visited upon that special day, the book explores the fraught love between siblings, the rich wisdom of their elders, and shifting class values in one family. McDonough's
Wedding
is a page-turner—you'll feel as if you were there.”

—Laura Jacobs, author of
Women About Town

“With her trademark wit and keen eye, Yona Zeldis McDonough has created a confection that is not only a page-turner but a poignant view of family life. This elegant novel is a must read for long-married wives and any woman who longs to be married. Book clubs will swoon.”

—Adriana Trigiani

“An interesting take on the wedding novel that doesn't place the bride and groom at the center. Fans of women's fiction about weddings and family drama are sure to enjoy.”

—
Library Journal

A Wedding in Great Neck

NAL Accent

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA), 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014, USA

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For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com.

First published by NAL Accent, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA)

Copyright © Yona Zeldis McDonough, 2013

Conversation Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA), 2013

Cover photos: chairs by Todd Pearson/Digital Vision/ Getty Images; woman © Olena Zaskochenko/Shutterstock Images; man © Vladimir Gjorgiev/Shutterstock Images.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

McDonough, Yona Zeldis.

Two of a kind/Yona Zeldis McDonough.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-101-62650-4

1. Widows—Fiction. 2. Interior decorators—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3613.C39T96 2013

813'.6—dc23 2013015546

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

With thanks and gratitude to Linda Bernstein, Deborah Flomenhaft, and Cathy Tharin for background information on the School of American Ballet, to Sally Schloss and Jennie Fields for showing me where to begin, to Tracy Bernstein for keeping me on track, and to Judith Ehrlich, my guiding light the whole way through.