The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow ~ Crazy Book Tour with review

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (December 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592406610
• ISBN-13: 978-1592406616

The New York Times bestselling journalist and author of The Girls from Ames, Jeffrey Zaslow, takes us to a multi- generational family owned small-town bridal shop to explore the emotional lives of women in the 21st century.

You may not have heard of Fowler, Michigan, much less Becker's Bridal. But for the thousands of women who have stepped inside, Becker's is the site of some of the most important moments of their lives-moments that speak to us all. Housed in a former bank, the boutique owners transformed the vault into a "magic room," with soft church lighting, a circular pedestal, and mirrors that make lifelong dreams come true.

Illuminating the poignant aspects of a woman's journey to the altar, The Magic Room tells the stories of memorable women on the brink of commitment. Run by the same family for years, Becker's has witnessed transformations in how America views the institution of marriage; some of the shop's clientele are becoming stepmothers, or starting married life for a second time. In The Girls from Ames, beloved author Jeffrey Zaslow used friendships to explore the emotional lives of women. In The Magic Room, he turns his perceptive eye to weddings and weaves together secrets, memories and family tales to explore the hopes and dreams we have for our daughters.

My take on this book:

"The Magic Room" is a compilation of stories about a few of the brides that ventured into Becker Bridal to find the perfect gown for their wedding day. Becker Bridal is located inside an old bank building that closed during the Great Depression. Established in 1934 the shop is run by Shelley Becker Mueller who is the third generation to own the store which she purchased in 2005. Shelley actually grew up in the store and reflects on the changes she sees, not only in styles but in brides as well.In addition to reading about the history of Becker's Bridal the author also peppers some interesting statistics about marriage in general.  

 One of my favorite stories had to be where a grandmother reflects on buying her grand daughter her first gown when she came home from the hospital and then has the honor of purchasing the wedding gown for the same grand daughter.I really  enjoyed reading the many stories of the different women who passed thru Becker brides. Each story is as varied as the bride involved, but all of the stories were touching and actually had me reflecting upon my own wedding preparations.


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A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.