The Bride of Manhattan

"I owe it to myself to not get lazy, to remain open to the world, to welcome all the women I am and could be."
–From THE BRIDE OF MANHATTAN

Twenty-seven-year-old Garden Crawford thinks she has it all. Two years ago she relocated from her hometown of New York City to Santa Fe to marry a handsome Scotsman who runs a holistic spa-to-the-stars.

But on the morning of her 28th birthday, Garden wakes up and hates her wardrobe. The cotton prairie skirts and poet blouses seem to belong to some New Mexican housewife. How did this happen? She’s a New Yorker!

For her husband Miles, Garden’s New York obsession has made her impossible to live with. By the end of her birthday, they’ve decided to divorce. That night, Garden's best friend Babette tells her about Saturn Return—the age between 28 and 30, when Saturn returns to its original position in the sky as it was the year we were born. “Your whole life gets flipped upside-down,” but Babette reassures her, “Turning 30 was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Upon returning home to Manhattan and moving into her mother's West Village loft, Garden feels like a child. Maybe she should go back to Miles. But Garden remembers her loyalty to New York. She must continue the journey to find her true self in the city she loves more than anything—or anyone.

"THE BRIDE OF MANHATTAN by Rachel Astarte Piccione is witty and humorous, wise and perceptive by turns, sometimes all simultaneously. A penetrating study of love and marriage, it is also a riveting page-turner, filled with palpably real characters (notably the narrator/protagonist) about whom the reader really cares. I would happily reread it and even more gladly welcome a sequel."

–Barry H. Leeds, Ph.D., Author of THE STRUCTURED VISION OF NORMAN MAILER,
KEN KESEY, and THE ENDURING VISION OF NORMAN MAILER

"THE BRIDE OF MANHATTAN celebrates a woman who learns to live on her own terms. With her fast-paced and atmospheric style, Rachel Astarte Piccione captures the heartbreak and victory that occurs when one throws a monkey wrench in those best-laid plans—love, marriage, home, essentially the hallmarks of “womanhood.” Readers will find Garden Tate (Crawford) inspiring and cheer for her on her heroic journey."

–Patience H. Bloom, Senior Editor, Harlequin Books