“Subversive Chicklit… Daria Salamon has written a funny, dark, quirky take on one woman’s epic struggle with the harsh realities of adult life: angry boyfriends, dull colleagues and meddling girlfriends… Like U.S. novelist Lorrie Moore, Salamon deftly combines humour and pathos to great effect.”
— The Globe and Mail
“Salamon’s talent shines in her lively and authentically depicted characters… [her] sharp prose and wicked wit imbue the novel with a tone similar to that of [Melissa Bank’s] The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing… a worthwhile and entertaining read.”
— Winnipeg Free Press
“The Prairie Bridesmaid is a witty, sardonic and touching story of self-discovery leading to liberation. Daria Salamon’s writing is like a breath of fresh Winnipeg air.”
— Nia Vardalos, actress, My Big Fat Greek Wedding
“Daria Salamon adeptly crosses genres and displays an abundance of literary savvy in The Prairie Bridesmaid. The wry, ironic voice of the main character, Anna, is reminiscent of the women characters created by Patricia Pearson in Playing House and Miriam Toews in Summer of My Amazing Luck. Daria manages an impressive balance between angst and wit, between a serious treatment of the ravages of a love relationship gone brutal and a humorous take on the vanities and shortcomings of a young woman who is mired in the muck of her own making.”
— Marjorie Anderson, editor of Dropped Threads and Dropped Threads 2
“Tender and funny… full of snappy dialogue and offbeat humour.… Salamon’s debut is a quirky, witty salute to that exhausting project of finding out who you are — and who you’re not — no matter how many bottles of cheap Merlot it takes.”
— Quill & Quire
“…fans of frivolous chick-lit keep out. Nothing in The Prairie Bridesmaid perfectly fits the mould of tradition poured by the likes of Giffin et al. — which is what makes it such a standout debut. Salamon has raised the bar on chick-lit with a thorny bouquet of razor- sharp wit, misguided relationships dripping with irony and a heroine who for once is just as forlorn as the rest of us. Salamon has given Anna a most empowering quality: defiance. The courage she displays in the face of adversity is relatable and inspiring. By giving her novel both style and substance, Daria Salamon writes chick-lit in a singularly groundbreaking way.”
— The Uniter - University of Winnipeg
“From the first page of The Prairie Bridesmaid you can’t help but to care about Anna and her life. She’s recovering from breaking up with Adam, but she doesn’t want our sympathy; more, she wants to understand what’s happened to her and how she ended up with a guy like him. Although the tone of Daria Salamon’s novel is cheerful, the story is darker and deftly told. Salamon is a skilled writer, keeping a tight rein on the emotional depth of The Prairie Bridesmaid. This is chick-lit for grown-ups. And it’s good.”
— Alice Kuipers, author of Life on the Refrigerator Door
“In reading this book, I was touched and inspired. It is original and well-written and points to a reality both relevant and poignant for women with whom I share a generation. Daria Salamon writes with wit and compassion and manages to dignify the thoughts, emotions and sometimes treacherous turns that are part of growing up as women in Canada.”
