After the Party Synopsis
'I always wanted to be friends with both my sisters. Perhaps that was the source, really, of all the troubles of my life...' It is the summer of 1938 and Phyllis Forrester has returned to England after years abroad. Moving into her sister's grand country house, she soon finds herself entangled in a new world of idealistic beliefs and seemingly innocent friendships.
Fevered talk of another war infiltrates their small, privileged circle, giving way to a thrilling solution: a great and charismatic leader, who will restore England to its former glory. At a party hosted by her new friends, Phyllis lets down her guard for a single moment, with devastating consequences. Years later, Phyllis, alone and embittered, recounts the dramatic events which led to her imprisonment and changed the course of her life forever.
'Wonderfully subtle and compelling' Linda Grant 'Uncanny, evocative, atmospheric' Sunday Times 'Connolly is a terrifically subtle writer... [she] slyly sweeps her readers into the period drama as tensions tauten between families and social classes' Daily Telegraph 'Wonderful, tragicomic... beautifully researched' The Times
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780241327739 |
| Publication date: |
7th September 2018 |
| Author: |
Cressida Connolly |
| Publisher: |
Viking an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
261 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Historical Fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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Cressida Connolly Press Reviews
Connolly has an ear for how people really speak. It's the gift of a proper writer - Daily Telegraph
In pared yet atmospheric prose, Connolly skilfully evokes the scents of an English summer and hedonistic parties - Sunday Times Culture
Connolly's research is immaculate... well-imagined - The Times Saturday Review
Beautifully written... Connolly's perfect control of tone and detail makes this very compelling. Excellent - Evening Standard
Extraordinary, gripping... Exquisitely written with lyricism and a stiletto-sharp and humorous pen, Connolly takes on a subject which resonates powerfully with current politics -- Sofka Zinovieff - The Lady
Chilling - Spectator
Connolly is a terrifically subtle writer... [she] slyly sweeps her readers into the period drama as tensions tauten between families and social classes - Daily Telegraph, Five Stars
Deeply impressive.... quietly devastating tale of world affairs played out on an intimate scale - Metro
Connolly has tremendous fun with her posh characters' class-obsessed milieu, but the privations of Holloway Prison, with its rope-thick dust, bone-chilling cold and maggoty food, are equally sharply drawn - Daily Mail Summer Reads
A wonderfully acute writer -- Allison Pearson - Sunday Telegraph Summer Reads
[A] virtuoso novel - Telegraph Magazine
Connolly [is] an unerring storyteller who excels at both period and place - Daily Mail
In her latest novel, Cressida Connolly expertly evokes a changing nation, and a woman whose life is altered forever - Vogue
This historical novel is an absorbing, nuanced look at extremism dressed up with social niceties and class privilege, and is sure to resonate today - Stylist
Polished and reflective... a salutary masterclass on the values that really matter - Country Life
Connolly gives an object lesson in how to tell a story in a non-judgmental way. The result is a brave, engrossing and unexpectedly moving novel - Mail on Sunday
Uncanny, evocative.... Connolly skilfully sets scenes in pared yet atmospheric prose - Sunday Times
One of the best books published this year - The Lady
Wonderful, tragicomic... beautifully researched -- Kate Saunders - The Times
A wonderfully subtle and interesting account of the Mosley women, with a compelling voice -- Linda Grant I finished it in two days flat and I've never read anything quite like it. Everything about the book rings true, politically, psychologically, and in period detail, from the sunny beginnings to the grim end -- Hilary Spurling Profound and moving and completely original, with a storyline that is completely satisfying. It'll be one of those novels that stays in my mind forever... it's a work of art -- Craig Brown -
