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.
Hailed by the Times as'wonderful,tragicomic'and'beautifully researched',After the Party is an elegant,poignant and knowing portrait of a hidden world within England on the eve of war. Through one family's downfall she reveals the misplaced beliefs of those who chose to overlook the truth of Nazi evil.
Publisher: Penguin Books LtdISBN: 9780241327739Number of pages: 272Weight: 191 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 17 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Wonderful,tragicomic... beautifully researched'- Kate Saunders,The Times
'One of the best books published this year'- The Lady
'Uncanny,evocative.... Connolly skilfully sets scenes in pared yet atmospheric prose'- The Sunday Times
'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'- The Mail on Sunday
'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
'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
'A wonderfully subtle and interesting account of the Mosley women,with a compelling voice'- Linda Grant
'Polished and reflective... a salutary masterclass on the values that really matter'- Country Life
'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
'In her latest novel,Cressida Connolly expertly evokes a changing nation,and a woman whose life is altered forever'- Vogue
'Connolly (is) an unerring storyteller who excels at both period and place'- The Daily Mail
'(A) virtuoso novel'- Telegraph Magazine
'A wonderfully acute writer'- Allison Pearson,The Sunday Telegraph
'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'- The Daily Mail Summer Reads
'Deeply impressive.... quietly devastating tale of world affairs played out on an intimate scale'- Metro
'Connolly is a terrifically subtle writer... (she) slyly sweeps her readers into the period drama as tensions tauten between families and social classes'-The Daily Telegraph
'Chilling'- Spectator
'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
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