Bookseller Reviews
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I wish it were longer
Frustrating. Beautiful writing and vivid well crafted characters. This should have been a full length book. I felt short changed. There were opportunities ... READ MORE
Claire Keegan fans will love this
This concise, engrossing novella was my first time reading Tessa Hadley and made me very keen to seek out more of her work. Telling the story of two young ... READ MORE
Perfect escape for the brisk months
Incredibly impressed by The Party - a real treat for anyone who is looking for some escape. Don't let this one pass you by.
Stylish and elegant
This novella has all the slim elegance of a vintage, silver cigarette case. Not a word is wasted in this little book, and it reads almost as three scenes i... READ MORE
A Masterclass in Subtle Tension and Emotional Depth
Tessa Hadley’s The Party is a beautifully wrought gem. Ashort story that lingers long after the final page. With her signature precision and insight, Hadle... READ MORE
Synopsis
On a winter Saturday night in post-war Bristol, sisters Moira and Evelyn, on the cusp of adulthood, go to an art students’ party in a dockside pub; there they meet two men, Paul and Sinden, whose air of worldliness and sophistication both intrigues and repels them. Sinden calls a few days later to invite them over to the grand suburban mansion Paul shares with his brother and sister, and Moira accepts despite Evelyn’s misgivings.
As the night unfolds in this unfamiliar, glamorous new setting, the sisters learn things about themselves and each other that shock them, and release them into a new phase of their lives.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Vintage Publishing
- ISBN: 9781529949315
- Number of pages: 128
- Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 6 mm
- Weight: 107g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allParties are such sweet sorrow
First, let’s wind the clocks back to 2003. The place is Bath. I’m studying for my Master’s. My teacher is Tessa Hadley. Accidents in the Home* has not long... READ MORE
Superb!!
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy.
This is a superb read, simply exceptional writing.
Totally recommended.
I loved every page.
I sometimes struggle with Novellas / short stories as they can feel unfinished or missing details but The Party is a perfectly formed, detailed story about... READ MORE
Losing it in the 1950s
After revisiting sexual relationships in the swinging 60s in Free Love, Tessa Hadley is looking back to the 1950s in her latest novella, The Party. It is c... READ MORE
Hadley is a clever writer
Tessa Hadley's 'The Party' is a very enjoyable novella, exploring class, sexuality, societal expectations, reactions to loss, and the coming of age of tw... READ MORE
A missed opportunity for Bristolians
I eagerly bought this book after reading it was set in Bristol post WW2. The two sisters originally came from the North East? I was expecting to see the ... READ MORE
Easy read novella packed with pleasure and meaning. One to read and re-read
Tessa Hadley is an extraordinarily compact writer. This novella, charting what happens when two sisters go to a wild party at a dockside pub in post-war Li... READ MORE
A perfect thing
A wonderful novella from Tessa Hadley, beautifully evocative of time and place. Although part of me would have liked it to be longer as the characters were... READ MORE
Well written
I enjoyed this novella, but it didn't grip me, the author told a well worn story, but for me there was little original to elevate it above others. Despite ... READ MORE
Coming of Age novella.
I am always tempted to rush through a novella in one sitting, but there is so much to “The Party” that I had to take it easy, reading it over several days... READ MORE
Enjoyable novella
A short novella at 115 pages that explores the lives of sisters Moira and Evelyn over a short period of time in post war Bristol - my hometown. Moira is a... READ MORE
Moreish
I don’t think I’ve read anything by this author, but I was blown away by this short novella. It’s acutely observed and there’s not a wasted word. It’s su... READ MORE
Perfect!
I was sent a copy of The Party by Tessa Hadley to read and review by NetGalley. What a delightful novella! I loved the sisters at the heart of the story,... READ MORE
Intriguing
Such a beautiful cover, the book is very descriptive and immersive, you certainly feel like you are alongside the sisters as they weave their way to both s... READ MORE
'Hadley packs a great deal into this brief novella, exploring class, social norms, marriage and gender in post-war Britain'
Clever, naive and eager for experience, Evelyn is in her first year of a French degree at Bristol’s university. Her elder sister, Moira, is an art student,... READ MORE
Wonderful novella
The Party is a brilliant, if creepy, novella set in wartime Bristol. To call it wonderfully evocative would be underselling it. I felt like I was in the ro... READ MORE
Perfection
The most subtly sophisticated novella, restrained, insightful and compelling. Part of me wished this was the opening of a much longer novel, but in reality... READ MORE
A snapshot of a life on the cusp of adulthood
I really enjoyed Tessa Hadley’s Free Love when it was published a couple of years ago, and went on to read her excellent Late in the Day, so when offered t... READ MORE
Short but beautiful
The Party is a short novel, set in a beautifully realised wintertime Bristol just after World War Two. Two middle class sisters are at university, but liv... READ MORE
A beautifully written novella about two sisters seeking new experiences in post- war Bristol.
‘The Party’ is a beautifully written novella about two sisters seeking new experiences in post- war Bristol. Moira and Evelyn have different talents; the ... READ MORE
Life changing
An interesting short novel about two sisters who have a life-changing experience when they attend a party. They get taken up by a sophisticated and older g... READ MORE
When innocent expectation meets chinless wonders
I’ve never read Tessa Hadley before, and this slim volume was a neat introduction to an elegant writer with an eye for detail. Taking her vampy innocents o... READ MORE
Sisters
I adore Tessa Hadley every new novel, short stories heaped in anticipation., The Party was no different and I relished the cover and its contents.
Hadle... READ MORE
Great novella
I enjoyed this novella which tells the history of a couple of days in the lives of sisters Evelyn and Moira. Evelyn is studious and bookish, Moira likes a ... READ MORE
An engaging novella
Vincent’s party is in full swing at The Steam Packet when Evelyn arrives, dressed to the nines. Her sister Moira, a friend of Vincent, doesn’t know she’s c... READ MORE
Great party!
An interesting short novel about two sisters who have a life-changing experience when they attend a party. They get taken up by a sophisticated and older g... READ MORE
Wonderful writing
Even though this is a novella there’s so much packed into it. From the party in the pub to the smaller gathering in the old mansion.
The Party is richl... READ MORE