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The Party cover art

The Party

By: Elizabeth Day
Narrated by: Greg Wagland, Stephanie Racine
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Publisher's Summary

A gripping story of obsession and betrayal, privilege and hypocrisy, set in the unassailable heart of the British establishment. 

"As the train pressed on, I realised that my life was in the process of taking a different direction, plotted according to a new constellation. Because, although I didn't know it yet, I was about to meet Ben and nothing would ever be the same again."

Martin Gilmour is an outsider. When he wins a scholarship to Burtonbury School, he doesn't wear the right clothes or speak with the right kind of accent. But then he meets the dazzling, popular and wealthy Ben Fitzmaurice, and gains admission to an exclusive world. Soon Martin is enjoying tennis parties and Easter egg hunts at the Fitzmaurice family's estate, as Ben becomes the brother he never had. 

But Martin has a secret. He knows something about Ben, something he will never tell. It is a secret that will bind the two of them together for the best part of 25 years. 

At Ben's 40th birthday party, the great and the good of British society are gathering to celebrate in a haze of champagne, drugs and glamour. Amid the hundreds of guests – the politicians, the celebrities, the old-money and newly rich – Martin once again feels that disturbing pang of not-quite-belonging. His wife, Lucy, has her reservations too. There is disquiet in the air. But Ben wouldn't do anything to damage their friendship.... 

Would he? 

©2017 Elizabeth Day (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"Witty, dark and compelling." (Sebastian Faulks)
"I practically murdered this book in an evening I loved it so much. The Party is a terrifying, hilarious, brilliantly written original with a wit to die for." (Pheobe Waller-Bridge)
"Superb - clever, gripping, psychologically acute." (Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us)

What listeners say about The Party

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Clever psychology

i think the bad reviews of this are overly harsh. The characters aren't "likeable" but Martin and Lucy are written from a sympathetic perspective. i found the psychology of Martin very convincing. As with 'Magpie', Elizabeth Day is in her element with those whose childhood neglect leads to radical self doubt and emotional confusion.
i was a little disappointed that the end fizzled out but it's a good meaty character-driven narrative with some subtle touches.

i always think it's a bit gratuitous when people complain about the free sample of the next book at the end. i mean, you can just not listen, right? But i'm going to whinge about this one. i was hungry for another Elizabeth Day but the reading of the Paradise City sample was horrible. The Party ends with an indictment of snooty entitled upper classes, then up pops an irritating Sloaney voice (okay, so that's called for) who totally blows the know-it-all personna by fumbling words (Chutzpah is not pronounced chootspa)....Anyway, stick with The Party -- it's read well.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Unreliable + nasty

I listened on and on, despite my immediate dislike, hoping for something within this narrative to justify the nastiness of its unreliable narrator, but I was disappointed. The Party is a story of unrequited homosexual love, in which the author has no sympathy for her protagonist. The writing is overly florid, descriptions often absurd. Do not recommend!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Thought this would be good from all the reviews

It wasn't I've tried to listen to this book 3 times now and can't make it more than a few hours in with out giving up I would not bother purchasing it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Disturbing and drawn out yet somehow gripping

This book has some disturbing content, which sneaks up on you all of a sudden as you explore the drawn out exposition of a single night and the events that precede and follow it. Somehow, it's engaging and makes you get drawn in and invested in the characters. All of the characters are deceptive and surprising in their own way. It's unexpected and yet somehow not. People are not how them seem.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

One Trick Pony

What did you like best about The Party? What did you like least?

Intriguing set up. Drawn out narrative

What could Elizabeth Day have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Made it into an excellent short story

What about Greg Wagland and Stephanie Racine ’s performance did you like?

They both sounded very convincing and really lived their parts.

Did The Party inspire you to do anything?

Go for a drink.

Any additional comments?

There was really only one issue in the novel and that was drawn out. Even after the less than astounding denouement the story plodded on for much too long.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Unlikeable characters

Couldn't get into this, the characters were so unlikeable. It needed to move a bit quicker too.

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