Book Synopsis:
‘Had it not been for my weakness, someone who is now dead could still be alive. That is what I believed and consequently lived with every day in prison.’
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.
Powerful, poignant, and exquisitely observed, After the Party is an illuminating portrait of a dark period of British history which we are yet to fully acknowledge.
My Review:
I found After The Party really fascinating as it describes a part of history I had no prior knowledge of. It’s a part of history that, as the blurb says, isn’t widely acknowledged and that Britain is perhaps a little embarrassed by. With the benefit of hindsight it is unbelievable to me that there were British people who liked and supported or even sympathised with Hitler is very chilling. The idea of this sends a shiver down my spine to think of the Britain and the world we could have ended up with if everyone had decided to think this way. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
The author does a great job of describing the atmosphere of the time, where everyone was concerned about events transpiring in Europe and very keen to avoid another war as the memory of WW1 was still clear in their minds. The tension and uncertainty is almost palpable at times and may go a little way to describe why politics was something people turned to as they hoped to make a difference.
The historical detail is well researched and it was interesting to learn more about Britain at that time and how life was. The little details about how people lived, entertained and the different, well defined, roles of the sexes were very interesting to read about. These are all part of a bygone era now and it was great to realise how far as a society we had come.
I didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters. The people involved in the party and the sister’s friends aren’t very nice people. Some of the things they get up to in the name of fun turned my stomach and made for uncomfortable reading, particularly an incident involving a pig near the beginning of the book. I did sympathise with Phyllis a little as I’m not sure she really understood what she was getting herself involved in and only joined to keep her sister’s happy and to make some friends.
The book isn’t particularly fast paced, particularly at the beginning but it is very intriguing and if you are interested in this period of history I think you will enjoy this book. From the beginning the reader is aware that something bad happened which Phyllis got sent to jail for but when this was revealed I have to confess I was a little disappointed as I thought it would be a much bigger event. The author does such a great job of building the tension and intrigue leading to the moment that I expected something really awful to have happened. That said I think the event was quite realistic in the way it happened which does add a depth to the story, making it seem more believable.
This is the first book by this author I have read and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Penguin for providing me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
Cressida Connolly is a reviewer and journalist, who has written for Vogue, The Telegraph, the Spectator, The Guardian and numerous other publications.
Cressida is the author of three books: The Happiest Days, which won the MacMillan/PEN Award, The Rare and the Beautiful and My Former Heart. Cressida is the daughter of writer Cyril Connolly. In 1985 she married Worcestershire farmer Charles Hudson. They have three children.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Great review!
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Thanks lovely xx
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I had very similar feelings about the book, which I reviewed yesterday. I found the historical events described really fascinating, especially the details of Phyllis’s imprisonment. However, like you, I was expecting the ‘mystery’ to involve a more significant event. It is a well-written book but just fell short for me in some areas.
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Oh I’m glad you said that I was worried I was being too harsh! Yes I thought it an interesting book but maybe too much build up? Xx
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I thought you were very fair. I think you’re right, the blurb slightly oversold the mystery element of the book. I mean if things had gone further with the person concerned, they might have had a point but just what happened at the dance…?
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