After the Party

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
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 * 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 * Mail on Sunday *
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 * Daily Mail *
[A] virtuoso novel * Telegraph Magazine *
A wonderfully acute writer -- Allison Pearson * Sunday Telegraph Summer Reads *
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 *
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 * Daily Telegraph, Five Stars *
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 *
Beautifully written... Connolly's perfect control of tone and detail makes this very compelling. Excellent * Evening Standard *
Connolly's research is immaculate... well-imagined * The Times Saturday Review *
In pared yet atmospheric prose, Connolly skilfully evokes the scents of an English summer and hedonistic parties * Sunday Times Culture *
Connolly has an ear for how people really speak. It's the gift of a proper writer * Daily Telegraph *
Cressida Connolly's flawless new novel After the Party, for all its darkness, seems suffused with the "soft, buttery" light of an English summer afternoon. But in June of 1938, infernal shadows lengthen. Ms. Connolly is a master, revealing character while sustaining an effect of lightness and ease. We follow Phyllis through an indolent prewar season beautifully conjured, often in heady, sensual detail. Ms. Connolly is too astute and compassionate a novelist to provide neat conclusions. The novel leaves us with the mysterious sense of having inhabited a time and a life whose emotional gravity holds us still. * Wall Street Journal *