• The Party
  • The Party
  • The Party
  • The Party
  • The Party
  • The Party
  • The Party
  • The Party

The Party

Fiction, Fiction & Poetry, General Fiction
Hardback Published on: 31/10/2024
£12.99
24 reviews
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 working days
Make and edit your lists in your account
No stock available in any shop.
View other formats and editions

Bookseller Reviews

View all
The Party
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
Ysemay Frampton
The Party
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.
Jack
The Party
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
Logan at Greenwich
The Party
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
Beth at Chesterfield

Synopsis

An irresistible novella about two sisters and a night that changes everything, from the master chronicler of our heart’s hidden desires

'Evelyn had the surprising thought that bodies were sometimes wiser than the people inside them. She’d have liked to impress somebody with this idea, but couldn’t explain it.'

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.

In this irresistible novella of two young women coming of age, Tessa Hadley explores the ever-changing desires, the sudden revelations and the lasting mysteries that are bound up with who we are, and who we might become.

  • Publisher: Vintage Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781787335554
  • Number of pages: 128
  • Weight: 212g
  • Dimensions: 206 x 138 x 15 mm

Customer Reviews

View all
The Party
Parties 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
Ryan Williams
The Party
Superb!!
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy. This is a superb read, simply exceptional writing. Totally recommended.
Fiona Sharp
The Party
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
Small Adventurist
The Party
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
Celia Short
The Party
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
Anne O'Connell
The Party
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
Verity Halliday
The Party
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
jean
The Party
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
Lady Fancifull
The Party
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
Lynda Checkley
The Party
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
Anita Wallas
The Party
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
Sarah D
The Party
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
lesleys
The Party
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
AliceMaudMary
The Party
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
Annette Forrest
The Party
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
Claire Estelle
The Party
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
Jim Sweetman
The Party
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
Sarah Burton
The Party
'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
Susan Osborne
The Party
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
Annette Forrest
The Party
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
Mary Wiles

You may also like...

Butter
14.99