I wore a Kate Halfpenny dress and an organza cape, tied in a bow at the neck, and it felt just right for this season of lush new beginnings. A taut psychological tale of obsession and betrayal set over the course of a dinner party, The Party tells the story of two married couples who, in a single evening, will come to question everything they thought they knew about each other, as the long-buried secret at the heart of their friendship comes to the surface, culminating in an explosive act of violence.

The Party by Elizabeth Day | Waterstones

The Party by Elizabeth Day is a dark, suffocating and satirical pick for the Richard and Judy Summer 2018 Book Club which explores corruption and hypocrisy amongst the privileged classes. Sin embargo, desde el momento en que conoce y se convierte en amigo de Ben Fitzmaurice que es justo lo contrario a él, encantador, sofisticado, rico y seductor, se le abren las puertas de la élite social e incluso se convierte en parte de la familia Fitzmaurice. It's sad to think that anyone would be made to feel this way just because of who they are and yet it happens all the time. There were more than a few times that I wanted to stop reading this book, relegate it to my DNF list, and move on, but I often feel a need to finish books that I've received thanks to NetGalley and each book's publisher.

A gripping story of obsession and betrayal, privilege and hypocrisy, set in the unassailable heart of the British establishment. Martin lacks the easy charm of his fictional predecessors, exuding, rather, an unnerving creepiness. Todo ese ruido que se cuela en los silencios ocasionales; toda esa actividad frenética e incesante que llena cualquier espacio disponible con un torrente de tonterías. Author and broadcaster Elizabeth Day, 42, was raised in Belfast and later became an award-winning journalist, including a nine-year stint at the Observer. Yet, it is clear Martin values his friendship with Ben a great deal, with a pathetic sort of hero worship or neediness, that he doesn’t seem to have nor require from his wife.

The Party by Elizabeth Day | Goodreads The Party by Elizabeth Day | Goodreads

Day's seventh book, Magpie, which explores the issue of infertility, was released in September 2021.

She is the co-founder of Pin Drop, a live performance short story studio, and a regular contributor to Sky News and BBC Radio 4. About a friendship between two boys growing up, ending in a very dark story with two dramatic events which determine the storyline and tragic outcome. Sort of a modern spin on the timeless motif or several timeless motifs and a completely engaging read, read in one day. The characters in the book were a unique blend and being set around the upper class of British society was. I loved Day's Paradise City, so when I saw this one available on Netgalley I didn't even read about it too much, immediately requesting it.

Elizabeth Day Quotes (Author of Magpie) - Goodreads Elizabeth Day Quotes (Author of Magpie) - Goodreads

When Ben throws a lavish 40th birthday party as his new palatial country home, Martin and Lucy attend, mixing with the very upper echelons of London society. Another secondary character, Vicky, is given three hopeful words – “I liked Vicky” – but straight away Martin tells us “I was surprised by that” and the rest of the paragraph is immediately engulfed with counterexamples of people he “couldn’t bear”. She encouraged me to lean into the glamour, but also insisted that I should only ever wear something that felt like “me”. The story is told in flashbacks to two different time periods and while this works well but the book just plods along and not a lot happens. Upon my first reflections, I thought the author may have gone a little overboard with her depictions of grand wealth, depending too heavily on stereotypes, coming dangerously close to turning the family into caricatures.I didn't like the thinly veiled references to real people (just change a letter in the name, they'll never know! The wedding binder was a cultural trope that repeated itself again and again on screen in the romantic comedies of the ’80s and ’90s. Although Lucy appears plain when presented next to the stunning Serena, for me she was the most interesting character in the novel. Yes, they have some similar themes: Popularity vs Outcast, Old money vs disadvantaged poor, privilege, unrequited love, identity, and sociopaths.