After the Party

by Cressida Connolly

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, British Literature, World War II, Politics

261 pages, Hardcover

First published June 7, 2018

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. Connolly is the author of three books: The Happiest Days, which won the MacMillan/PEN Award, The Rare and the Beautiful and My Former Heart.

Reviews

[Umut · Rating 4 out of 5]

For full review, please visit my blog: https://umutreviews.wordpress.com/201...
After The Party is a historical novel at the times of WW2. The main character is Phyllis and it’s told from her perspective in different time periods. The book opens in 1979 as Phyllis gets out of prison.
Then, we go back to 1938, when she moves back to England from abroad, with her husband and 3 kids. She moves close to her two sisters Patricia and Nina. After you learn Phyllis’ very decent life from before, it’s a curious matter to learn how on earth she ended up in prison? Throughout the book, we go back and forth between times, where we continue the story leading up to the events causing her to go to prison, and her reflecting back to the memories of the past.
I loved the book for many reasons. First, I think Connolly is a very talented writer. The book was very atmospheric. She has very intriguing and creative descriptions. She managed to pull off a very rich book in only 260 pages. The book is not only a historical novel, it’s also a family saga with its flawed and unpredictable characters. And all these aspects co-existed very organically. I specifically adored the parts with Phyllis’ flashbacks to the past. The expression of human emotions, wisdom & disappointments were very impressive, very real. The relationship among the three sisters, including the events & people surrounding them was a very good representation of class in society. I enjoyed the changing dynamics and surprises along the way.
Another fascinating part of this book was the main character Phyllis. Connolly somehow managed to create a seemingly naive and sympathetic character, who was a member of the British Union of Fascists. They were affected by ‘The Leader’, Oswald Mosley’s charisma, and were keen to remain in peace after the painful experiences of First World War. So, the writer adds layers and complexity to leave it to your own devices to decide what to make of this character. Is she naive or not, is the likeable or not? To me, this was very impactful writing. It was also interesting to read about that aspect of politics during the war time Britain.
My slight disappointment of the book was the build-up of the title and the blurb to the ‘Party’ in the book. In my opinion, the stress given to what happened in the party was not totally linked to the aftermath. I did enjoy reading about the party, and it was interesting, but I wish the connection was stronger to the following events if it’s seen as a big impact for the rest of the story.

Regardless, I’m not too hung up on this flaw. I really enjoyed all the other aspects and richness of the book. Cressida Connolly was a delight to read.
Thanks so much to Penguin publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Hanneke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel deals with that awkward phenomenon of British fascism in the 1930s. Having read extensively about the subject in the Mitford sisters biography, I was familiar with the story of Sir Oswald Mosley who was married to Diana Mitford and who were both imprisoned during WW-II.

The novel tells the story of Phyllis, a meek member of an upper class family who is married to a stuffy, much older, man and who becomes infatuated with the political views of Mosley, as are her husband and her two sisters. Mosley gets invited to parties and dinners organised by members of her family as they all are great admirers. Phyllis’ husband is even volunteering to be on party committees and organising meetings and so is her younger sister who organises youth camps in the German fashion. Her crowd are all people of the elite and as such radiate total ignorance of what the fascist cause is actually trying to achieve. As far as they are concerned, it is all about showing the proper patriotism that is required and which is advocated in such an attractive way to them by Oswald Mosley.

Phyllis dedication turns really sour when, at the beginning of the war, she and her husband are put in Holloway prison, just like Mosley and his wife were. Being such an innocent lady both mentally and physically, she is not capable to understand why she is imprisoned as she has not committed any crime. Prison life is incredibly hard for her. And, really, her only crime was indeed being a rather stupid high class lady who was full of patriotism of the slightly wrong sort, as well as having never lived in the harshness of the real world.

It was really well done of the author to use the right language fitting for the elevated circles that Phyllis and her family and friends are living in. However, I did find it a bit boring ever so often to get the story told in such a proper language, especially when Phyllis was staying in prison. Phyllis also did not seem to have changed very much by her bitter experiences which should logically have turned her into a much tougher person. All in all, a fascinating subject to elaborate upon. I am sure this is not the last novel I will read on the subject.

[Minxminnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel has left me with a nasty taste in my mouth. It presents Mosley's fascists as well brought up, peace loving people who just had lovely parties and ran camps to keep the kiddies occupied, and get locked up for their efforts. There's never any sense that Phyllis learned to question the ideology, or indeed really understood it. At a different time, that might not have been so important, but with the far right on the rise across Europe, I have to wonder about the politics behind this novel. I'd like to think the writer's ironic distance to her character just missed the mark with this reader. Maybe.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the Party was an interesting and absorbing read, looking back on a time in history that is rarely dealt with – in fiction the anti-nazi war sentiment is to the fore, of course though there are always shades of grey in any human reaction and this is the subject that Cressida Connolly deals with in her novel.

I can’t say I liked any of the characters that much if I’m honest – but they were highly intriguing and the themes explored were extremely thought provoking. The writing is beautiful and descriptively evocative as we follow Phyllis, reconnecting with her sisters, getting intricately involved with a community and, ultimately, failing on a very human level and ending up incarcerated.

To be honest the inciting event wasn’t as shocking as is foreshadowed but in lots of ways the book isn’t about that anyway – it is about the elite, the idealism of a time in our lives when war beckoned and everything was changing. In that it was haunting and as the blurb says, exquisitely observed.

I liked that “After the Party” tackled some issues that I hadn’t really considered before and overall this was a wonderfully engaging read that left me slightly melancholy.

Recommended.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 1938 and returning to England from abroad, Phyllis gets involved with helping her sister, Nina, organise the summer camp Nina runs as part of her ‘peace work’ for a political movement. For quite a while the identity of the charismatic individual who heads the movement, referred to only as ‘the Leader’, is not revealed, although readers will probably have their suspicions given some of the unpalatable views espoused and the period in which the events take place.  What the book does well is reflect the range of views that prevailed at the time.  How many people were fearful of the prospect of war not so much because they were advocates of appeasement or supporters of the Nazi regime but because they feared the upheaval of war, remembering only too well the carnage wrought by the First World War.

I really enjoyed the way the book explores the changing dynamics of the relationship between the sisters – Phyllis, Nina and Patricia – and their different characters.  Phyllis is the peacemaker of the trio, trying to accommodate other’s wishes.  ‘I always wanted to be friends with both my sisters.  Perhaps that was the source, really, of all the troubles of my life.’

It has to be said that the social circle the sisters move in, particularly Patricia, is not populated by the nicest of people.  It is made up of individuals who don’t really seem to like each other that much but preserve the social niceties whilst attending dinner parties and the like.  Gossipy anecdotes, cruel little asides, mockery and petty snobbery seem to be the order of the day.   It’s a picture of a section of society, with their cooks, parlour maids and drivers, which despite all the airs and graces seem removed from the everyday lives and experiences of most people.    The sort of people who live in houses with a ‘morning room’, such as the house Phyllis’s husband, Hugh, plans to build.  ‘In the mornings Phyllis would be able to take her coffee and write her letters there; perhaps they might install a nice little sofa too, where she might like to sew or read.’

The book opens in 1979 as Phyllis recounts her memories of the period just before the Second World War and during the War itself to an unnamed and unidentified individual researching the history of that time.  What follow are extensive flashbacks as Phyllis recalls the events of that time, both public and private.   Some of what she recalls, especially the circumstances of her imprisonment, was certainly new to me and rather an eye-opener.  These sections of the book have a real feeling of authenticity, albeit the events described are slightly bizarre at times.

The author is a skilful writer; I especially liked the imaginative descriptions and quirky similes.  A few of my favourites:
‘Nina’s house stood a little way along from the garage, set back from the road politely, like someone waiting to be introduced.’
‘The tide was out and little boats lolled on their sides in their sandy mud, like the tongues of overheated dogs.’
‘There were blackberries plumping in the hedgerows now and buddleia, giving off a faint scent like pencil sharpenings.’

Although there were elements of After the Party I very much enjoyed, overall I was left with a slight sense of disappointment, the feeling that the book was less than the sum of its parts.  For example, the ‘moment of weakness’ referred to in the blurb seems a minor misdemeanour on Phyllis’s part and one in which she is not really the most guilty party or responsible for what follows.  Yet it seems to weigh on her conscience for the rest of her life so much so that she treats her draconian imprisonment as justified punishment.  Later Phyllis experiences what she views as a ‘betrayal’ but which did not really to amount to anything like that, it seemed to me.   I learned a lot from reading After the Party but wanted to feel more enthusiastic about the story than I did.

(3.5 stars)

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometime in the mid ‘60s, I watched an interview with Diana Mosley on television and found her disarmingly gracious and charming. At that time Britain was not part of the European Economic Community (as it then was), but I was struck by her remarking that her husband Sir Oswald had been ahead of his time in advocating European unity. Makes one reflect, as now much political commentary would associate Mosley’s followers with the Brexiteers, not with the Remainers. In After the Party, Cressida Connolly offers us what might be labelled the softer face of the British Union Party. (Fascist had been dropped from the name, though hardly from the programme.) We see them from the point of view of three sisters, Phyllis, Nina, and Patricia. One thinks of the Mitford sisters, of course, but these women aren’t aristocrats, though fairly well off, their father a gentleman with a country estate where he lives with their mother, now a dementia patient from a riding mishap. Phyllis’ husband Hugh is a retired RN officer some twenty years older than her; they’ve recently returned to England from South America, where he has been employed by a rubber company. They have three children, Julia, Frances, and the youngest, Edwin. The reader senses that Phyllis was drawn to the party by a mixture of family pressure—Nina is much more active in the movement—a sincere desire for peace, and not having enough to do in a neighbourhood, the Sussex coast, where they have few connexions. We know from the very beginning—some of the story is told in first person by Phyllis in 1979—that Phyllis and Hugh will be imprisoned and interned when war breaks out. The second half of the book, which gives the title of the book a double meaning, describes her experiences in Holloway prison and the Isle of Man.

As I was simultaneously listening to Sarah Helm’s Ravensbrück on Audible, I could not help but be struck by the difference between the way that Nazi Germany treated her political prisoners, and Great Britain hers. It’s like the difference between hell on earth and a really bad holiday camp. One might add the American (and Canadian) internment of the Japanese during the Second World War. And this novel gives us only the pleasant face of the movement. There is little anti-Semitism and only the most passing allusions to London East End brawls. Andrew Taylor’s Bleeding-Heart Square should be added to the reading list for balance. All in all, though, readers should find Phyllis an attractive and sympathetic character, though naïve and for half the book, very sheltered.

I expect this novel will be my best historical read of the year. I noticed only one anachronism: no English speaker in 1940 would have referred to someone’s being ‘brainwashed’. (We owe that one to the Chinese Communists, about 1950.) There are also some appalling typos: when I first saw “Basham” I thought my memory had gone. And some errors that I can only account for as the creations of an optical scanner, unlikely as that seems. (See my highlights.) Fortunately, Kindle is good about giving us corrected versions. This book deserves to become a classic.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part family saga, part half-hearted guilt-memoir - what really gives this book its fascination is the setting of the story amongst adherents of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists in 1938.

So much WW2 historical fiction shows us characters nobly and wholeheartedly disgusted by Nazis - the reality, of course, was never that clear-cut and thus the real interest of Connolly's novel is bringing that shameful ambivalence back onto the table. It's perhaps no coincidence that the British fascists in the novel are also anti-Semitic, do not see Britain as part of Europe, are against the League of Nations, cling to a conservatism which despises 'foreigners' and non-Tories, and believes in the rectitude of the British Empire - shades of Brexit, anyone?

There are places where Connolly could be more incisive: there's much to-do about minor things (the 'event' at the party, for example, just doesn't have the significance that the blurb promises) but I like that she doesn't overstate. For example, she resists introducing either Mosley himself directly into the story or Diana and Mitfordiana - and the book is better for that restraint.

So certainly not a faultless novel but an important reintroduction to fiction of Britain's flirtation with fascism in the run-up to WW2.

Thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I went through a long Mitford phase, I’d read a lot about Sir Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists, the Blackshirts. If you know the Mitfords, you’ll know that some of them had strong, and strongly opposing, political views. Mosley’s second wife was Diana Mitford. I started reading this book totally unaware that it had anything to do with this, however.

The main character is Phyllis who has just returned to England with her husband and children, having lived abroad for many years. Her sister is very active in the British Union and Phyllis and her family soon join the party. When war broke out, along with many foreign nationals and ‘enemy aliens’, many members of the BU were interned under Defence Regulation 18B which allowed the internment of anyone suspected of being a Nazi sympathiser. Phyllis was held in Holloway prison initially and then sent to the Isle of Man. She looks back on her life before, during, and after internment. She comes across as rather sulky and bitter in later life and far too malleable in her younger one.

From a historical perspective, this is a fascinating book. The author has researched an interesting period and then imagined the lives of some of those involved. I enjoyed it, I learned from it but it left me feeling dissatisfied as the broader storyline seemed often pointless and quite superficial. It was just okay hence 3 stars.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the reviews of this book quoted in the blurb describes it as 'an object lesson in how to tell a story in a non-judgmental way'. I think that's extremely generous - I would say it goes right past 'non-judgmental' all the way on to 'downright sympathetic'.

The poor little British fascists. One minute it was all summer camps and dinner parties, leaflets and meetings and uniforms (wearing the uniform was against the law as of two years before this book opens by the way), the next they were in prison. All for the trifling matter of Britain being at war with literal fascists! It's enough to make one clutch ones pearls in horror and whine like a spoilt upper-class brat.

There's a little bit of 'death to the jews' graffiti, the true crime there being the graffiti itself not the message (graffiti is frightfully jejune don't you know). We gloss briefly over the little spot of trouble in the East End (the battle of Cable Street?), not the fault of the BU, obviously. But the thing is, there's no context given in the book. If you didn't already know about Oswald Mosley and his despicable party before you read this book, you could reasonably feel sympathy for the plight of the imprisoned party members. In this era where the far right is once again on the rise I find this unforgivable.

And just as an aside - the mysterious event at the party so cryptically referred to in the cover blurb is nothing more than a storm in a teacup. It's very misleading and, sympathetic fascists aside, I might have been more favourably inclined towards this book if I hadn't felt so spectacularly misled!

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the summer of 1938, Phyllis, after years abroad, returns with her family to England. For a moment, she moves with her family into her sister’s imposing house.

Patricia lives in a grand country house. She always knew what she wanted. A dashing man, “who could produce for her a world of dances and banter and fun; of long curving banisters (…) and lovely clothes; (…) and enclosed world…”

The other sister Nina is quite opposite; practical and a skillful organizer maximizing benefits for the community.

Nina involves Phyllis in summer camp tasks. On the other hand, Patricia pulls Phyllis into their small, privileged circle filled with idealistic beliefs.

The story alternates between 1938 and 1979, when Phyllis gets released from the prison and recounts events leading to her imprisonment.

The story is skillfully written, but at the same time the events leading to her imprisonment are slowly progressing and are overpowered by the trivial events, mostly parties. Thus, making you feel unsettle, wanting more from the story.

@FB/BestHistoricalFiction

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phyllis Forrester and her husband, Hugh, return to England, after some years abroad, with their children, Julia, Frances and Edwin. Phyllis is keen to find a house near her sisters, Patricia and Nina. Indeed, while house hunting, the family stay with Patricia, her husband, Greville and their daughter, Antonia. Her other sister, Nina, and husband, Eric, also live nearby. While there, she hears about Nina’s ‘camps,’ which are talked about as a bit of fun and a good way to socialise. There is also much socialising with Patricia; although her taste runs to the more conventional dinner parties.

What both Nina and Patricia share, although they are otherwise not close, is an admiration for ‘The Leader,’ Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists. Much of this book takes place in 1938, with the spectre of war on the horizon. Many of those in this book can remember the Great War and they are keen on the idea of peace. For Hugh, side-lined from his senior company role, his new, political interests offer him something to do. It is less clear what Phyllis really finds attractive about her sisters political affiliations. She enjoys the socialising aspect of both Nina’s, seemingly innocuous camps, with talks, sing-songs and games, and makes new friends through both her sisters – the straight talking Venetia Gordon-Canning and the ethereal, beautiful Sarita. However, there is little about her own views on either Mosley, or Fascism.

Overall, I found this beautifully written, but the characters are difficult to either warm to, or understand. Much of this takes place as though Phyllis is telling her story, long after the events of the past. She is oddly naïve, strangely keen to be close to the sisters she seems to have little relationship with and allows events to flow around her, without really being more than a passive spectator. The much talked about event at the party, from the title, is, frankly, not overly shocking. Still, this is an interesting look at how people became involved in the politics of the 1930’s, when both Fascism and Communism seemed viable options and much of a generation hoped to avoid another European conflict. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review. Rated 3.5

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2019 Walter Scott Prize in Historical Fiction Short list

After the Party by Cressida Connolly is set in England just before World War II. Phyllis, Patricia and Nina are sisters living on the cusp of British society. Their lives circle around their networks and associations - who they know, what positions they hold and how they are perceived by others in the group. It is Nina that introduces the sisters to British Union, a Fascist political group led by Oswald Mosely. In the book Mosley is affectionately referred to as "The Old Man" and the party's anti-semitic and xenophobic views are glossed over. After the Party is narrated by future Phyllis as she reminisces and takes stock of her life.

"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."

In her rose-colored world BU was a nationalist peace movement who wanted British to remain to themselves and not participate in the war effort. In reality the general public considered them traitors, Nazi sympathizers who posed a threat to Britain's national security. Under Defense Regulation 89 they were jailed without writ of habeas corpus. As the jails became overcrowded prisoners were transported to internment camps on the Isle of Man where they lived alongside enemy aliens (citizens from Germany, Italy and Austria). On the whole Phyllis is oblivious to the effects of her actions. Even after all the years of confinement she is still faithful to the cause, proud of her involvement, connected to past party members and reverent of Oswald Mosley. There has been controversy over what some readers perceive Phyllis as a sympathetic character. I do not believe that this was Connolly's intention. Given the current political state here in the US, Phyllis serves as a vessel to explore how some "generally nice and respectable" people can be so easily misled by political rhetoric. If one examines the history of the BU they were at first generally accepted by the masses because they spoke the words that the electorate wanted to hear. Are you having trouble making ends meet? Well then, British jobs should be for Britons only. Did you not got accepted to that college? British resources should not go to immigrants. To fill their party rolls underlying prejudices were capitalized on and manipulated. Rather than considering Connolly's After the Party as blasphemy consider it a warning.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Pegasus Books and Cressida Connolly for access to this book.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Party (2018) is Cressida Connolly's novel about a challenging, awkward and not often talked about period of British history - that of the inter war period and the rise of British facism, spearheaded by rising political hopeful and would be Anglo Hitler/Mussolini figurehead - Oswald Moseley.

More specifically, 'After the Party' is told about and from the point of view of society denizen Phyllis Forrester, her family, her privileged upbringing and initial involvement via the summer camps run by the British Union of Fascists (BUF).

The novel opens with Phyllis's account, looking back from 1979, initially to the time of her release from prison and then further back recounting family's story and her earliest involvement with the BUF.

'After the Party' is a very well written and fascinating account, mainly of society women caught up and/or consciously part of the BUF, along with a seeming devotion to leader Oswald Moseley and their subsequent fate following the advent of WWII.

Left with ambiguous feelings as to whether the reader is intended to empathise/sympathise with the main protagonist inspite of/despite their loathsome political beliefs, as a victim of circumstances, or an entirely willing participant? Was the treatment of real life counterparts of Phyllis Forrester as the direct result of their political beliefs - warranted, proportionate and appropriate? And was the damage done to themselves, their families, their all important economic and social standing ultimately self inflicted, albeit vicariously?

Very well and impressively written story, raising many questions concerning freedom of speech, loyalty, racism and anti-semitism cloaked as pacifism, patriotism and nationalism.

One point noted, is that concerning the widespread violence, vandalism and intimidation undertaken by the BUF - something which is really only referenced as an aside in this book. Whether that is deliberate in terms of the lives of those depicted in the book perhaps not really coming into contact with that side of the BUFs activities, or whether this has been edited out/dismissed by the author as something of little relevance is unclear. I only hope this is not a deliberate sugar coating of the reality of the BUF and its' inter war period activities.

A historical novel then, but not exactly the 'guilt memoir' that has been said - there's very little evidence of guilt here at all.

[SueKich · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sympathetic fascist.

Phyllis, her stuffy husband Hugh and their three children have been living abroad for several years. On their return to England in 1938, they settle down on the Sussex coast to be near Phyllis’s two older sisters, arch-snob Patricia and commandeering Nina. (One can’t think why; Phyllis doesn’t like either of them.) When Nina co-opts Phyllis into helping out at what appears, on the surface, to be a jolly summer camp, little does Phyllis realise what her involvement will lead to. (Or does she? The ambivalence about her involvement with Mosley’s fascist movement is one of the most intriguing aspects of this novel.) These chapters, told in the third person, alternate with Phyllis’s first person narration in 1979 as she reflects on her past and her period of incarceration during the Second World War.

The opening lines are arresting: “When I came out of prison my hair was white. I think it was a shock for them all, but for the children especially…they all thought it was the awfulness of prison that had made me old, like those old wives’ tales where someone sees a ghost and goes white overnight from the shock, but the truth was simply that one couldn’t get one’s hair dyed. Hair dye was not provided, and why should it have been? It was meant to be a punishment, not a hairdressing salon.”

There’s some extremely deft writing here from Cressida Connolly who manages to create an almost entirely sympathetic heroine from a member of the British Union of Fascists. To be fair, there were many in the 1930s who were taken in by the charismatic oratory of Oswald Mosley, known as The Leader, and were keen for peace at any cost after the annihilation of a generation in the First World War. But this book is as interesting for what it doesn’t say as for what it does. (Antisemitism, for instance, does not get so much as a mention.) Ms Connolly spins an absorbing story about a woman who may – or may not – have been naïve, who may – or may not – have been as nice as we readers would like to think.

My thanks to Viking for the review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

[Joanna Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what the authors aim was here. Whatever it was it was lost on me.

As a story it lacked pace and bite. As historical fiction it simply lacked depth.

She brought forth a succession of really shallow, truly unsympathetic and essentially wooden ruling class characters who were or became deeply involved in a grey, uncritical depiction of the movement/membership of Britain's 1930's British Union (of Fascists) which gave no real insight into why they blindly followed Oswald Mosley or thought that Hitler's Germany and it's clearly virulent anti-Semitism was at that time a beacon of good citizenship.

With the subject matter, this could have been a timely and clever piece of historical fiction that drew allusions to the present day rise across the world of extreme right wing leaders and parties and why ordinary people are supporting them........but it wasn't.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Phyllis Forrester is a peculiar and not particularly likeable character. After living in Argentina with her husband and three children she returns to England in the 1930s and gets involved with the brownshirts. She never seems to be quite aware of the political beliefs of the party or the consequences but she seems to enjoy the sense of belonging that comes with it. This sense of belonging continues when she is unlawfully imprisoned and inhabits this sort of no mans land where no charge is brought against her but her civil liberties have still been removed. A few years later she is released and she and her husband go about trying to reassemble their interrupted lives.

I found this a soulless book. Phyllis is not a sympathetic character and even though she is unfairly treated I had difficulty warming to her. The circles she was moving in were immoral in many senses and I really didn't want to be immersed in such an unpleasant environment. Her relationship with her two sisters provided no consolation for me either as there was little warmth there and more conflict and rivalry. Had this not been chosen for our book club, I wouldn't have been interested in reading it, but I have and I know that I still have no interest in the brownshirts or the fascist movement in the 20th century.

[Trevor · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wasted opportunity, what was an interesting premise turned into a slow slog about a horrible self centred woman.

[Ieva Andriuskeviciene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story about little known chapter in England’s history. Just before the war 3 sisters meet in a seaside villa and get involved in political party movement. Holding parties and summer camps for children. Charismatic leader who supposed make England great again is named only in the end of the book, but you can definitely figure out who that person is. It’s so weird that in UK no one ever talks and is very little mentioned about the fascist movement as it never happened.
Story about guilt about privileged life and how life can turn when you loose that privilege. Maybe not the best writing but really intriguing book, highly recommended

[Maine Colonial · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free publisher's advance review copy.

In 1979 Phyllis Forrester is being interviewed about her experiences in the late 1930s and during World War II. It’s clear the interviewer wants to focus on the hot stuff; the fact that Phyllis and her husband Hugh were members of the British Union of Fascists (“BUF”) and were interned during the war years because of it. And Phyllis is willing to talk about that, but she wants to talk about it all, her family, friends, circumstances and beliefs. And that’s what we do in this novel, going back to the pre-war and war years and then returning to the 1979 interview and Phyllis’s observations about it all.

Phyllis is such a nice woman, everyone says so. And it’s true, in the sense that she likes to get along with people and not make waves. She feels strongly that Britain should avoid another war and that a leader is needed to ensure that Britain remains strong and unentangled with foreigners and socialists. Phyllis’s sister Nina and her husband are already deeply involved with the BUF, running a coastal summer camp for children and adults to which the Leader himself, Oswald Mosley, is occasionally a visitor. Phyllis is gradually drawn into BUF work and makes friends among the middle class types in the area who share its values.

Phyllis is appalled when her daughter, a camper, is caught painting the BUF logo and “PJ” (for “Perish Judah”) on the side of a building in town. That’s not what nice people do, especially not people of their class. And she doesn’t want anyone to perish, even though she can’t argue with Nina’s assertion that the Jews have far too much international influence.

Phyllis is the classic type of person for whom only personal experience within her narrow world is real, someone who avoids unpleasant knowledge that would interfere with her views. And haven’t we seen plenty of them in today’s political world just as much as 75-80 years ago? This portrait of Phyllis shows how ignorance and complacency can lead to complicity with divisive and hateful political movements.

Although this was a compelling read for me, it took some getting into. I didn’t feel like I got my footing with it until nearly halfway through. And I was already very familiar with the history of the BUF, its membership and Oswald Mosley. If I hadn’t had that background knowledge, I might have been completely at sea—though I like to think that Connolly’s understated but evocative style would have kept me going. I think it would be worthwhile for a reader who doesn’t have that background knowledge to read up on Wikipedia about the BUF and Oswald Mosley. You might also check out Diana Mitford, who was married to Mosley, because even though she was of a considerably higher social class than Phyllis, there is much about Mitford’s attitudes and experiences that are also reflected in Phyllis’s character.

WARNING: Early in the book there is a disturbing scene of animal cruelty (not involving Phyllis). What makes it additionally upsetting is that it’s not necessary to the plot. It’s the product of yet another writer using animal cruelty as a shorthand way of showing character degeneracy.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"After the Party", by British author Cressida Connolly, is extremely difficult to rate and review. I had to force myself to read the first half or so, but found it picked up in the last half. The book is written in two voices; one in the third person by a somewhat unreliable narrator in 1938, and the second in the first person by Phyllis Forrester in 1979. We find out in the beginning that Forrester has spent time in prison - but for what crime is not made clear til much later in the book.

Phyllis Forrester, her husband, and three children have just returned to England from foreign business postings in 1938. Seeking to find a base in the country, they move to Sussex where Phyllis's two sisters live with their husbands. Phyllis is a bit at loose ends; her children are going off to school and her husband is supervising the building of a new house for the family. Both, though, become involved with the BU - "British Union" - the Oswald Moseley fascist organisation, that her sisters and their husbands are already extremely active in. This time - pre-war - is prime for anti-war fervor in Britain, with Moselely's group advocating not getting involved in any future wars with Germany. As war begins in 1939, the BU and it's members are increasingly seen as possible domestic provocateurs.

But how active are Phyllis and her husband in the organisation? Not extremely so, unlike her sisters. Phyllis's main activities upon her resettlement in England seems to be generally drifting through life, making new friends and trying to navigate a difficult family situation. And that's why the first half of the book is so confounding - it bears little relationship to the second. If I was bored by the first part of the book, I'll say I was fascinated by the second. But how many readers will stick it out?

If you're thinking about buying "After the Party", I'd read as many reviews as I can. I'm giving the book three stars because I can't really recommend it...but then I really can't NOT recommend it! Other reviewers may be able to explain the conundrum of the book better than I can.

[Mike Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drawn like a moth to a flame to this intriguing story. A family saga amongst the County Set in Sussex, between the Great Wars. And a piece of political history that I had scant knowledge of, even at my age. Seemingly sensible folk beguiled by the British Alliance, an overt group of fascists.

Phyllis and her husband Hugh return to England after living for several years in Belgium. They stay with sister Patricia in her palladian mansion for a while until sister Nina finds them a place to rent, whilst Hugh searches for a piece of land to build a new property.

It’s 1938. Nina runs summer camps, a cloak for Alliance meetings, and Phyllis with her idealism is captivated by the charismatic Master - Oswald Mosley, who preaches appeasement before war. Women of principle are attracted to the movement, little understanding how they will be ostracised when war does inevitably break out.

One event, at a party will change Phyllis’ life for ever as she recounts in a personal record following her lengthy incarceration. The reason for her time in prison becomes clear as her personal account unwinds.

Difficult to say more without revealing too much. I can say that I became totally immersed in After The Party. It’s different and beautifully written, almost hypnotic. A piece of social and political history that benefits from the revelations in this remarkable book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Robert Ronsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting take on the 'evils' of fascism in England in the year leading up to the second world war. We follow Phyllis who returns to her home country and finds that her sisters and their 'set' are involved with a credible peace movement headed by the charismatic 'Old Man' – Oswald Mosley. Phyllis and the other activists are based on the Sussex coast and seem to be unaware of the up-country excesses of the Blackshirts and only vaguely cognisant that their views about a global economy working for the few rather than the many have unsavoury, anti-semitic undertones. Their only crime, as far as they are concerned, is that they are possibly over-zealous in the patriotism.
The author has cleverly written in the style of the time and, although Phyllis is observed as a third person in the 'flashbacks', when she spends the first half of the war in prison (without trial or sentence), it is easy to share her sense of injustice.
I doubt whether Ms Connolly could have intended for this book to have been a parable for post-Brexit Britain but it serves this purpose very well at a time when the 'very sensible', patriotic, Britain First ideas of one faction of the Tory party seem to be gaining ascendancy. Let us hope that this country comes to its senses in 2019 as it did 80 years before and the little Englanders once again find their ideas dumped in history's dustbin.

[Kirsten Fleetwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really absorbing, the author must have done extremely intensive research because she seems to capture the essence of the inter-war upper middle class.
The grotesque snobbery of Phyllis's family is as horrifying as their politics, every last detail of their lives is intended to confirm and proclaim their status in society. Patricia is a particular odious creature amongst a cast of horrible characters.
Phyllis herself is weak, vacuous, almost simple. She never seems to question whether what she's been told is right, morally right, ethically defensible. Is she a victim? Possibly. Do I feel sympathy for her? Not much. She would possibly be easy enough to chat to over tea, but scratch the surface and her contempt for anyone "other" would be right there.

Despite the fact that I feel quite mislead by the blurb (which seems to imply her imprisonment is because she had a part in someone's death), I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's a fascinating look at a lost world, written in the clearest language, exploring some very interesting ideas.

I would say it is one of my top books of the year, and i will be recommending it to everyone.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so boring I am bored even writing a review for it. All the characters were flat and the main character was the absolute worst who apparently never bothered to be self reflective over a 40 year period. Not sure what the actual aim of the author was on the fascism aspect, but certainly came off like a brainwashing cult to me. I've written myself down to a 1* now. Don't recommend.

[❀ Tina ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

[peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longlisted for the 2019 Walter Scott Award for historical fiction, this book deals with a woman who becomes involved with the British Fascist party during the early war years. It also was a sort of family saga and love story. Though both themes were interesting it seemed to me that the author tried to do too much with not enough detail and complexity in either one.

[AnnaG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting perspective on 1930s and wartime Britain following a female member of the British Union of Fascists who was put in prison during the war. I have no idea if the story is representative of what happened to such a person - the historical research seems rather thin, so I'm guessing not.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

“…members of the tribunal seemed to think they could ensnare them by getting them to admit to being fascists, forgetting that the word – which to outsiders was pejorative – had been used among them as commonly as Mr or Mrs…”
Read for a real-life book group, I’d wrongly assumed that the ‘party’ referred to in the title, was a social party rather than a political one.
It’s hard not to sympathise with Phyllis – all my instincts tell me it’s wrong to incarcerate people without charge - and yet the more you know about the repugnant ideology she supports, the more her self-delusion and self-absolution become clear.

[Jypsy]

I didn't enjoy After the Party as much as I thought I would. The premise of the story is intriguing, an account of how imprisonment happened. It's slow going and felt bogged down. There are many extraneous details that detract from the heart of the story. Society is a ruthless beast that turns on a dime, and I wanted to feel more of that. It's terrible how terrible life can be. It's not something to disguise with parties and fun. The story is well written, just lacking a bit of substance. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.