Ralph's Party - Softcover

Jewell, Lisa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452281636 ISBN 13: 9780452281639

Publisher: Penguin, 2000

Synopsis

Meet the residents of the London brownstone on 31 Almanac Road who together weave a tangled web of romance. Ralph, a ne'er-do-well artist, suddenly realizes he's head over heels in love with his new flatmate Jem, the most fun and sensible girl he's ever encountered. Unfortunately, Ralph's best friend, Smith, has already won Jem's affections, although Smith has not entirely given up his passion for the femme fatale, Cheri, who lives upstairs. Across the hall, Karl and Siobhan have been happily unmarried for years, until Karl gets a smashing job as a London rush-hour DJ and momentarily gets tempted into Cheri's cozy lair. These six star-crossed tenants become more enamored, and more confused, as the story progresses--until their true destinies are revealed on one crucial night--the evening of the extravaganza that is...Ralph's party. This wonderfully hip new novel was an instant popular success when it was first published in England, and American readers are sure to be captivated by the debut of a talented new writer.

About this title

Review

Lisa Jewell lives in North London. While on holiday a friend made her a drunken bet: dinner at her favourite restaurant if she wrote three chapters of a novel. Just over a year later Ralph's Party was finished. In a similar style to Marian Keyes' Rachel’s Holiday, Ralph’s Party introduces the residents of 31 Almanac Road, a three-storey Edwardian house in South London. The house, divided into flats and its inhabitants are the focus of this contemporary, romantic novel. Ralph and Smith, who live in the basement flat are beginning to doubt that they will ever find a suitable flatmate until Jemima comes along. In fact, Jem finds herself more than suitable when both Ralph and Smith fall for her. Karl and Siobhan live in the flat above and they have been together in total happiness for fifteen years. That was until Cheri, the cold, calculating but very sexy lady in the top flat sets her sights on Karl.

Lisa Jewell’s fast paced, well-observed and thoroughly engrossing first novel has been well worth that bet for dinner. --Pat Naylor

Review

Deliciously enjoyable . . . addictively readable (The Times)

A joy . . . a fun summer read (Guardian)

A book about relationships which appeals to men and women . . . pulls off a rare trick which even Helen Fielding and Nick Hornby couldn't manage (Daily Mirror)

A breath of fresh air (Tom Paulin Late Review)

Addictive (Metro)

Praise for Lisa Jewell (-)

Terrific (Sunday Times)

The best romantic comedy we've read in ages (Company)

Tackles serious issues with humour - proving that chick-lit can be intelligent, interesting and huge fun (Sunday Express)

A triumph (Hello)

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0452281636
• ISBN 13: 9780452281639
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 304