Customer Reviews

Ralph's Party

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I will admit. I was hoping for a goofy, Bridget-Jones-type British novel. Ralph's Party did not live up, although it was a funny soap opera-ish tale in it's own right. And for a first novel, it really was quite good.

Ralph and Smith are flatmates in search of a third person to share the load. Their new find comes in the form of young Jem, a sweet-looking twenty-something who winds up with both her new roomies competing for her. Of course, the story couldn't be as black-and-white as that...

Throw a couple of love triangles in the mix: Even though Smith seems to be the winner of Jem's affection, he secretly harbors a five year passion for upstairs neighbor, Cheri. Meanwhile, Cheri has been having an affair with the downstairs neighbor, Karl. And of course Karl has his live-in love, Siobhan, who he's been with for the past 15 years. And what about Siobhan? Well, there are all sorts of changes waiting in the wings for her. The lives of these six people that intermingle throughout the novel finally culminates with a bombshell of a party that you DON'T want to miss!

For readers who are in search of Bridget Jones humor, this novel is not for you. But if you crave a breezy tale of mixed-up Londoners with some interesting insight into the male mind (plus a few paragraphs of disgusting male behavior), then Ralph's Party will surely suffice.

I have grown a little tired of the "Bridget Jones" type books and was really expecting "Ralph's Party" to be similar. It is not-it is truly exceptional! It follows the lives of several different characters and although at first it was a little hard to keep up with/care about all of the characters, by the end of the novel I cared about each one. The character development was fantastic and Jewell does an excellent job of establishing a storyline and developing characters. I was actually sad when the book ended!

Ralph's party is a well-written, amusing, enjoyable story about a group of 20ish/30ish people who live near, or are somehow connected to, an apartment complex in London. Their stories are quite entertaining and told with a gentle wit. The main characters are Smith and Ralph, two roommates who add a third, Jem, a kooky and attractive young woman who believes that she is destined to marry one of them. This novel being a romantic comedy, she of course winds up with the wrong one at first, but ultimately sees the romantic truth (as do the other characters in the novel) at, you guessed it, Ralph's party. This book is a quick, non-taxing read, but I really enjoyed it. I kept thinking it would make a great movie, just as long as Hugh Grant somehow gets a part. If you are looking for a light, entertaining novel, Ralph's party is for you. Have fun.

I was quickly sucked into Ralph's Party, a tasty treat of a novel that focuses on a handful of London twenty- and thirty-somethings. New roommate Jem is the catalyst for change in the lives of her flatmates Ralph and Smith; simultaneously we watch the lives of co-inhabitants of the same apartment building evolve. Reading about the characters is much like getting to know a real person: you start with the facade and eventually figure out the real deal, especially as each character reacts to unforeseen events or emotional crises. If Jemima is a bit too cute, if the various plot lines are tied up a bit too neatly, if the good-characters-get-rewarded-in-the-end-while-bad-ones-get-punished version of destiny is an idealized one, well, who cares? Pour yourself a nice glass of Pinot Grigio and enjoy.

Lisa Jewell is getting to be one of my favorite authors (after Nick Hornby). What I like most about her is the very colorful and well defined characters she creates. I immediately got an image of each of the characters and this made the story more enjoyable.

Ralph's Party is the story of several inhabitants of a London Apartment Building and the interwining stories they share. The story focuses on two friends - Ralph the eccentric artist and Smith the dour banker, and their flatmate Jem who is the object of desire of both of them. Who wins - you'll just have to read and find out. Not to be forgotten are Karl, the smooth-talking DJ and his overweight girlfriend Siobhan who is just discovering her inner beauty. And standing in the wings, is Cheri, the beautiful but evil upstairs home-wrecker who would destroy them all.

Ralph's Party is the story of friendship, lost love, found love, inspiration, and being thankful and grateful for what you might have. Several of the characters are not, and thus lose something wonderful and beautiful in their lives.

This is a book I could not put down. The story keeps taking countless plot twists and turns. Like a rollercoaster, moves fast and you never know what is waiting around the corner. I read the book in the airport, on the train, during lunch and whenver I could. It will make you laugh, make you cry and make you think. Ralph's Party is one party you'll thoroughly enjoy and one which you will stay to the end.

I also loved Thirtynothing (see other review). Lisa Jewell is a product of this new wave of British writers (like Nick Hornby and Isabel Wolff) who know how to tell a story and how to create colorful yet believable characters.

I can hardly wait for Ms. Jewell's next book "One Hit Wonder". I have aleady ordered it.

I finished this book in a day and though I am not aching in the sides from laughing so hard (I was hoping it'd be that kind of read, but it isn't) ~~ it is cute and humorous. If you like those dry British wit, then this book is for you to read ~~ both men and women.

Everyone who is single can definitely relate to this book ~~ Ralph with his puttering around till being in love with his flatmate made him a big success in the art world; Smith with his snobby attitude and in love with the girl upstairs while dallying with his other flatmate, Jem who is in love with him. Then there's Cheri who is in love with Karl, who is in love with Siobhan. It is a book about six people in love with someone other than whom they are with. It is a classic love triangle. And it comes to a final explosion at Ralph's party.

Interspersed with grace and humor, there are some crudity ~~ what do you expect when you have guys in the book as well? But all works well by the end of the novel. And I do have to say, I totally relate to Siobhan, who left Karl after 15 years and rediscovered herself in the process. She and Jem are the only two characters (beside Ralph, of course) who have any depth to them. Those two are ordinary women who made themselves extraordinary by the time Ralph's party came into full swing. And Ralph. He's the guy every woman wants to bring home to meet their parents. At first though, he didn't give off a good impression. But he fell under Cupid's arrow and turned his life around ~~ that is impressive.

Not bad for a first novel effort. I won't rush to the bookstore to buy her next book, but I won't turn her down either. I am curious to see how Thirtysomething would turn out ~~ if I ever get a hand on that copy.

All in all, it is a good book. Grab a glass of lager and kick back for a few hours and read it. It's a great way to fritter away a cold night.

For some reason I feel badly knocking this book because it is her first novel and she did write it because her friends encouraged her to follow her dream. For a first novel, it ain't bad. It doesn't have the same depth as the Shannon Olsen/Suzanne Finnamore/Anne Maxted novels of the world, but then I don't think it's supposed to (although that was my impression when I ordered it). It's a cute little tale about 6 twenty-something people in London who live in the same building whose lives only finally all intersect at the very end. It's sorta like Melrose place but with only one bad person (okay, maybe two), and not six. It's a quick read, there are some funny lines, and there are some cute little romances. One of my biggest irritations in novels is characters who do stupid things for no apparent reason and there is a little of that in this book, but I tend to attribute that more to Jewell's early development as a writer more than to anything else. It is a cute little story, I did enjoy it, but it's sorta intellectual cotton candy, if that makes sense- is great going down, but not terribly filling (but that's okay- cotton candy is still popular). I do think Jewell has great potential, and this really is a great first start. Keep it up!

Jem thinks that fate has sent her to the doorstep of best friends Smith and Ralph in answer to an ad for a room in a London flat. She thinks that it is her destiny that she will end up with one of them and live happily ever after. She immediately takes up with cultured and wealthy Smith, only to later find that she feels a kindred spirit toward Ralph, who is secretly in love with her and reading her diaries. Of course, Smith still harbors feelings for unattainable Cheri, but Jem will do in a pinch.

So, Ralph loves Jem; Jem loves Smith; Smith loves upstairs neighbor and resident tramp, Cheri; Cheri is sleeping with DJ Karl who lives downstairs; Karl has been living with Siobhan for 15 years; Siobhan finally sees the light and takes up with longtime friend Rick; you get the picture - lots of triangles.

Who will Jem ultimately choose? Will Siobhan forgive Karl? It will take Ralph's wild party to bring this motley bunch together to answer those and many more questions.

If you love the Brit romantic comedies then you will love this one. Because of my job, I have to do a lot of heavy reading; it is so refreshing to pick up an entertaining page-turner like this one!! It is on par with the Bridget Jones books and much better than Amanda's Wedding, Jemima J and Confessions of a Shopaholic. This book is light, fun and an easy-read. Check it out!

The title of this book is a bit of a misnomer- when I started reading, I thought that the book would begin with a party, and the rest of the book would be about how the events of that night changed everyone's lives.

It was quite refreshing to see that I was wrong! Acutally, most of the book describes the lives of six singles living in London, and the party is just where everything pans out.

The characters are very well developed. Sibohan, Jem and Ralph are the ones you learn the most about, but you still learn a great deal about Karl as well. The other two, Smith and Cheri, are not as well developed, but you don't really feel like you are missing any information about them.

The plot is fast moving and keeps you entertained. Everything is well thought out- all plot lines are followed through with to their completion.

This is the first Lisa Jewell book I've read, and I look forward to reading more!