Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Party
    Unavailable
    The Party
    Unavailable
    The Party
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Party

    Written by Elizabeth Day

    Narrated by Greg Wagland and Stephanie Racine

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    **Elizabeth Day’s new novel Magpie is available to pre-order now.**

    AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR

    A gripping story of betrayal, privilege and hypocrisy, set in the unassailable heart of the British establishment.

    ‘A terrifying, hilarious, brilliantly written original with a wit to die for’ Phoebe Waller-Bridge

    ‘As the train pressed on, I realised that my life was in the process of taking a different direction, plotted according to a new constellation. Because, although I didn't know it yet, I was about to meet Ben and nothing would ever be the same again.’

    Martin Gilmour is an outsider. When he wins a scholarship to Burtonbury School, he doesn’t wear the right clothes or speak with the right kind of accent. But then he meets the dazzling, popular and wealthy Ben Fitzmaurice, and gains admission to an exclusive world. Soon Martin is enjoying tennis parties and Easter egg hunts at the Fitzmaurice family’s estate, as Ben becomes the brother he never had.

    But Martin has a secret. He knows something about Ben, something he will never tell. It is a secret that will bind the two of them together for the best part of 25 years.

    At Ben’s 40th birthday party, the great and the good of British society are gathering to celebrate in a haze of champagne, drugs and glamour. Amid the hundreds of guests – the politicians, the celebrities, the old-money and newly rich – Martin once again feels that disturbing pang of not-quite belonging. His wife, Lucy, has her reservations too. There is disquiet in the air. But Ben wouldn’t do anything to damage their friendship.

    Would he?

    ‘The twists and turns that the novel takes are never predictable and the novel becomes as unsettling as it is involving. One of those books that a person reads in one day because you absolutely have to know how it turns out’ John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateJul 13, 2017
    ISBN9780008194291
    Unavailable
    The Party
    Author

    Elizabeth Day

    Elizabeth Day is an award-winning author and broadcaster based in the UK. Her chart-topping podcast, How to Fail, is a celebration of the things that haven’t gone right. Guests have included Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Gloria Steinem, Andrew Scott, Lily Allen, Mabel, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Malcolm Gladwell. It won the Rising Star Award at the 2019 British Podcast Awards. Elizabeth is the author of the novel The Party, which was published in the US in 2017.

    More audiobooks from Elizabeth Day

    Related to The Party

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Our Unconventional Love Affair

      Mar 16, 2020

      Our Unconventional Love Affair
      6 min read

    • Article

      Let The Bones Talk

      Jun 16, 2021

      Let The Bones Talk
      6 min read

    • Article

      Let The Bones Talk

      Jun 16, 2021

      Let The Bones Talk
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Freshening

      Sep 15, 2018

      My cashier’s black hair was beautiful. Though not unlike mine, it was shinier and thicker, and hung glamorously down to her waist. It looked strong, too, like Christopher Reeve’s in the Superman movies. A strand of Superman’s silvery hair could hold

      21 min read

    • Article

      Righteous

      Jan 22, 2019

      Righteous
      8 min read

    • Article

      Sex In A Pandemic

      Jan 16, 2021

      Sex In A Pandemic
      4 min read

    • Article

      Longer on Moon

      Sep 22, 2022

      Longer on Moon
      19 min read

    • Article

      Come with Me

      Dec 1, 2022

      Come with Me
      12 min read

    • Article

      Rising Sign

      Feb 4, 2021

      Rising Sign
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Kill Registry

      Dec 10, 2022

      My sister chose to use her bullet years ago and ever since she has badgered me to liberate my own from its chamber. Beth leveled her pistol at her husband five years into their marriage, and she has no regrets, which is one of the things I admire abo

      14 min read

    • Article

      We Don't Talk About That Here

      Nov 4, 2021

      We Don't Talk About That Here
      4 min read

    • Article

      Pleasure Palace

      Sep 1, 2022

      Pleasure Palace
      15 min read

    • Article

      Prohibition

      Sep 10, 2021

      It had been ten days since my last fix. I knew what I was going to do was wrong, but unless you knew the yearning that your body exerts, the internal pull which strangles your very soul into submission, then you cannot judge me. Yes, it was wrong. Ye

      15 min read

    • Article

      Vincentka Vs Garbage Water – An Original Short Story By Helen Oyeyemi

      Dec 19, 2021

      Winter: Each time you step outdoors your toes curl – well, they try to – and you hiss into your scarf. The temperature’s like a shock and awe manoeuvre; it stupefies. Morning after morning either I or the lady at the newspaper kiosk make the announce

      9 min read

    • Article

      Jason the Heat Guy

      Jan 11, 2021

      Jason the Heat Guy
      11 min read

    • Article

      Cycles

      Nov 10, 2022

      His online profile was promising: good hair, straight teeth, college degree. And he was nice-looking too, in his photo anyway, standing on a clifftop with the sun rising over his welldefined, muscular shoulder. He was attractive enough, the kind of u

      18 min read

    • Article

      Why I Don’t Write

      Mar 7, 2019

      Why I Don’t Write
      6 min read

    • Article

      All Of Us Here

      Jun 4, 2020

      All Of Us Here
      6 min read

    • Article

      Yellowstone

      Dec 1, 2022

      Yellowstone
      14 min read

    • Article

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty

      Sep 8, 2021

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty
      7 min read

    • Article

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty

      Sep 8, 2021

      MUM IS MISSING Liane Moriarty
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Convict

      Jul 10, 2020

      The Convict
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Party

    3.5/5

    134 ratings12 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Absolutely gripping from beginning to end. A sociopathic child who gets caught up in a world of wealth and privilege where he doesn’t belong. An act of kindness by another pupil at boarding school leads to a lifetime of obsession, murder and betrayal. Wonderfully written, quietly terrifying.
    • 3/5
      This book begins with the police interrogation of 39-year-old Martin. Apparently there has been some violent incident at the 40th birthday party of Martin's old school friend Ben who comes from a wealthy family. Martin is married to Lucy, but his primary relationship is with Ben. It's a relationship comprised of longing and envy on Martin's part, and camaraderie and disdain on Ben's part. The relationships of Martin/Ben and Martin/Lucy are told in lengthy flashbacks from the points of view of Martin and Lucy. Lucy just seemed so dull. I never really understood why she pursued Martin and was so devoted to him despite his lack of charm or effort in her direction. She somehow didn't acknowledge that Martin was just not that into her. We never get to hear the point of view of Ben and I would like to have heard how Ben really felt about having Martin (his little shadow) clinging to him all those years.I wish that the book had focused more on the party itself. There were some interesting and snarky interactions among the guests. It wasn't until the last third of the book that we find out about a significant event in the Martin/Ben saga that colored their relationship and led to the party incident. Up until that time, I found the flashbacks redundant and boring. The actual violent incident was kind of a let down. There's some attempt to make the upper classes the bad guy, but really no one comes off looking good here. I think the author was striving for dark and clever in this book but didn't really achieve that goal. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely a great great piece of fiction. I enjoyed every moment and do really hope a sequel will come .
    • 4/5
      I liked the book, but found it hard to follow for some reason. A lot of back and forth from school then to current time, but not sure that's why. Interesting story. Loved the dedication Lucy had towards her idiot husband. Her actions at the end with the "snob" wife was great.
    • 3/5
      Once we finally get to the party it sounds a lot like a Jay Gatsby gathering of 350 of his closest friends.So far, characters totally unlikable. Ugh. Except the long suffering wife, Lucy, who seems a little dense but the most likable so far. Likable being subjective.Once again, most unsympathetic characters ever! Wish I had a champagne bottle.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating read. Class friction, gender friction, masculin power. And the fact that the truth will come out one day.
    • 4/5
      3.5* rounded down - I was intending to round up, but then the last chapter was just so boring that I changed my mind.This is one of those novels where something meriting a police investigation has occurred, but what exactly it was is revealed very gradually and in dribs and drabs. Here that is exacerbated further by the fact that there is a second earlier "something" of terrible import which occurred, and which also needs to be heavily foreshadowed and then disclosed.Ben and Martin met at boarding school and Martin attached himself to Ben and has clung on ever since, but there is something off about their relationship. Things have come to a head at Ben's 40th birthday party.I round this very readable, although there were no likeable characters and no one really to identify with. Both Martin and Lucy had spent their lives moulding their personalities to suit those they loved, which made for an unsettling read; Lucy was particularly opaque. An interesting read, but one without a heart and certainly no joy.
    • 4/5
      Ugh, how do I unread a book? All praise to the author for crafting such a gripping story, but now I would like to pour bleach into my eyes and set fire to my Kindle. What a detestable character - and for once, I don't mean the middle class Rosamunde Pilcher rejects, but the deeply unreliable and itchingly unlikeable narrator. I haven't been so repulsed since catching a stray half hour of American Psycho. Creepy creepy creepy. But the four stars remain, for the author's great observational skill and deftly-woven plotting, not to mention creating a character with such a powerful but negative effect.
    • 3/5
      This was undoubtedly the most tedious book labeled fiction that I have ever trudged through. I even skipped pages, lots and felt like it was a punishment.I do, also, have to admit that there were parts that were excellent. Unfortunately, they were few and FAR between.First off, I did not connect with any of the characters. I did not like any of them. That, I'm sure what one reason it did not entertain me. Secondly, I get it, Martin had a tough life. He was very unlikable in his fictional life and to me, as a reader. Considering at least 2/3 of the books dealt with Martin's boring, mundane and spineless early years, it did not bode well for my expectations.I gave this story an extra star because there were some good parts and the author went through a lot of work in writing this book.Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
    • 5/5
      Elizabeth Day has scored a triumph with her latest novel. Martin Gilmour is a successful journalist and art critic, whose recent analysis of modern art has become a best seller. As the book opens he and his wife, Lucy, are arriving at a local hotel, prior to attending the fortieth birthday part of Martin’s childhood friend Ben. Ben is incredibly wealthy, and the party will prove to be a major extravaganza, with many celebrities among the guests, and rumours abounding that the Prime Minister himself might even attend. It soon becomes evident that something significant happened at the party, though it is some time before we learn what the incident was.The narrative moves between present day interviews at a local police station, reminiscences of Martin’s and Ben’s time at school and university, and entries from the journal kept by one of the characters during their stay at a private clinic. We learn that Ben comes from an immensely wealthy and ennobled family, and that his life has been very easy, littered with entitlement and privilege. Martin’s background is very different. He had been raised by a single mother, his father having died a few months before Martin’s birth. His mother was clearly a forceful but distant person, and there was little emotional succour available during Martin’s upbringing. Throughout his childhood and early adolescence Martin was a loner, until he was sent to Burtonbury, a minor public school to which he had won a full scholarship. This was where he encountered ben, and his outlook on life changed.The plot moves rapidly as we learn more about Martin’s psychological make-up, illuminated by a few key episodes from his early years. The descriptions of the interactions between the boys at the school are particularly well drawn, as are the developing relationships between Martin and Lucy and Martin and Ben. It is obvious to everyone (with the sole exception of Martin) that Ben has moved on. His interest in Martin’s views and life are superficial at best, though Martin fails, or at least refuses, to acknowledge this. The consequential tension between Lucy and Serena, Ben’s trophy wife, is especially powerful.As with her previous novel, Paradise City, Day manages the multi-narrative form very adeptly. The emerging storylines keep pace with each other in a delicate balance, enhancing the build-up as the book moves towards its denouement. On top of all that, Day has a beautiful prose style, and a fine ear for dialogue, and the overall impact iod quite dixzzying.
    • 4/5
      A wonderfully suspenseful and disturbing tale of obsession and prowess. The author paints a very descriptive environment that lends gravity to the story and depth to the multi-layered level of unrequited affections/love. A dark romance with glints of hope that is well worth the read!
    • 4/5
      A tale of hangers on, sycophancy and unrequited love. Martin knows his life will change the moment he steps on the train en route to boarding school. He's right, it does when he meets the charismatic Ben who is everything he is not with his privileged background. Interspersed with the past there's a police interview after an incident at a party at Ben's home. This was a great story, told well despite the characters being very unlikeable - all of them. Some might have looked nice on the outside but inside, where it matters, they were really very ugly. Wealthy and privileged they might be, but nice? - not at all, with their sense of self entitlement. This book is dark and comical in turns and I enjoyed every single page!