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3.22 AVERAGE
3.22 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the class conversation and rambling paragraphs of Martin's inner monologue. A bit unbelievable and one dimensional at times.
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
3.5/5
Calling THE PARTY UPSTAIRS "thriller-like" might have been optimistic, so let's get that out of the way to avoid disappointments: THE PARTY UPSTAIRS is not a thriller.
It is, however, a very clever and touching book. By that, I mean that it will make your blood boil. It might make you ashamed (of you're, like me, a bleeding-heart bourgeois). It will make you think and feel.
It is very well written too. Set almost only in one building and over the span of one day, it still finds time to be poetically slow moving. Introspective. Meditative, perhaps (read the book and you'll get it).
Calling THE PARTY UPSTAIRS "thriller-like" might have been optimistic, so let's get that out of the way to avoid disappointments: THE PARTY UPSTAIRS is not a thriller.
It is, however, a very clever and touching book. By that, I mean that it will make your blood boil. It might make you ashamed (of you're, like me, a bleeding-heart bourgeois). It will make you think and feel.
It is very well written too. Set almost only in one building and over the span of one day, it still finds time to be poetically slow moving. Introspective. Meditative, perhaps (read the book and you'll get it).
This book just bored me. The characters weren’t particularly interesting and on top of that, they weren’t very likable. I don’t need my characters to be great people, but they need to be interesting at least. I also really struggled with the way the younger characters in the story acted - they were supposed to be adults, but they acted like dumb teenagers. It got marginally better towards the end, but overall, I struggled to care and had to force myself to finish.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Penguin Press and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review.
I was drawn to this book by its synopsis - The Party Upstairs takes place in one day, largely in one Upper West Side apartment building. It centers on Ruby, who's recently moved back in with her parents, and her father (the super).
I found it uneven, but in a way that will have me watching whatever this author writes next. While at times I felt like the book dragged or got a bit absurd, at other times I highlighted entire paragraphs for their insight on privilege, expectations, and the stories we tell. Some of Conell's sentences cut in an altogether delicious way.
Recommended for those who like Alternate Side (Anna Quindlen) and/or complex father-daughter relationships. Please be advised the plot is sort of a bummer (this is more class analysis than an uplifting pull-youself-up-by-the-bookstraps tale...)
I was drawn to this book by its synopsis - The Party Upstairs takes place in one day, largely in one Upper West Side apartment building. It centers on Ruby, who's recently moved back in with her parents, and her father (the super).
I found it uneven, but in a way that will have me watching whatever this author writes next. While at times I felt like the book dragged or got a bit absurd, at other times I highlighted entire paragraphs for their insight on privilege, expectations, and the stories we tell. Some of Conell's sentences cut in an altogether delicious way.
Recommended for those who like Alternate Side (Anna Quindlen) and/or complex father-daughter relationships. Please be advised the plot is sort of a bummer (this is more class analysis than an uplifting pull-youself-up-by-the-bookstraps tale...)
[b:The Party Upstairs|51620186|The Party Upstairs|Lee Conell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594330735l/51620186._SY75_.jpg|70682391] is—complete with an art shot with a rhino head, pigeon angst, quests for self-discovery, and family struggles, all set against the weirdly glorious and harsh backdrop of the NYC elite—equal parts poignant, funny, relevant and reasonable. I rooted for Ruby (despite her weirdly proximal relationship to wealth), and prison librarian Debra, and salt-of-the-earth Martin, and delightfully marxist Lily. At the heart of [a:Lee Conell|16761402|Lee Conell|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]'s debut is Martin and Ruby's wholesome father-daughter bond—love that is clumsy and messy and heartbreakingly real.
I thought the premise was fascinating and some of the writing was brilliant. I did not find any redeeming qualities in any of the characters which made it difficult for me to want to finish. The book is supposed to highlight differences in class structures in NYC but didn't go into enough depth to get that point across. It was also difficult to relate to two white women that received excellent college educations but one of the main differences was one had student debt (which was a big factor in the class differences). Since most millennials have student debt, it was very hard to understand or empathize with the character's destructive behavior.