Scan barcode
emmacr2024's review
3.0
Who doesn't love a Karen Swan novel? They're always so readable and even more so as now we are being treated to two books a year, one published in the Summer and one set in or around the festive period. All Karen's books have such fabulous covers and I particularly love this new one as I think it really sums up the themes in the book, and it also gets you excited as to who the girl is and what exactly may or may not go down at the Christmas party mentioned in the title? This latest festive offering – The Christmas Party- is set in Ireland and I was keen to see in what direction Karen would take the story.
I hoped the characters wouldn't be too clichéd like the way Irish people are often portrayed on TV but no thank god Karen has once again written another great read that has lots of emotion and depth as one family battles to reconcile with the fact that their beloved father has gone. But also that the last knight of the Lorne estate Declan has left the place in disarray given that the youngest sister has inherited the majority share when really she had become the rogue and the exile of the family. Things are very uncertain for the Lorne family and as each of the three sisters grapple with their own personal secrets combined with what is going on with the family as a whole this makes for an interesting and entertaining read.
It's mentioned at the beginning that the author writes deep complicated love stories within twisty plots and The Christmas Party is certainly no exception. The story opens as a letter slips from a book, being described as a threat she cannot see, there is weight tucked away in the words and now a game has been set in motion and this woman must run. On the 26th November at Lorne Castle in Kilmally, a party is being thrown to celebrate Declan and Serena's 30th anniversary. But tragedy strikes as Declan falls ill. Willow, the estranged sister last seen three years ago, is called back from Dublin. She is fiery and unpredictable but something significant caused her to leave the estate and her family behind vowing never to return. She reaches Cork too late to say sorry to her father for what occurred in the past and this guilt will eat at her but when all is revealed that in fact it is Willow who has now been left the castle and the vast majority of the estate this sets in motion a surprising chain of events.
Willow was known in the family as the pariah, the one who left on bad terms. No reconciliation occurred, no kind words were uttered so why has she seemed to be selected as the chosen one? Sisters Ottie and Pip can't understand and maybe underneath it all they are hiding resentment that they weren't the chosen or preferred daughter. After all weren't they the ones who stood by their parents especially as times had been getting tough in terms of running the estate. Yes they had been left what their father deemed suitable for the needs, wants and aspirations but still it hurts a little to know the person who ran and the youngest seems to be the daughter of choice.
Willow herself is soon faced with a tough decision, as the family is broke the castle can't be kept and soon she may be forced to sell. Why was she the one given the home that she rejected and abandoned that has now caused such a burden. It's like a punishment of sorts for her. I thought her overall storyline was interesting and it showed the many conundrums she faced and looked at them from all sides of the coin. It's difficult for Willow to reconcile the past with the present when such an important figure is gone from her life and the last time they spoke it resulted in the estrangement. When someone provides a get out clause for Willow will it give her the escape route she has longed for or will love and family have a greater role to play?
The three sisters all have three distinct storylines and to be honest they keep an awful lot hidden from each other. The entire situation combined with their own individual issues and problems pushes them to breaking point. Clearly, they weren't a family who were used to getting everything out in the open. Ottie in particular, if her secret had been revealed it would have had devastating consequences for all involved. Yet she was the one above the other two whom I felt was struggling the most. She was totally enraptured by something in her life but yet that something really wasn't good for her as it led to her being a shadow of her former self and having to lie about what she was doing or where she was going. I felt like she retreated into her shell given the burden of keeping things secret.
Deep down Ottie knew what she was doing was wrong and really she felt like she couldn't share what she was experiencing with anyone. Running the camp site gave her an outlet and she got to meet many people especially when the Ultra Marathon took place on Lorne land. This marathon fuelled Ottie's storyline even further and I just knew at some stage she really was going to have to face the reality of her situation and make a decision. Something stark and shocking needed to occur to make her sit up and realise that life was short and that happiness in the right form should be grabbed with both hands that she should no longer hide it or bundle it up. No longer should her own ambitions and true happiness be suppressed. But if she takes the bull by the horns and admits the truth of what has being going on will it have even more of a devastating impact on the family than what has already come to the surface?
Pip, the sister who loved horses and had her own stables, had perhaps the weakest storyline out of the many running through the book. I just didn't warm to her that much. She wanted to get into developing thoroughbred race horses but didn't have the financial means to do so and to attempt to get what she needed she made the ultimate sacrifice but it didn't work out the way she had planned to. I felt a lot of the time she was a bit maudlin and that nothing really exciting happened with her. I connected with her the least out of all the characters and in my mind she wasn't the most memorable.
As we neared the conclusion the party of the title comes into play and we slowly start to see the various strands of the story weave themselves together. The opening pages play a very important role and things begin to make sense. I was surprised and shocked about what was revealed and all that had gone before really started to make sense and I thought yes Karen Swan has lived up to her reputation of writing twisty novels with plenty of romance thrown in too. It was all really quite cleverly done and that The Christmas Party does make for a very good read and one just that little bit different from the usual run of the mill romance Christmas stories of which there are so many on offer.
I hoped the characters wouldn't be too clichéd like the way Irish people are often portrayed on TV but no thank god Karen has once again written another great read that has lots of emotion and depth as one family battles to reconcile with the fact that their beloved father has gone. But also that the last knight of the Lorne estate Declan has left the place in disarray given that the youngest sister has inherited the majority share when really she had become the rogue and the exile of the family. Things are very uncertain for the Lorne family and as each of the three sisters grapple with their own personal secrets combined with what is going on with the family as a whole this makes for an interesting and entertaining read.
It's mentioned at the beginning that the author writes deep complicated love stories within twisty plots and The Christmas Party is certainly no exception. The story opens as a letter slips from a book, being described as a threat she cannot see, there is weight tucked away in the words and now a game has been set in motion and this woman must run. On the 26th November at Lorne Castle in Kilmally, a party is being thrown to celebrate Declan and Serena's 30th anniversary. But tragedy strikes as Declan falls ill. Willow, the estranged sister last seen three years ago, is called back from Dublin. She is fiery and unpredictable but something significant caused her to leave the estate and her family behind vowing never to return. She reaches Cork too late to say sorry to her father for what occurred in the past and this guilt will eat at her but when all is revealed that in fact it is Willow who has now been left the castle and the vast majority of the estate this sets in motion a surprising chain of events.
Willow was known in the family as the pariah, the one who left on bad terms. No reconciliation occurred, no kind words were uttered so why has she seemed to be selected as the chosen one? Sisters Ottie and Pip can't understand and maybe underneath it all they are hiding resentment that they weren't the chosen or preferred daughter. After all weren't they the ones who stood by their parents especially as times had been getting tough in terms of running the estate. Yes they had been left what their father deemed suitable for the needs, wants and aspirations but still it hurts a little to know the person who ran and the youngest seems to be the daughter of choice.
Willow herself is soon faced with a tough decision, as the family is broke the castle can't be kept and soon she may be forced to sell. Why was she the one given the home that she rejected and abandoned that has now caused such a burden. It's like a punishment of sorts for her. I thought her overall storyline was interesting and it showed the many conundrums she faced and looked at them from all sides of the coin. It's difficult for Willow to reconcile the past with the present when such an important figure is gone from her life and the last time they spoke it resulted in the estrangement. When someone provides a get out clause for Willow will it give her the escape route she has longed for or will love and family have a greater role to play?
The three sisters all have three distinct storylines and to be honest they keep an awful lot hidden from each other. The entire situation combined with their own individual issues and problems pushes them to breaking point. Clearly, they weren't a family who were used to getting everything out in the open. Ottie in particular, if her secret had been revealed it would have had devastating consequences for all involved. Yet she was the one above the other two whom I felt was struggling the most. She was totally enraptured by something in her life but yet that something really wasn't good for her as it led to her being a shadow of her former self and having to lie about what she was doing or where she was going. I felt like she retreated into her shell given the burden of keeping things secret.
Deep down Ottie knew what she was doing was wrong and really she felt like she couldn't share what she was experiencing with anyone. Running the camp site gave her an outlet and she got to meet many people especially when the Ultra Marathon took place on Lorne land. This marathon fuelled Ottie's storyline even further and I just knew at some stage she really was going to have to face the reality of her situation and make a decision. Something stark and shocking needed to occur to make her sit up and realise that life was short and that happiness in the right form should be grabbed with both hands that she should no longer hide it or bundle it up. No longer should her own ambitions and true happiness be suppressed. But if she takes the bull by the horns and admits the truth of what has being going on will it have even more of a devastating impact on the family than what has already come to the surface?
Pip, the sister who loved horses and had her own stables, had perhaps the weakest storyline out of the many running through the book. I just didn't warm to her that much. She wanted to get into developing thoroughbred race horses but didn't have the financial means to do so and to attempt to get what she needed she made the ultimate sacrifice but it didn't work out the way she had planned to. I felt a lot of the time she was a bit maudlin and that nothing really exciting happened with her. I connected with her the least out of all the characters and in my mind she wasn't the most memorable.
As we neared the conclusion the party of the title comes into play and we slowly start to see the various strands of the story weave themselves together. The opening pages play a very important role and things begin to make sense. I was surprised and shocked about what was revealed and all that had gone before really started to make sense and I thought yes Karen Swan has lived up to her reputation of writing twisty novels with plenty of romance thrown in too. It was all really quite cleverly done and that The Christmas Party does make for a very good read and one just that little bit different from the usual run of the mill romance Christmas stories of which there are so many on offer.
evarano's review
3.0
I’m surprised at all the really high reviews!! This book, for me, started really slow. There were so many characters and I didn’t find the plot interesting, I almost gave up on it. I did enjoy the ending and it did get better as it went, hence the three stars.
philippakmoore's review
3.0
Filled with Christmas spirit, The Christmas Party is a great escapist read as we head towards the festive time of the year. Though there's dark subject matter at times (death, colonialism, patriarchy, family dramas, sibling rivalry, small-town parochialism etc) it's quite good fun, and I particularly enjoyed the fact there was a character called Philippa in this novel - though she is called Pip (if anyone ever calls me that they get my famous death stare). Set in a castle too, so it's a bit of a fairy tale for grown ups :)
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
groenetaart's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nannykaren's review
5.0
This was a very unique story for me. I loved how it told the stories of each of the daughters lives as well as their mother and fathers, often which crops up following the cash of one parent as in this case. I loved how the village pub was always busy despite pubs closing down so much these days. What a way to bring a castle into the 21st century!
iesq's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lovesresqdogs's review
4.0
Interesting storyline and a good read. Though I was very annoyed by the characters choices many times. It’s so funny how I am affected by made up people, I was so invested in the one characters survival. As well as one unrealistic grudge. Lol
lil_owl's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sk_isheretoo's review against another edition
2.0
Immensely disappointed. I love Karen Swan's books so when I decided to read this, I admit my expectations were too high but this turned out to be her weakest book I have read to date.
I don't want to waste anymore of my time thinking about this book tbh. It was simply boring, which sucked cause the first chapter was so good. The three sisters blend in with each other than that their unique personalities do not stand out at all. To say that this is a Christmas book would be misleading, it's just set in December and has one chapter (that too last one) which involves a Christmas party; other than that it's quite a boring and depressing read.
I don't want to waste anymore of my time thinking about this book tbh. It was simply boring, which sucked cause the first chapter was so good. The three sisters blend in with each other than that their unique personalities do not stand out at all. To say that this is a Christmas book would be misleading, it's just set in December and has one chapter (that too last one) which involves a Christmas party; other than that it's quite a boring and depressing read.