|
English Summary/英文概要： Meet the residents of 31 Almanac Road Ralph and Smith are flatmates and best mates until, that is, the gorgeous Jemima moves in. And suddenly they’re bickering about a lot more than who drank the last beer. Of course, Jem knows that one of them is the man for her but is it Ralph or Smith? Upstairs, Karl and Siobhan have been happily unmarried for fifteen years until, that is, Cheri moves into the flat above theirs. Cheri’s got her eye on Karl and doesn’t see why she should let a little thing like his girlfriend stand in her way Sooner or later its all got to come to a head and what better place for tears and laughter, break ups and make ups than Ralph’s party?
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 讓我們來見見阿爾馬克路31號的住戶們，通過大門，進入這些住戶的私密生活。
拉爾夫和史密斯是一對好朋友，直到他們同時愛上Jem，他們的新鄰居。Jem想從這兩個人之中選一個，但還未確定哪一個。
卡爾和西沃恩住在他們樓上，雖然沒結婚但15年來都很幸福。這樣田園詩般的生活很難被打破。
最大的威脅就是頂樓的妖嬈女郎Cheri，她看上了卡爾，但他的肥女朋友若是在一邊就很難做點什麼。（Celia）
Awards/获奖情况： The inhabitants of 31 Almanac Road are involved in a love hexagon founded on lust, lies and a lack of respect for others. This novel is best summed up by its own words: "It was Oprah on a bad day." Weak characterisation, coarse language and Mills & Boon style sex all add up to an irritating read. The author compensates for the absence of plot by writing 500 words when five would suffice and the reader is subjected to endless discourse on the merits of destiny and tales of chilli challenges and sex-shop visits. It is a relief when the cabs are called and the party’s over. ---Sunday Times, June 1999
"Deliciously enjoyable... although there have been many books trying to decipher the new rules of engagement, Jewell’s is one of the most refreshing: addictively readable without being irritating or glib" ---The Times
"A party worth gatecrashing! Lisa Jewell pulls off a rare trick which even the likes of Helen Fielding and Nick Hornby couldn’t quite manage. She has written a book about relationships which appeals to men and women ... It’s a spicy lamb kofta in a sea of bland chicken masala" ---Daily Mirror
"A joy...a fun, summer read" ---Guardian
"A lovely, modern, urban tale of interconnecting relationships, desires and disasters. Quite the nicest in this vein for some time" ---Bookseller
It’s London. It’s the late-Nineties. It’s your late-twenties or early-thrtities, but it doesn’t really matter because, details aside, it’s just so true to life…---London Evening Standard, 14th July 1999
"A breath of fresh air" ---Tom Paulin, Late Review, 6th May 1999
"Addictive...Jilly Cooper for the combat-trouser generation" ---The Times, 5 June 1999
Comparisons to Bridget Jones’s Diary are sure to greet British author Jewell’s American debut, but her tale of love among neighbors bears more resemblance to TV’s Melrose Place. Spicing up the fast-paced plot is Smith’s long-running, long-distance obsession over Cheri and Jem’s inexplicable attraction to Ralph, though she remains devoted to Smith. Enjoyable scenes include a hot chile-eating contest and Jem and Ralph’s first visit to a sex-toy store, where they’re initially nervous, but are soon examining the merchandise with gusto. An amusing denouement brings all six tenants together and wittily, neatly ties up their lives in a novel that won Jewell acclaim and a TV movie option in England, where this light delight was first published. ---Publishers Weekly (US), January 2000
"A good summer read can be as restorative as a good summer holiday, like a squirt of after-sun cream on careworn shoulders. However, for escapism to begin at home, choose your companion book carefully... RALPH’S PARTY by Lisa Jewell has the formula perfectly judged: even the first page of her first novel glows with the kind of guaranteed readability that Jilly Cooper once made her own. This book has been hailed a modern classic by Germaine Greer and other luminaries, but don’t be put off by that. Jewell’s romantic comedy about three yuppie couples in a south London flatshare teeters happily into feminine fantasy rather than trudging sensibly into realism. The concerns of Jem, the heroine, feature her amorous destiny first, the largeness of her breasts and her inability to wear trousers second, with drink and drug-fuelled London nightlife bringing up the rear." ---Helen Rumbelow, Saturday Times metro, July 10-16 1999
A shameless flirt of a first novel that traces the roller-coaster lives of six people sharing the same London brownstone. Slight, yes, but enjoyable.---Kirkus Reviews (US), January 2000
With wit and insight, [Jewell] celebrates the charms of the average woman and satirizes the goddesses of the trendy social world, those "blonde, tall, whippet-chested, cool, arrogant, wine-drinking, label-wearing" beauties whose domination of the media is so oppressive. ---Baltimore Sun (US), January 2000
|
