Lianne reads yet another book! (Ralph's Party - Lisa Jewell)

Member Name: girlnextdoor

Product:	Ralph's Party - Lisa Jewell
Date:	01/12/02 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good style of writing

Disadvantages: i wouls still have rather watched the T.V

Another one of my g/f's favourites that I was told I must read, and I must say our lassie has good tatse. Well she has been going out with me for three years.

As some of you may know I'm a painter and decorater, for the past few weeks I've been decorating a nursing home,I've been working during the night so as not to disturbe their routine, as the residents there are in bed, I can't watch T.v or listen to music. So on my breaks I've been reading this book, and now the time has come to let you all in on the story.


?Ralph?s Party? is a novel about the lives of the residents of 31 Almanac Road. On three different floors live three different sets of people living three different sets of lives. These three groups of
people are all connected in various ways, and in this story the reader finds out about the lives and loves of these six people.

Karl and Siobhan are a happily unmarried couple living on the second floor. They have been together for 15 years, living with their dog, Roseanne. Their relationship plays a significant part in the book, as they have their ups and downs like any couple would. This pair are my favourite characters, because they are so ordinary, but they are so happy, until Siobhan finds out about Karl?s affair. They seem genuine.

Cheri lives on the top floor, and is not discussed much in the book. She is viewed as a home-wrecker and a huge role of hers in the story is her seduction of Siobhan?s long-term boyfriend, Karl. She?s an attractive girl that all the women want to be, and all the men want to sleep with. She looks upon every man as a conquest, and Karl is one of these, much to the disgust of Siobhan.

Ralph and Smith are best friends who inhabit the ground floor. They are very close and happy in their mundane lifestyle, until Jemima comes along. ?Jem? is their new flatmate, and she has the idea that it is her fate to end up with one of these men ? she just doe
sn?t know which one yet. Smith is in love with Cheri, and Ralph has a bitchy girlfriend called Claudia. Despite this, Jem and Smith find themselves in a relationship ? which Ralph is not happy about. Ralph begins reading Jem?s diary while she?s at work, and gradually begins to fall in love with her. However, he can?t do anything about it because his best friend is already with her. The author examines their relationships with each other and describes how romantic liaisons can influence friendship a great deal.

This book is not complex, but it is a realistic tale of friends, lovers and enemies, which brings to life the true nature of love in the 20th century and beyond. The reader follows the lives of these six people and how they intervene with one another, all culminating in Ralph?s party. It is easy for the reader to feel close to Ralph and the other characters in the book, because they are so true to life. The reader feels he or she has experienced the same situations, because they are so common, and this makes them feel empathetic towards them.

The characters are all very believable, and it?s easy to get caught up in the story, even though it is fairly simple and not really anything out of the ordinary. There are a few twists in the novel, but aside from them, the story is quite predictable. A merit to the book is the fact that it doesn?t take itself too seriously. It is not a normal romance novel ? it is about relationships, but it considers male viewpoints, even though the author is female. The female characters are not clichés, which makes ?Ralph?s Party? superior to a lot of other books, as so many writers have attempted to create a Bridget Jones-style character. Jewell?s characters are strong-minded women, in control of their own lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as Jewell?s writing style is so fluent, and not ridiculously complex. It doesn?t seem as if the author is trying to hard, which I like. The two contrasting plots
neatly join together at the end, to create a near-perfect climax.

Cheers

Summary: