The Engagement Party is an amazing read for readers who are fascinated by exploring relationships and enjoys seeing the funny side of life. Readers who have struggled to make something of a broken family and has felt guilty about the impact on their children should recognize such feelings in this novel. And adult children who read it will appreciate that however bad things were in their own family, it could have been a lot worse!
The Book has been self-published via Amazon and Feed-A-Read(UK) and is available as eBook and Paperback - 318 pages - released in February 2012.
About the Book
The loving couple have organized their engagement party at an upmarket country hotel. Wayne comes from a working class background in north London and Clarissa from an upper-middle class one in west London. Their families meeting for the first time is in itself a cause for concern but the potential for disaster is exacerbated by separations and divorces which have resulted in eight parents, step-parents and partners being invited to the lunch together with Lil, Wayne’s teenage tearaway sister.
The party is financed by Clarissa’s father Reginald, a wealthy property developer. He will be attending with his young fiancee Suzie who is a rising star in Reginald’s company. Fiona is Clarissa’s mother. She has refused to communicate with Reginald since he walked out on her and the party will be their first meeting for approaching two years. She has recently married the rather conservative Henry and is already regretting her decision. Thomas is Wayne’s father. He moved to the Isle of Wight when his wife Carol decided to break free from what she perceived as a dull relationship. Soon after he moved he met Margaret, a woman of narrow horizons who he married after a long courtship and initial rejection. Carol is married to Jack, a womanizer and rogue plumber who seems more interested in Carol’s teenage daughter Lil than in his wife.
.jpg "The Engagement Party - R.J. Gould") |
| Click to Read an Excerpt |
There are three sections to the novel, the weekend before the party, midweek, and the day of the party itself. The reader is taken through events that explain the current situation for each character and make it increasingly likely that the party will be catastrophic.
However, for some of the guests there might be light at the end of the tunnel.
Reviews (Excerpts)
- "The unfolding situation keeps you hooked. The multitude of characters are all well defined and the way they interact is believable. The comic touches make the book an entertaining read and the individuals in the novel are all too recogniseable, which perhaps is a reason for the effectiveness of the humour. It is a shrewd and enjoyablly fond sideswipe at the English class system and all its snobberies and ridiculousness." - Les Fielding
- "This is a book that is light and witty (a very original wit) whilst at the same time showing an incredible insight into the different dimensions of human nature - including the less pleasant ones - of both men and women (the author is a man and but he certainly knows how we women think!). The story is engrossing from beginning to end - I could not put the book down.
Can't wait to read the author's next book! " - SeaSnowBlue (Amazon)
- "[...] This wonderful collection of character studies offers a fun diversion alright, but like Fitzgerald manages in The Great Gatsby, somehow the quality of Gould's writing takes me to a place where the moral questions of right vs. wrong underlying each person's life choices encourages me to do some soul-searching of my own and possibly a bit of mid-life course correction. I would not be surprised if this book will have a similar effect on you. " - Terumi Araki
- "I always try new authors, so naturally I had to try it and I was not disappointed. It wasn't very hard for me to connect to the characters. They were very likeable. It made want to follow what happens next. " - Coddington (Amazon)
About the Author
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| R.J. Gould |
R.J. is a member of Cambridge Writers www.cambridgewriters.net. He was the annual short story competition winner in February 2010 and received a commendation for Domestic Blisslessness in February 2012. This story is available as a Kindle e-book.
R.J. Gould has a degree in Economics and a Masters in Management. He works for a national educational charity. He has published in a wide range of educational journals, newspapers and magazines and is the co-author of a major work on educating able young people.
His second novel, The Reunion, will be published towards the end of 2012. This novel opens at a twenty-five year school reunion then traces the relationship between two of the guests at the party.
Links to the Author and the Book
See also the Interview with R.J. Gould on Indie Author News
Connect with the Author via the Cambridge Writers Group
Link to the eBook The Engagement Party with Excerpt on Amazon (UK)
Link to the Paperback The Engagement Party on Amazon (US)
Link to the eBook The Engagement Party with Excerpt on Amazon (US)
