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The After Party  By  cover art

The After Party

By: Anton DiSclafani
Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue
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Publisher's summary

"A vintage version of 'Gossip Girl' meets bigger hair." (The Skimm)

"DiSclafani’s story sparkles like the jumbo diamonds her characters wear to one-up each other. Historical fiction lovers will linger over every lush detail." (People)

From the best-selling author of The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls comes a story of lifelong female friendship - in all its intimate agony and joy - set within a world of wealth, beauty, and expectation.

Joan Fortier is the epitome of Texas glamour and the center of the 1950s Houston social scene. Tall, blonde, beautiful, and strong, she dominates the room and the gossip columns. Every man wants her; every woman wants to be her.

Devoted to Joan since childhood, Cece Buchanan is either her chaperone or her partner in crime, depending on whom you ask. But when Joan's radical behavior escalates the summer they are 25, Cece considers it her responsibility to bring her back to the fold, ultimately forcing one provocative choice to appear the only one there is.

A thrilling glimpse into the sphere of the rich and beautiful at a memorable moment in history, The After Party unfurls a story of friendship as obsessive, euphoric, consuming, and complicated as any romance.

©2016 Anton DiSclafani (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Dramatic... Left me holding my breath.” (The New York Times Book Review)

"A tale of lavish balls, garden clubs, and enduring female friendship.” (O, The Oprah Magazine)

“Two women take on the Texas social scene in the 1950s and all its attendant glamor and scandals. You’ll just have to imagine the accents for yourself.” (Boston Magazine)

What listeners say about The After Party

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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    66
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

still waiting.....

I'm on chapter 20, still listening because the narrator is good and I'm still waiting to find out what the plot of the story is... well, maybe that's not fair - I'm just not invested in the characters, if J doesn't turn out to be a psychotic drug addict OR if C doesn't stop being a whiny girl & grow up ----- then? it feels like I'm reading a 16 year old's diary..... but worth a listen if you like diaries (& the narrator is good - the writing is good too, but I'm halfway through and still waiting for the meat of it.....)

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

So repetitive that it is infuriating

Would you try another book from Anton DiSclafani and/or Dorothy Dillingham Blue?

Probably not

Has The After Party turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Would you be willing to try another one of Dorothy Dillingham Blue’s performances?

Sure

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The After Party?

I am on chapter 8, and I just can't listen anymore because I Cannot hear the word Joan one more time. The narrator is completely obsessed with character we don't even know. It's like, "Air, Joan loves breathing air. I have watched Joan breathe for days. Has Joan ever watched me breathe? Joan is constantly on my mind. Joan is everything. Joan knows that I am constantly watching her.

Any additional comments?

I am a native Houstonian, and I really wanted to like this book, but it's just about a narrators obsession with an aloof girl.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Examination of a friendship

I enjoyed this. The setting of 1950's Houston was vividly depicted; the author obviously did a lot of research and worked the details into the story smoothly. This story of a dysfunctional friendship is very insightful and I found it quite interesting. Wonderful narration, too.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Cece needs to grow a pair

What would have made The After Party better?

A more developed main character and plot! Cece is cloying, clingy and pathetic...and not in a way that is remotely interesting. If you cared more about her as a character you'd want to shake some sense into her, but all I was left with was the desire to shout "Oh please shuuuut up!" Ultimately, the characters are flat and boring.

What didn’t you like about Dorothy Dillingham Blue’s performance?

Her voice was pleasant enough and she did a passable job at distinguishing each of the characters from each other, but I found myself almost nodding off more than once. Riveting it was not. I don't know if the bulk of the blame can be placed on the narrator, or if the author is at fault.

What character would you cut from The After Party?

There wasn't a salvageable character in the bunch

Any additional comments?

The only element that kept me going until the end was the description of historical Houston and the lifestyle of the characters - the parties, the clubs, the fashion.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining

Narrator kept you there! Had a three day drive, the narrator was believable! She put a movie in my head!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not up to par

While I loved this author's first novel, this one didn't sing to me in the same way. The writing was more precious and the protagonist less sympathetic. Disappointing.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

OMG Such a waste of my time

What disappointed you about The After Party?

I tried very hard to like this book, but it drug on and on. It all centered around Joan Fortier. She was the typical popular girl/woman that doesn't seem to care a whole lot about the people who adore them.

What was most disappointing about Anton DiSclafani’s story?

There wasn't a lot about the social scene and what was going on in Houston at that time. Maybe I fell asleep listening because I don't understand the good reviews. I was not anticipating what would come next in the story, but when it all would end.

What didn’t you like about Dorothy Dillingham Blue’s performance?

Drone on and on.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment, disbelief, and not enough to keep me interested. If I had bought the book I would not have finished it. I listen to audible books while driving to and from work and sometimes on my lunch hour and my mind tended to wander while listening to this story.

Any additional comments?

The bio on the author's web page gives no glimpse into what makes her qualified to write this story. CeCe was so obsessed with Joan. When she sees Joan naked lying by the pool through the opening of the gate, she stares and describes Joan's body. It's a wonder she was able to marry and have a child. Everything about this book was Joan, Joan, Joan.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

Very difficult for me to finish this book. The characters were spoiled, self absorbed and quite dysfunctional but unfortunately represents true to life people.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story diminished only by....

A great story diminished only by a lukewarm protagonist. Riveting twista and satisfying plot developments. Our narrator was simply....just why did she do the things she did?!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

so glad to be finished

Wow was this book ever a bore! I kept thinking that something big and awesome was going to make the obsession over Joan worth suffering through, but no twist ending. Nothing worth recommending in this book, but the narrator was great. Thank goodness I'm done, now I can get something interesting.

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