Another reviewer on Goodreads - Cathy - has pretty much written exactly the review I would have written of this novel, and has said it better than I could have. I wonder if other readers have experienced the phenomenon I did, and whether it applies in any other artistic endeavours - the music industry is an obvious one - but having absolutely loved the first novel I read by Cresida Connolly (After The Party) and been desperate to devour another, I was, like Cathy, ultimately left a bit disappointed by the dreaded 'second album' syndrome. I was actually a bit wary of this before I received it - wasn’t sure if I wanted a family epic spanning the generations - I’d already had the behemoth that was Hanya Yanagihara’s ‘To paradise’ to do me. But this was much tighter, shorter and more compact, and really nothing like that book. I always trusted the author - it felt like she was in control and I was happy to follow her in whatever direction she took the story. Crimea Bad Relations was an interesting read for me - I came into it very excited at the prospect of a multi-generational story, something I have been really enjoying recently. And it certainly was that, though I personally didn’t enjoy the large jumps between generations (it took me a sec to mentally switch from the 1850/60s to the 1970s!). Cressida Connolly has an absolutely beautiful writing style, and her ability to write so convincingly in the vernacular of the time period the generation is situated in bolsters this book so much. I definitely enjoyed the first generation the most, and only wished we got more time with Alice - a character with a lot of depth, which I would have liked to have seen more of. I did enjoy the guesswork the reader had to put in to figure out what happened to Stephen until everything was fully, although very hastily, revealed in the final part and all the loose ends were tied up. If anything that final part felt slightly rushed, and it wasn’t helped by the fact that I felt the structure of the generations to be a little jumpy. The modern characters we join in 2015 don’t feel as developed and as soulful as the others we’re introduced to earlier in the novel; even Cass and Georgie seem a little off, although I think their combined reactions to their mother are perfect (and I liked the sense of justice they provided!!). Ultimately, what shone for me in Bad Relations was the gorgeous, intricately crafted writing which slotted into generation after generation, and made every different setting very animated. I equally enjoyed how I, unknowingly, developed quite a hatred for some characters by the end - William, Celia etc - I think Connolly sneakily persuaded you to hate them bit by bit before revealing the true extent of the actions in the final part, so it feels rewarding to have your dislike for them affirmed! Overall, a really enjoyable read however I found it slightly jumpy, which created a disconnect in the whole generation lead framework.

Connolly grew up in Sussex, England. She is the only daughter of the critic and writer Cyril Connolly (died 26 November 1974). [1] Her mother, Deirdre Levi, is the widow of the poet and writer Peter Levi (died 1 February 2000). [2]

Advance Praise

Perhaps the other two stories in the three parts were all a bit depressing and I have read the novel in the depths of Winter and in the global desire to come out of COVID / Cost of Living / War / Energy Crisis. I found this to be a wonderfully written, multi generational historical story set between the Crimean war, 1970’s Cornwall and modern day Australia and England. The story telling is controlled and beautifully paced. It only took me a couple of summer days to read this, a pace that is rare for me. The story took turns that I never expected, which I always like. Her third novel, Bad Relations, was published in 2022. The Times called it "her latest understated masterpiece", "beautiful" and "a ravishing novel"; [14] while Country Life wrote that: "The novels of Cressida Connolly are a wonderful discovery" and "nostalgic, perceptively portrayed and beautifully written." [15] The Observer described it as "haunting and beautiful", concluding: "I don't often wish a book were longer, but this one I did." [16] Published works [ edit ] Thanks very much to @netgalley and @penguinukbooks for the advance copy! Bad Relations will be published on May 19th 2022.

The first thing to say is that if you looked at the cover without reading the blurb you might be surprised to discover the first part of the book, making up nearly one third of the story, is set during the Crimean War. There are moments of lightness within this story, yet it’s undercurrent is one of tragedy, where we a witness to events of cruelty and deep unkindness. The ending, however, was beautiful and felt healing in many ways. Haunting and beautiful... In recent British fiction I can think only of Tessa Hadley who rivals Connolly in exacting such intricate, compelling drama from close-knit families... I don't often wish a book were longer, but this one I did' Observer The scene shifts to 1977 and a farm near Truro, Cornwall, where hormonal tumult is in play. A mild-mannered 17-year-old, Stephen, has arrived from Melbourne to stay with distant cousins. He immediately fancies Cass, but ends up in bed with her sister, Georgie, and amid a hazy atmosphere of dope, dancing and parental disapproval, a long hot summer suddenly boils over. An acid trip wreaks havoc and sends one unfortunate youth into a deadly spiral of psychosis. The final part of the novel springs forward to 2016, when a middle-aged Australian, Hazel, visits family in England she has never met, their remote connection a great-great-grandfather, William Gale. Lynch, Finola (26 June 1999). "Writing's the family way; The Finola Lynch interview: Cressida Connolly". The Birmingham Post . Retrieved 31 August 2022.Cressida Connolly FRSL (born 14 January 1960) is an English novelist, biographer, journalist and critic. She is also the mother of English actress Nell Hudson. Katsoulis, Melissa (18 May 2022). "Bad Relations by Cressida Connolly review — military history, sexy hippies and stout Aussie matrons". The Times . Retrieved 25 May 2022.

Connolly is the author of a collection of short stories, The Happiest Days, which won the PEN Macmillan Award; a biography of the Garman family, The Rare and The Beautiful; and a novel, My Former Heart, which won a special commendation from the Society of Authors. Her second novel, After the Party, was selected as a Waterstones Book of the Month and shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize in 2019. [9] [10]

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Connolly was the first wife (1982–1983) of The Sunday Times critic and writer A. A. Gill (died 10 December 2016). [3] She married Worcestershire petal farmer Charles Hudson in 1985; the couple have three children, including actress Nell Hudson. [4] [5] Career [ edit ] I admire too the skill with which Connolly depicts three very different time periods: uptight Victorian England at the time of the Crimean War, mid 70s Summer haze in a Cornish farmhouse idyll, modern day (upper middle class) England and down-to-earth Australia. Each part has characters to love or loathe. Three captured my heart...no, make that four, three women, one man (boy). A very English book for all the Aussie interlude. Though there are several main characters across the differing parts of the novel they were each well developed. As you might expect with a story based around families, there are members that you warm to more than others. I was particularly fond of Alice, Stephen and Hazel and yet came to dislike Cecilia, Cass and Adam, though for reasons I don’t wish to explain so as to not spoil the story for others. At the root of this family is William Gale, a complicated man, so clearly changed by his experiences. I think he’ll make a really interesting character to discuss. Cressida Connolly’s preoccupations are time, family and loss: her novels chart the far-reaching reverberations of human choices across generations. Her last book, After the Party, explored fascism in 1930s Britain, and now Bad Relations, her fifth, traces the long-term consequences of a traumatised Crimean War hero’s then-scandalous decision to divorce his wife and remarry.

This is a powerful novel and one that fans of historical fiction and family dramas will no doubt love. i’m unsure of how to start this review tbh because I’m unsure how to describe this book. it has historical fiction, explores family dynamics and relationships, some aspects of mystery reminiscent of psychological thrillers, and also is a love letter to Cornwall. connelly manages to vividly portray all of these different but interweaving aspects into a really tender and moving novel. Books and Authors: Cressida Connolly on her new book After the Party". BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 18 March 2021. Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe.For me, the part that let the book down was Stephen’s story. I’m not going to elaborate because it will give too much away but I just felt the issues that arose once he left Cornwall came out of nowhere and would have benefitted from a more detailed build-up. Bad Relations is an amazing achievement and one of the most satisfying books you’re likely to read this year’ – The Times