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62nd out of 357 books
—
612 voters
The Shooting Party
It is the autumn of 1913. Sir Randolph Nettleby has assembled a brilliant array of guests at his Oxfordshire estate for the biggest hunt of the season. An army of gamekeepers, beaters, and servants has rehearsed the intricate age-old ritual, the gentlemen are falling into the prescribed mode of fellowship and sporting rivalry, the ladies intrigued by the latest gossip and...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
November 7th 2002
by Counterpoint
(first published 1980)
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With a light, deft touch, Isabel Colgate explores the autumn of Edwardian England as encapsulated in a country shooting party. It's the fall of 1913, and Sir Randolph Nettleby is hosting an assortment of well-heeled guests at his country estate for a weekend of shooting, gossip, and mild intrigue. There’s class conflict, subtle love stories, a missing pet duck, unforgivable egos, and a wandering animal rights activist who, oddly enough, immediately hits it off with Sir Randolph. The temptation f...more
The Shooting Party è un romanzo che sicuramente piacerà a tutti coloro che apprezzano Downton Abbey. E' ambientato nell'Inghilterra edoardiana dell'anteguerra, ben prima degli sconvolgimenti sociali economici e politici che portarono ad un ripudio di una società e di un modo di vita basato sul governo di una ristretta élite di famiglie nobili attorno a cui ruotava un sistema di servitù con cui ogni persona era a contatto, fosse dalla parte del servito o dalla parte del servitore. Fu solo negli a...more
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Mar 30, 2013
Scoats
added it
Continuing with my quest to read every book we own. I picked this one up used at some point, probably many years ago. Who knows how many times it had moved with me. Sometimes I find pure gold that has been on shelf unread and undiscovered for decades. Sometimes I find stuff that I could have disposed of years ago. The Shooting Party falls into the later category for me.
Even though the subject matter is really old hat to me at this point, I wanted to like this book. I don't. Colegate's writing i...more
Even though the subject matter is really old hat to me at this point, I wanted to like this book. I don't. Colegate's writing i...more
Nice book, with a beautiful and graceful style, but perhaps a bit slow and with too many characters for such a short work. I've always had problems with books with an abundance of characters because I always struggle to remember who is who and it takes me a long while to connect with all of them.
Anyway...
The story is set in the English countryside a couple of years before World War I: Sir Randolph Nettleby hosts a weekend shooting party in his vast estate, for his illustrious guests.
Kindhearted...more
Anyway...
The story is set in the English countryside a couple of years before World War I: Sir Randolph Nettleby hosts a weekend shooting party in his vast estate, for his illustrious guests.
Kindhearted...more
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Jan 14, 2013
Valerie
added it
This is the story of what happens during a weekend shooting party held at Nettleby Park, an estate in the English countryside, in the period just before the beginning of the first World War. The central story is a rivalry between two men that leads to an accident (don't want to ruin it!). But the main interest is this moment in time that Colegate has captured...perfectly. A younger generation eager for change, an older generation mourning the loss of feudal traditions f the English countryside....more
In this edition Julian Fellowes does the foreward, and this little novel, written in the 1980s, fits perfectly into his pre-ww1 Downton Abbey world. It is an examination of many characters during 24 hours of a pheasant shoot at a country estate just after Edward VII's death.
It doesn't try come to any conclusions about the social situation, and in fact much of the wit of the piece comes from the reader's prior knowledge of future events. The book also doesn't praise servants over those they serv...more
It doesn't try come to any conclusions about the social situation, and in fact much of the wit of the piece comes from the reader's prior knowledge of future events. The book also doesn't praise servants over those they serv...more
I was reminded of this novel when I watched the terrific film made of it (with James Mason -- perfect as the English gentleman, old school -- and John Gilegud -- perfect as the eccentric pacifist. Set in 1913, portentously, on the eve of the First World War, at a massive country house; the aristocrats are gathered for blood sport (Edward Fox is very good as the example par excellance of the stiff-upper-lip type). The thunderous blasts of the shotguns prefigure the more destructive guns of the wa...more
4 1/2 My friend at the booksnob blog highly recommended this, and I certainly agree with her.
Set during a weekend shooting party on an estate in England, this story mixes characters from the upper crust and workers on the estate, and an England that is not bound to last as it is. You know from the beginning that the story will not end well, but it is most interesting to go along for the ride. I picked up the DVD at the library today- John Mason and Sir John Gielgud. I doubt if it could be as g...more
Set during a weekend shooting party on an estate in England, this story mixes characters from the upper crust and workers on the estate, and an England that is not bound to last as it is. You know from the beginning that the story will not end well, but it is most interesting to go along for the ride. I picked up the DVD at the library today- John Mason and Sir John Gielgud. I doubt if it could be as g...more
Just a perfect gem of a book. Colegate adds layer upon layer complexity to make the modern reader interested in the lives of characters that they will have nothing in common with except desire, envy, and ambition. Like the best plays it takes a limited scene, a small cast, one day and weaves them into nest of complication that hurtles (perhaps somewhat obviously) towards tragedy in a world we know is doomed to extinction.
This is a good example of third-person omniscient point-of-view :) and a really good book. It tells the story of a group of characters who converge in a particular place; a tragic event that takes place there; and what happens after.
Unlike a lot of these Grand-Hotel type multi-character narratives, it's not sprawling or epic. It's just that the author wants to show one particular thing and what it means to many different people. It's skillfully done and very enjoyable.
Unlike a lot of these Grand-Hotel type multi-character narratives, it's not sprawling or epic. It's just that the author wants to show one particular thing and what it means to many different people. It's skillfully done and very enjoyable.
I was introduced to the film first. My parents had it on VHS back in the 80's and i immediately fell in love wit it. I didn't get to read the book untill the late 90's and found this just as beautiful as the film. Since then i've aquired the VHS, book and the digitally restored DVD. I love the story and the time it was set in. WW1 kind of killed it all off though which is a great shame.
May 24, 2012
Ruthiella
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Ruthiella by:
http://bookssnob.wordpress.com/
Shelves:
2012
For such a short book, the events of which take place over just a weekend, it sure took me a long time to finish it. I was surprised to find it was published only in 1980. It reads as if it were written in the era it describes: Edwardian England on the cusp of WWI. This book would likely appeal to those who like plot-lite books with beautiful and rich writing, which sometimes I do. I would very much like to see the movie that was made from the book.
I first read this book when it was prescribed at university as part of an English Literature course. Maybe I was a bit young then, because now I understand much more of the nuances. The end of a world as the people of the time knew it, during a last perfect summer before WWI.
Really beautifully written. Short but completely entrancing. (On an unrelated note, I think I read somewhere that this book helped inspire Downton Abbey, which I can definitely see now that I've finished it. Not that it's soapy at all, just that the themes are similar).
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A period piece which must have inspired Julian Fellowes in creating Downton Abbey. Not a lot of action, but interesting view into the social strictures of pre-WWI England.
Downton Abbey fans will enjoy this - the fall of the Edwardian world - after reading AS Byatt's superb The Children's Book, The Shooting Party appears rather slight though it has its moments
Read this so many years ago but a few odd passages have lingered in my mind...funny how some books walk along with you through the years.
While I thought this book was a good portrayal of country life before World War 1, I was hoping something would happen, nothing did.
I'm a sucker for the English country house setting, and this didn't disappoint. I always forget about how much swinging and bed hopping went on behind the scenes!
I really didn't like this book much . But the funny thing is it sticks with me! I remember worrying about the duck the entire time! Would the duck be killed?? Oh no!! (Never mind the people, they were expendable!!
I didn't realize there was a movie. Have to see if I can get it at the library; so I can see who plays the duck!!!
I didn't realize there was a movie. Have to see if I can get it at the library; so I can see who plays the duck!!!
Excellent read on life of the aristocrats in England's Victorian/Edwardian Era.
Short, sharp snapshot of the state of the aristocracy and some less affluent members of society immediately prior to WW1. A nicely judged piece of work, but too short for real character development. Enjoyable and interesting.
A book I had not read since the movie came out in the 1980's. Loved it!
Mar 23, 2012
Portia Costa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anybody who loves fine British writing
A wonderful book. Very quiet but powerful writing, with sharp characterisation and moments of aching beauty and sadness.
1913, English countryside, hunting party, tragedy.
If you like Downton Abbey, you'll love this.
Jan 14, 2013
Jody
added it
enjoyed it
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