Ava. 22 ans, mal dans sa peau, récemment installée à Hong Kong. Enseigne la grammaire anglaise à de riches écoliers pour un salaire de misère, a un fort accent irlandais et déteste ses colocataires.
Julian. Banquier. Anglais. Cynique. Aime plutôt bien Ava, la couvre de cadeaux et lui propose très vite de s'installer dans la chambre d'amis de son luxueux appartement de fonction.
Edith. Ambitieuse et brillante. Avocate. Rencontre Ava alors que Julian est à l'étranger. Et c'est là que tout devient excitant...
' The book of the summer ... Kept me rapt until the final page ' THE TIMES ' A sharp, smart, witty modern love story. I loved it ' David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY ' More than lives up to the hype ... Likely to fill the Sally-Rooney-shaped hole in many readers' lives ' IRISH TIMES ' Droll, shrewd and unafraid - a winning debut ' Hilary Mantel, author of WOLF HALL ' I've been pushing Exciting Times on everyone I know. Some of Dolan's pithy observations of her characters are the best I've read since Edward St Aubyn ' OBSERVER ' A frankly sensational book ' Pandora Sykes on THE HIGH LOW ' I n the tradition of Dorothy Parker, Joan Rivers and Nora Ephron ... I found myself purring with pleasure. ...This is comic writing at the highest level' Craig Brown, DAILY MAIL When you leave Ireland aged 22 to spend your parents' money, it's called a gap year. When Ava leaves Ireland aged 22 to make her own money, she's not sure what to call it, but it involves: - a badly-paid job in Hong Kong, teaching English grammar to rich children; - Julian, who likes to spend money on Ava and lets her move into his guest room; - Edith, who Ava meets while Julian is out of town and actually listens to her when she talks; - money, love, cynicism, unspoken feelings and unlikely connections. Exciting times ensue.
Meet the happy couple. Luke and Celine, are in mutual unrequited love with each other, set to marry in a year''s time. The best man, Archie, is meant to want to move up the corporate ladder and on from his love for Luke; yet he stands where he is, admiring the view. The bridesmaid, Phoebe, Celine''s sister, has no long-term aspirations beyond smoking her millionth cigarette and getting to the bottom of Luke''s frequent unexplained disappearances. The guest, Vivian, who with the benefit of some emotional distance, methodically observes her friends like ants. As the wedding approaches and these five lives intersect, each character will find themselves looking for a path to their happily ever after - but does it lie at the end of an aisle? Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times , makes the Marriage Plot entirely her own in a sparkling ensemble novel that is both ferociously clever and supremely enjoyable.