{"product_id":"bring-the-house-down-9798217157709","title":"Bring the House Down","description":"\u003cb\u003eA theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eBring the House Down\u003c\/i\u003e is sharp-witted, wise, and authentic--what a fierce, fantastically funny read.\"--Claire Lombardo, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Most Fun We Ever Had \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSame As It Ever Was\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance--the show either deserves a five-star rave, or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn't deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair's show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUnaware that she's gone home with the theater critic who's just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she's not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself--entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, \u003ci\u003eBring the House Down\u003c\/i\u003e is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHARLOTTE RUNCIE was most recently the \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e's radio critic and senior arts columnist. She has also written for magazines and newspapers including the \u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, spending years in the culture trenches reviewing shows at the Edinburgh Festival. A graduate of Cambridge University, Charlotte was longlisted for the 2023 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and Bridport Prize, and was a Foyle Young Poet of the Year.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Random House Large Print Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51424469221650,"sku":"9798217157709","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5e9fbb80-6b9f-4866-a4d2-a920796293f4.jpg?v=1751379438","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/bring-the-house-down-9798217157709","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}