Irritating self-absorbed characters, with the exception of Scott, Amy and perhaps Margaret. And even these characters are very incomplete and not fleshed out enough to feel real. Not my favorite Joanna Trollope. ( )

Although I really like the way Trollope writes, this seemed a little slow---yes, good to read but just not pulling me along rapidly, page by page. I liked the concept of a sudden death and things left undone, to be faced by two separate but related families. ( )

Joanna Trollope writes superior chick lit; one wonders if she would find that a compliment or an insult. :-) This one didn't grab me right away, but by the middle I was thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading the book, which is always good, and it had a satisfying ending, which is totally necessary for this reader. Not quite a full 4 stars, but more than 3.5. ( )

Dad of 2 families dies ( )

Richie Rossiter is a famous singer-songwriter and pianist based in England who has millions of loyal fans all over the world. To those fans, Richie is living the type of life they could only dream of; he is an extremely lucky man. What the world at large could never imagine was that Richie Rossiter is actually living a secret life.

In his late forties, Richie abandoned his first wife Margaret and their young son Scott in Newcastle - in northeast England - for a young woman who believed that she could bring him stardom in London. Not only did the young woman, Chrissie, rejuvenate Richie Rossiter's career, they lived together for the next twenty-three years in domestic bliss - and had three lovely daughters: Tamsin, Dilly and Amy. However, the trouble with death is that it comes quicker than anyone might suspect, and leaves so many unanswered questions in its wake.

When Richie dies unexpectedly, Chrissie realizes she must finally tell her daughters the truth: that their parents were never married, and that the girls' father had another family. However, this is only the first of many revelations that come to light with the reading of Richie's will. It seems that he never truly forgot the family he left behind so long ago. Now two grieving families are left to confront their losses - as well as each other - and no one will ever be the same.

I must say that I absolutely loved this book. Ms. Trollope is a remarkable writer, her writing style is so poignant and insightful. Her characters are well-developed and so true to life, that I couldn't help feeling for them all. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. ( )