The Other Family

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.

I love Joanna Trollope's work. This novel was a quietly compelling read with some impish authorial touches -- taking the cat's point of view for a couple of pages, for instance.

SPOILER ALERT

I don't know if it's fair for me to be disappointed that one of the main characters never really comes to grips with her own flaws and those of the man she loved. I simply can't imagine being so out of touch with reality that I would come on to a man I knew was married, set up house with him, have three kids with him, somehow accept the fact that he never got a divorce and therefore never married me, and then, more than twenty years later, feel nothing but anger -- self-righteous anger -- toward his wife and the 14-year-old son he left.

I don't mean show more that people can't do horrible things, or dumb things, or regrettable things -- especially when we're young and infatuated. But this is a woman who's supposed to be an otherwise reasonable person, whose friends and family apparently find her likeable.

I'm glad that Trollope didn't force a moment of clarity and a big group hug; but I won't be coming back to this book (the way I do to some of her other works) because I just don't want to spend so much page time with someone so insistently wrongheaded about something so important.

(Plus two of the daughter characters never quite jelled for me and came across as rather annoying. And what kind of name is "Dilly," anyway?) show less

Trollope once again scores with the aftermath of a husband/father's death. When an aging pop musician
dies suddenly, he leaves behind not only the three young adult daughters and beautiful blond wife of his second family, but also his legal wife and adult son. Each character's life is affected by his absence as allegiances shift and change and goals must be rethought.
The bottom line: Thought provoking and sympathetic rendering of the effect of loss on a family.

Right before this novel begins, Richie dies of a sudden heart attack. His family - Chrissie and three daughters - are devastated; we meet them as they are slowly coming to terms with the suddenness of it all.

But Richie had another family, too. His first love, and still legally his wife, is Margaret, who now works in Newcastle. Their son Scott is in his thirties, working as a lawyer but also quite a talented pianist. Richie hasn’t been in touch with them for a while, so it’s quite a shock when they learn that he remembered them both in his will...

Though there's not much plot, Joanna Trollope has turned this into a poignant and moving novel about relationships and the possibility of hope towards the end of a dark tunnel of grief. Her show more conversations flow smoothly, the family tensions seem real, sometimes recognisable. We get to know quite a bit about Richie, too, through the eyes of his family members.

This book touches on relevant issues for today’s society - of the problems that arise when a couple are not legally married, when one of them is no longer there. Of the difficulties of finding jobs, the lack of options for young people, the need to find one’s own path rather than staying at home forever. it’s quite empowering and encouraging despite the somewhat gloomy beginning. show less

The Other Family is a very good story of two families anchored and in many ways dominated by a man with two identities, Richie. He was born and raised in the “North” of England but was drawn to live and sing in the “South” by musical ambition. The ambition caused him to abandon one family and take on another as he permanently changed his location.

I liked the careful structure of the novel that focuses on the survival of the two families after Richie’s death. I particularly liked the descriptions of British family life in different locales detailing the communication problems common in British and US cultures. Differences in conversational styles and living conditions provide a feeling of the exotic to US readers.

Ms. Trollope show more reminds me of other British writers with her masterful control of dialogue, plot, and theme in her novel. I did not encounter an awkward sentence or break in narrative style in the interesting story. I had the impression that the writer is a consummate professional with years of successful experience writing fiction.

I recommend the novel to readers who like the “cozy” style of British writing but who also like in-depth character development and the psychology of family interaction. The writing style puts readers comfortably in the kitchen and sitting rooms of the characters. The novel was fun to read with increases in tension and interesting resolutions. show less

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.

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.