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177th out of 226 books
—
86 voters
Girl from the South
When Gillon comes back to her native Charleston, she has a young Englishman in tow. He has accompanied her on a lark, planning to take pictures. But he soon falls in love with the sights of South Carolina, with Gillon's family-and perhaps, with Gillon herself...From the acclaimed author of Marrying the Mistress, this is an unforgettable novel about feeling like a fish out...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
July 1st 2003
by Berkley Trade
(first published 2002)
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Dec 07, 2010
Kirsty Darbyshire
added it
Not the best of Joanna Trollope's books.
(I seem to have thought all of the last handful of books I've read tobe not as good as others by the same author so this is quite possiblyme just not being in a good reading mode rather than all these authorsbeing not in good writing mode.)
I thought there were a lot of interesting themes and issues raisedbut none of them got explored properly and the characters weren'tfleshed out enough to make the story worth it without the themes. Thebook wasn't long en
...more
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Gillon was born and raised into a family who have always lived in Charleston, South Carolina but, much to their dismay she, unlike her sister Ashley, refuses to bow to the lifestyle expected of her. Her mother made some attempt to break free but married her hometown boyfriend and came back. Aged 30 and still unmarried, Gillon decides to go to London to work. There she meets Tilly, who works on a magazine and has a long-term partner called Henry. Tilly and Henry share a flat with William, and occ...more
Jul 25, 2011
Roy
added it
Trollope handles the demands of the story , the shifts from pathos to humor , from family harmony to crisis , thoroughly and effortlessly . Joanna Trollope's understanding of her characters is so acute that it lifts her well above the soap opera category of novelists and reminds critics of her 19 th century forebear , the great Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope . Set partlt in London and partly in South Carolina , Girl From the South follows the fortunes of a small group of the young and singl...more
I really liked this book. It took place in two interesting places, Charleston South Carolina and London England. Some of the characters traveled to both cities. Their lives, and the lives of their families, connected. At some place in the book, I thought that all of the characters were a bit disfuntional. It kind of made me feel better about myself. Even though everyone seemed to have issues, they all grew and changed. I was sad when the book ended, because I wanted to know more about them, and...more
This is the first novel I've read by this author and was quite taken with her ability to be humorous and to interweave her characters the way she does. It was like watching a chessmaster move pieces on the board!
From back cover:
"Gillon is an American Southerner, but definitely not a Southern belle. An art historian, she takes a job in London largely to escape the family and social pressures of her home town, Charleston, South Carolina.
Once in London, she meets Tilly, the features editor on an ar...more
From back cover:
"Gillon is an American Southerner, but definitely not a Southern belle. An art historian, she takes a job in London largely to escape the family and social pressures of her home town, Charleston, South Carolina.
Once in London, she meets Tilly, the features editor on an ar...more
I bought this at the library for about 20p (I love those amazing bargain tables!) and to be honest, I'm very glad I didn't spend any serious money on it.
Even if you've never read it, you might know the (tedious love) story already. Confused girl, confused boy, confused parents wondering how they've messed up their children so badly... yawn. Two dimensional characters that you can't care tuppence about, a boring plot and a curious way of really clinging like a dog with a bone to the clash betwee...more
Even if you've never read it, you might know the (tedious love) story already. Confused girl, confused boy, confused parents wondering how they've messed up their children so badly... yawn. Two dimensional characters that you can't care tuppence about, a boring plot and a curious way of really clinging like a dog with a bone to the clash betwee...more
I'm an expat from Charleston, so in many ways this book should have touched a chord with me. It's a simple pleasure for me to be able to read about the streets of my hometown, a favorite museum, the churchyard my relatives are buried in. I enjoy reading Southernisms, and Joanna Trollope did a fairly good job of capturing them. (Though someone might have pointed out to her that there are no basements in Charleston, and is there really a wrong end to Queen Street?).
But I didn't wind up liking the...more
But I didn't wind up liking the...more
This novel was Trollope at her finest! She did her very best job at creating imperfect characters who were endearing and sympathetic. The story begins in Charleston, SC, with a 29 yr. old woman lamenting her dead end job as an art intern, her somewhat smothering upper class genteel (or so they seem) family, and her lack of romance. She heads to London, where the story really takes off. There, she encounters Tilly, a bright woman who has been dating/living with Henry, a photographer, for way too...more
This was the first Joanna Trollope book I have ever been disappointed about.
It starts with a couple in London who have living together for a long time. One wants to move forward with more commitment; the other (Henry) may be losing interest. Then a woman (Gillon) from Charleston, South Carolina happens to meet one by accident in London, moves in as their roommate & provides a non-romantic catalyst for the man to decide to move to Charleston to further pursue his wildlife photography.
The lo...more
It starts with a couple in London who have living together for a long time. One wants to move forward with more commitment; the other (Henry) may be losing interest. Then a woman (Gillon) from Charleston, South Carolina happens to meet one by accident in London, moves in as their roommate & provides a non-romantic catalyst for the man to decide to move to Charleston to further pursue his wildlife photography.
The lo...more
I found this book to be extremely boring. It's one of the few books that I can say that I've hated. There were a million plot lines, and all the characters were struggling with something different, which is normally a quality I find interesting in a book. However, in this case it was completely ineffective. No situation had enough exposition. Every person's problem seemed to come from nowhere, which made them seem unimportant. I felt like the plot was going nowhere. All of the dialogue was extre...more
I put four stars but am debating between 3.5 and 4. I read some other Goodreads reviews that were less favorable- mostly from people who have read other Trollope novels and felt that this was not her finest book. I have not read many of her novels, if any and I did like this book. It took some time to get into but I think that is mainly because the nature of the book was about relationships rather than anything 'happening'. I felt Trollope had a good handle on her characters, their relationships...more
I must admit I picked up this book from the library because of the last name. (And the author is related to Anthony Trollope.) I felt no personal connection to any of the characters and because of this at times couldn't figure out where these conversations were supposed to be going. I also didn't appreciate the f-bomb being thrown in there every once in a while.
Reading other reviews it seems that many were disappointed in this novel and that her other books are better. I don't think I will be f...more
Reading other reviews it seems that many were disappointed in this novel and that her other books are better. I don't think I will be f...more
I did not enjoy this book quite as much as I enjoyed many other Joanna Trollope novels I have read. Perhaps it was because it was partly set in Charleston in South Carolina, and all the other novels have typically English settings with restrained English characters. I thought the author handled the American characters very well and created the atmosphere of the South very well, but, perhaps because I am set in my ways and thought I knew what to expect from Joanna Trollope, I would have preferred...more
I enjoyed reading this book but never had the sense that it was really going anywhere. There are some great snippets in it and some good characters, whose differences and whose experiences I can relate to either directly or as a result of what I'm told about their lives and their culture through the book. But whilst it seems to draw a clear enough picture of life in the South and of a group of grown up children of divorced parents, and to spell out some truths about this generation, it never qui...more
I really and truly did not enjoy this book. Very rude of me but I battled to get into it from the beginning, there was just no catch, no excitement. The characters seemed very wishy-washy and unsure of themselves and although they each had a secret or a problem, nothing was really relevant and they each wandered off in different directions randomly with no link.
The ending of the book sorted of fitted in with my regards for the rest of the story. It just seemed to end leaving me still hanging an...more
The ending of the book sorted of fitted in with my regards for the rest of the story. It just seemed to end leaving me still hanging an...more
I wasn't as crazy about this as bumma was- I found the characters a little tiresome and predictable- almost stopped reading several times, but kept at it because I like t see what authors do with Charleston. The author does capture a bit of what Charleston is about. Interesting in that it also included time in London, another of my favorite places to be.
Couldn't identify with any of the characters, who I found to be flat and uninteresting, with the exception of the grand-mother.
The main premise is why people fall in / out of love, which was treated with, what I felt to be slightly pompous philosophy.
I finished it, amazingly, though I was very tempted to put it down several times.
The main premise is why people fall in / out of love, which was treated with, what I felt to be slightly pompous philosophy.
I finished it, amazingly, though I was very tempted to put it down several times.
A tedious read... character-driven novels need to have appealing and sympathetic characters. I did not care for, nor understand, anyone in this book. They could have all died of the plague and I would have remained unmoved. I am surprised that I finished it, as the whole thing seemed pointless.
There were however, a few very insightful observations scattered among the text. Also, the writing style is straight-forward and easy to read. I am interested to read one of Trollope's more popular books...more
There were however, a few very insightful observations scattered among the text. Also, the writing style is straight-forward and easy to read. I am interested to read one of Trollope's more popular books...more
A disappointing Joanna Trollope. The idea of the exploring the impact on a female of being the first born in a male dominated society was interesting but the interaction between the American and British characters was not convincing. I know little about South Carolina but find it hard to believe that the family as portrayed is typical.
Set in Charlston, South Carolina, and London, England, this book was a lot like my first H. Trollope, Marrying the Mistress, in that there wasn't just one protagonist, but many, whose fates are intertwined and jarred from stagnation by the breakup of one couple. A well-written page-turner.
Jul 27, 2011
Ilsabe
added it
While I have liked many of this author's books, this one was not one of them. The only reason I finished the book at all can be seen as credit to the author's overall writing style. It managed to carry me along despite my total indifference to the fate of any of the characters.
The many characters in this book go round and round and chase their tail. The jacket cover says it's about "family" but it's more about "self". I finished it... but more because I was waiting for someone to do something than that I liked it. Not up to JT's usual quality.
Talks about relationships - friends, family, love - British and American Southern. I liked the ending because it didn't tie all the relationships up into a "happily ever after." The author left all the relationships open to change.
I really wish I had visited Charleston and the Carolina's when I was in the States. I will need to come back. Joanna Trollope is good at telling stories about relationships, in this book she does not let her self down.
I love Southern writers and Southern stories. I love how Charlston unfailingly becomes a major character in the story. But apart from that lovely quirk, this novel was pretty much a boring romance with family friction.
I like her books. She writes about relationships and does it in a deep way. I find myself rereading her books because I haven't kept track. So now I know I've read this book, twice.
I kept falling asleep and losing track of the characters. Henry and William seemed like the same person. I do like the name Tilly though- it would be a cute dog name
My first and only disappointment from Joanna Trollope. Transatlantic storytelling is difficult at best, and I'm not sure Trollope was fully able to capture the charms of Charleston or its people well enough to pull this one off.
Now I'm completley up to date with my Joanna Trollopes! Another enjoyable aga saga, posing some excellent life choices.
liked it! liked the mix of England and SC.... and people not in the mainstream... and a look into the behaviors of southerners
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Joanna Trollope Potter Curteis (aka Caroline Harvey)
Joanna Trollope was born on 9 December 1943 in her grandfather's rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of Rosemary Hodson and Arthur George Cecil Trollope. She is the eldest of three siblings. She is a fifth-generation niece of the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope and is a cousin of the writer and broadcaster James Trol...more
More about Joanna Trollope...
Joanna Trollope was born on 9 December 1943 in her grandfather's rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of Rosemary Hodson and Arthur George Cecil Trollope. She is the eldest of three siblings. She is a fifth-generation niece of the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope and is a cousin of the writer and broadcaster James Trol...more
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