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15th out of 46 books
—
6 voters
Daughters-in-Law
As Anthony and Rachel Brinkley welcome their third daughter-in-law to the family, they don’t quite realize the profound shift that is about to take place. For different reasons, the Brinkleys’ two previous daughters-in-law hadn’t been able to resist Rachel’s maternal control and Anthony’s gentle charm and had settled into their husbands’ family without rocking the boat. Bu...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
April 5th 2011
by Touchstone
(first published January 1st 2011)
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I have been saving this book for when I needed it and I needed it this week. My current university paper is compulsory, if I am to continue with my choices for my masters I must complete this particular paper. I am struggling with the requirements. I feel as if they are beyond my limited capabilities - my brain hurts. Reading Joanna's latest offering does not hurt my brain. In fact it feels as if her words soothe away the ache bought on by statistical jargon. I found my self rationing out the pl...more
A book about empty nests, families, financial crises and making choices, in a very middle class English setting.
Rachel Brinkley has three sons, the youngest just married. She is a home maker - she's put her sons first, and nurtured her artist husband. Which is why she finds it difficult to let go when the newest daughter in law challenges the status quo. The book features points of view from all the family members - the three sons, their wives and the parents, which means a lot of characters to...more
Rachel Brinkley has three sons, the youngest just married. She is a home maker - she's put her sons first, and nurtured her artist husband. Which is why she finds it difficult to let go when the newest daughter in law challenges the status quo. The book features points of view from all the family members - the three sons, their wives and the parents, which means a lot of characters to...more
This book was so strange. I still am not sure how I feel about it.
On one hand the characters were so well written, that I have very clear images and attitudes for them in my head. I am able to draw comparisons between them and people I know ,a high acomplishment. I also felt a deep connection with them during plot lines and relationship twists.
On the other hand, looking back on the book I am struggling to make clear to myself, what happened.
I read books to escape normal life and become engross...more
On one hand the characters were so well written, that I have very clear images and attitudes for them in my head. I am able to draw comparisons between them and people I know ,a high acomplishment. I also felt a deep connection with them during plot lines and relationship twists.
On the other hand, looking back on the book I am struggling to make clear to myself, what happened.
I read books to escape normal life and become engross...more
Joanna Trollope is a wonderful writer whose metier is family relationships. Her characters and situations always seem very true to life - and very British - and though there are no fast paced plots, there is plenty of tension to drive the story. As the mother of two sons, one married and one about to be, I found this story centered around the relationship of the mother of three grown sons with her daughters-in-law to be highly relatable. The story is told from multiple points of view, so the rea...more
This is the first book I've read by Joanna Trollope.
It took me more that half way into be book before I really could say I enjoyed it. I found the characters and their lives so ordinary, and the problem of the mother getting along with her daughters-in-law so mundane, I did not see the point of reading it. But as the events with Petra and Ralph unfolded, and all of the characters learned and grew through their reaction to that drama, I found I did want to read to the next page, and the next cha...more
It took me more that half way into be book before I really could say I enjoyed it. I found the characters and their lives so ordinary, and the problem of the mother getting along with her daughters-in-law so mundane, I did not see the point of reading it. But as the events with Petra and Ralph unfolded, and all of the characters learned and grew through their reaction to that drama, I found I did want to read to the next page, and the next cha...more
I was afraid this was going to be just another story of a dysfunctional family getting embroiled in various dramatic situations. Joanna Trollope managed to avoid stereotypes in this book, however, and she developed characters that were quite complex and interesting. By the time I was a fourth of the way into the book, I definitely wanted to see how they would manage to navigate the circumstances of their lives.
Rachel and Anthony Brinkley have three grown sons, the youngest of whom is just gettin...more
Rachel and Anthony Brinkley have three grown sons, the youngest of whom is just gettin...more
I went off Joanna trollope for a while, with her books becoming rather similar, peopled by ghastly stuck-up characters. But she is back on form with this one. I suppose many of the characters are still ghastly and stuck-up, but, at her best, Trollope is able to weave complex family relationships so that you are compelled to keep reading. She is incredibly skilled at driving a story forward too, with each chapter moving to a new phase in proceedings, usually through the perspective of a different...more
Rachel and Anthony Brinkley have raised three sons. Edward the eldest is married to a Swedish woman, Sigrid, and they have an eight year old daughter, Mariella. Ralph, the middle son, is married to Petra, a somewhat bohemian artist who was taken under his parents' wings, and they have two young sons, Kit and Barney. The novel opens with the wedding of Luke and Charlotte and a sense that changes are afoot. Until now Rachel and Anthony's Suffolk home has been the hub of family gatherings, and Rach...more
I very much enjoyed this novel. It's a story of a mother of 3 boys, a woman named Rachel, whose identity and meaning in life centered on creating and maintaining a vibrant, creative, positive family environment for herself, her sons, and her husband, who is a well-known artist. Everyone enjoys dinners and weekends at their country home; it's a place of rich sociability and generous tasteful hospitality. It all works splendidly well, until Rachel's sons are all grown up and married, and the daugh...more
My daughter has just completed a house swap with her mother, and a city swap as well. Having my first visit with said author daughter since this event bought me face to face with a blast from the past - from another life. I was confronted with a bookcase full of novels by Andrea Newman, Margaret Drabble and Elizabeth Jane Howard - the aga-saga-ists of my early adult decades. For some reason I loved their books - not manly though when my mates were into the tough stuff of Ludlum and King. I didn'...more
Joanna Trollope's newest novel, "daughters in law," is a gem, a gift! i would say i LOVED it. I devoured it. it was lush with British charm, great character driven prose, heartfelt family situations & woes and fun descriptions of modern life in London, in the countryside and by the sea. There are 3 grown brothers, raised by wonderful upper middle class parents who, themselves, are now married and starting to raise their own families. They marry good women, though all with quirks and their o...more
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I loved the idea: I've often wondered what kind of mother-in-law I'll be, if my sons end up married. And since I've had sons I've been interested in the 'mothers of sons are obnoxious and hate women' trope that I've come across quite often.
So, Rachel is a classic 'mother of sons' - nobody is good enough for her three sons, except for curious Petra, whom she and her husband have kind of adopted. The book revolves around the reactions of the daughters-in-law to various family problems, including t...more
So, Rachel is a classic 'mother of sons' - nobody is good enough for her three sons, except for curious Petra, whom she and her husband have kind of adopted. The book revolves around the reactions of the daughters-in-law to various family problems, including t...more
Review for the unabridged audio version.
I recently listened to this audiobook on a long haul flight and was sucked into the narrative, after an initial problem with all the characters' names. I then had to borrow the book to read the last one hour and find out how/if it was resolved.
Matriarchal Rachel and her husband, Anthony, live in a big house on the Suffolk coast. He's a painter and teaches in the local college, she's a homemaker. Their lives revolve around their three boys, Edward, the unc...more
I recently listened to this audiobook on a long haul flight and was sucked into the narrative, after an initial problem with all the characters' names. I then had to borrow the book to read the last one hour and find out how/if it was resolved.
Matriarchal Rachel and her husband, Anthony, live in a big house on the Suffolk coast. He's a painter and teaches in the local college, she's a homemaker. Their lives revolve around their three boys, Edward, the unc...more
I picked this book up at the library because I was stocking up on some lighter fiction to read after my brain/ear surgery. I've read a few Joanna Trollope books in the past (my mother-in-law likes her), but I hadn't read her for a number of years. I should have known better...I gave the last two books I read only two stars. This was definitely light, but it was not interesting. I wish I'd given up halfway in, but I finished it.
It's about a couple (Anthony and Rachel) who have three sons. Rachel...more
It's about a couple (Anthony and Rachel) who have three sons. Rachel...more
I can't believe the number of passages I highlighted in this insightful book about families and marriage. Trollope introduces us quickly to an extended family, three sons, their wives, some of the other in-laws, but I was soon clear on who was who. I loved the setting, along the seaside, inland, and in London. Anthony thinks of his little artist's shed, "a place of evolution and a promise."
The focus begins with the son's parents,Anthony and Rachel, as their son, Luke marries. It's always fun to...more
The focus begins with the son's parents,Anthony and Rachel, as their son, Luke marries. It's always fun to...more
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First, this was the first book from an "English" author that I've gotten through - and I actually liked it! KUDOS to you Joanna Trollope! I look forward to reading more of your works.
The author did an amazing job of portraying what it is like when daughters-in-law come into the picture and the growing pains that go along with it. I thought this book was written very true to life! I could really relate because I married into a family of 4 boys and their mother was a homemaker just like Rachel!
Le...more
The author did an amazing job of portraying what it is like when daughters-in-law come into the picture and the growing pains that go along with it. I thought this book was written very true to life! I could really relate because I married into a family of 4 boys and their mother was a homemaker just like Rachel!
Le...more
Rachel and Anthony raised three sons, who have married three very different girls. Despite their nest being empty, their middle son and his family live nearby, and their eldest son and his wife and daughter visit regularly. Then Luke, the youngest, marries the gorgeous Charlotte who doesn't feel like getting drawn into the bosom of the family...
I could empathise with pretty much all points of view in this book. There were a lot of characters but it was easy to remember them all; I loved the dis...more
I could empathise with pretty much all points of view in this book. There were a lot of characters but it was easy to remember them all; I loved the dis...more
This book was a nice summer read and I appreciated some of the insight into family dynamics. The parents (having 3 grown boys) were much like Doug and me - good cop/bad cop which drew me in. Although this was fiction, I think it was good for me to read given that someday I will have to navigate these waters. I could see myself having a difficult time and perhaps having a "heads-up" will make for smoother sailing when the time comes for our boys to introduce new family members in the form of wive...more
I'm between a 3 and a 4 on this novel by Joanna Trollope. Looking at others' reviews, I see that many readers had a response similar to mine. Trollope, in describing the lives of four families, pushes the reader to consider her own life and the lives of those she knows well. Her topic, that of the different family cultures which clash when a young couple marries, is universal but less often addressed than infidelity, boredom, 'growing apart,' and the other pitfalls of marriage. Certainly I spent...more
2 likes · like · see review
Joanna Trollope's books have been derided for years by those who dismiss the homely tales as "Aga sagas", as if tales of heart, hearth and home were beneath readers and writers.
But the crazier the world gets, the more there are times when quiet compassion for the vagaries of the human condition is balm for the reader. This time, like every other, that is exactly what Trollope delivers.
Rachel and Anthony raised three sons. She's a vigorous, involved mother whose kitchen is the natural hub of the...more
It's been ages since I read anything by Joanna Trollope probably not since her early novels The Rector's Wife and The Choir but I thought I'd try her again as this, her latest novel, resonates with me and my role as a daughter-in-law as well as preparing me a little for what lies ahead if and when I become a dreaded mother-in-law myself!
As in other Trollope novels, our story is firmly rooted in Middle England and peopled with characters who seem to have escaped any ill effects of recession. For...more
I like Joanna Trollope's writing so pounced on this book when I saw it in the library. I expected to like it. I didnt. I LOVED it. I started it at the hairdressers in the afternoon and I was hooked. After I came home I couldn't wait to get back to the Brinkleys. It is a great picture of family dynamics with Rachel and Anthony and their three sons and their respective wives. I read it in one gulp. Stayed up till the wee hours of the morning to finish it.It should be required reading for anyone wh...more
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I always enjoy Joanna Trollope's books, look forward to reading them - but don't LOVE them.
This was a very enjoyable book - a quick read, with realistic characters. And a couple of things "stick" with me after the book is read. Petra - poor sweet dreamy Petra, who feels that she is only in her right place if she is near to the sea. I empathize so much with that, although I am nothing like her. The second is the conversation between Sigrid and her mother in Sweden, where her mother talks about t...more
This was a very enjoyable book - a quick read, with realistic characters. And a couple of things "stick" with me after the book is read. Petra - poor sweet dreamy Petra, who feels that she is only in her right place if she is near to the sea. I empathize so much with that, although I am nothing like her. The second is the conversation between Sigrid and her mother in Sweden, where her mother talks about t...more
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I'm usually a lot more enthusiastic about Joanna Trollope. I've been reading her for years, but for some reason this book annoyed me.
The key characters Petra and her husband came across as emotionally flat and unbelievable, as if the author was trying to write autistic characters but didn't quite get how to do it. I also found the dominating mother character too conventional--someone who might have made sense if the story had been set a generation ago, but she wasn't at all like the mothers of...more
The key characters Petra and her husband came across as emotionally flat and unbelievable, as if the author was trying to write autistic characters but didn't quite get how to do it. I also found the dominating mother character too conventional--someone who might have made sense if the story had been set a generation ago, but she wasn't at all like the mothers of...more
Hi, I'm Lori, and I'm a Joanna Trollope addict.
I always feel a bit guilty reading her books, because they are suspiciously easy to read and hard to put down; there is not a single word to look up in the dictionary. The phrase chick lit comes to mind, even though I hate it.
But there is not a writer alive, I think, that is as deft with the hard, real complexities of human relationships. Reading any of her books is therapy: an opportunity to experience the difficulties of love, emotion and connect...more
I always feel a bit guilty reading her books, because they are suspiciously easy to read and hard to put down; there is not a single word to look up in the dictionary. The phrase chick lit comes to mind, even though I hate it.
But there is not a writer alive, I think, that is as deft with the hard, real complexities of human relationships. Reading any of her books is therapy: an opportunity to experience the difficulties of love, emotion and connect...more
1 like · like · see review
I've probably said this in two or three reviews already, but I love Joanna Trollope -- she's unparalleled at quiet domestic drama, and nobody writes about kids better than she does. It worries me that this book was published in paperback instead of hardback; is her popularity waning? Do I need to make a few calls, break a few knees? Listen, I can arrange for that hacky Jodi Picoult to "disappear," if you know what I mean.*
*If anyone's actually reading this, I mean "I will allow her to 'disappear...more
*If anyone's actually reading this, I mean "I will allow her to 'disappear...more
I love Joanna Trollope and I thought this book was good enough to finish-which these days is saying something! It wasn't up to her earlier works (The Men and the Girls, The Spanish Lover) but I enjoy her writing. Having two sons, I related to Rachel's plight as her three boys settle into adulthood and she is left wondering how to manage the shift in her family which pushes her to the outskirts where she was once front and center. Good fiction allows us to imagine our better selves by examining w...more
I find all of Joanna Trollope's books a 'quick read' type book. She is very skilled at writing about relationships and their difficulties in a way that allows you to see that not everything is black and white.
In Daughters in Law, Trollope writes about a family of three grown sons and their parents. Rachel (the mother) is finding it difficult to relinquish her matriarch role as her boys get married.
It is well written in that you can understand why everyone behaves as they do and that the situati...more
In Daughters in Law, Trollope writes about a family of three grown sons and their parents. Rachel (the mother) is finding it difficult to relinquish her matriarch role as her boys get married.
It is well written in that you can understand why everyone behaves as they do and that the situati...more
Een makkelijk te lezen 'tussendoor' boek. Het gaat over een gezin met 3 zonen waarvan moeder altijd de spil was. Maar nu zijn er twee getrouwd en het verhaal begint op de bruiloft van haar derde zoon. Langzaam komt moeder er achter dat zij de grip op haar 'jongens' begint te verliezen aan haar schoondochters. Eén van de huwelijken komt in zwaar weer en dan gaan de schoondochters + broers samen aan het werk (zonder schoonmoeder) om de boel weer op de rails te krijgen. De moeder moet gaan proberen...more
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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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Feb 02, 2012 03:31pm