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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of British Writers in this genre,
This review is from: Marrying the Mistress (Hardcover)
Resident Judge Guy Stockdale decides to end his relationship with his wife Laura after four decades of marriage. The sixtyish Guy plans to wed his mistress of seven years Merrion, who happens to be about thirty years junior to the Judge and is even younger than his children.Obviously his wife is stunned by his announcement. However, it is his sons and their wives and his grandchildren who react by what they perceive is the family patriarch's callous action of thinking with the wrong body part. One particular son, Simon, finds himself being pulled in several conflicting directions. He does not know whether to emotionally support his mother or his father, but realizes he has no option but to help both of them. His wife wants him to do neither as she does not want to "fund" her in-law's folly. Worse yet, Simon and his children find the former mistress turned fiancee charming to the point Simon would not mind filling his father's shoes. The aftermath of Guy's proclamation is just starting to evolve and the impact it makes on his close circle of relatives is just beginning to emerge. Joanna Trollope is known for her deep thinking look at middle class England. Her latest novel carries the author's trademark of complex problems encircled by conflicting emotions swirling about real people. What makes this tale work is the fact that Merrion is not a gold digger, but is a spirited nice person and the fact that Ms. Trollope does not provide gift-wrapped solutions with a bow on top. Anyone who enjoys a poignant relationship drama by one of the sub-genre,s best will want to read MARRYING THE MISTRESS. Harriet Klausner
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Surprising Reaction--mine !,
By BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Marrying the Mistress (Paperback)
If anyone had ever told me that I would read a book like this and sympathize with the mistress, I would have laughed. But this is just what happened, and I was totally surprised at my reaction. I guess this is the mark of a good writer--one who ccauses you to see something from a new and different perspective.From the minute Judge Guy Stockwell makes his stunning announcement that he is leaving Laura, his wife of 40 years to marry his long-time mistress, emotions run rampant in the Stockwell family, but not necessarily in the ways you would expect. His revelation is like a large rock dropped into a small puddle-- the ripples are huge. I think that Trolloppe is a master of character development--the characters were so well drawn and so fleshed-out. These people came to inhabit my home for several days and I came to know them quite well. I am glad I finally got around to reading this talented author.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love & Divorce in England,
This review is from: Marrying the Mistress (Hardcover)
Previous to now I resisted reading Joanna Trollope's books although I don't know why. Then a friend recommended Marrying the Mistress and now I have found a new author to explore further. In the tradition of Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, Trollope introduces us to ordinary people who are faced with changes and new challenges in their lives. And like Binchy and Pilcher, Trollope's characters become like family members who we come to appreciate and love. Marrying the Mistress begins near London when Judge Guy Stockdale announces to his wife of 40 yeas that he wants a divorce. Not only does he want a divorce but he has already made plans to marry a woman, a 31 year old lawyer, who has been his mistress for the last seven years. As readers we now begin to see this revelation from different perspectives, the judges, his wife Laura, their two sons, a daughter-in law, grandchildren and finally Guy's mistress, Merrion. While sides are drawn over this dilemma, most of the characters would agree that the mistress is quite lovely. But as the plot develops and Guy's wife, at first pitiful and dependent becomes more assured leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next. When a series of startling events occur we watch as these people's lives are further disrupted and the changes in their lives have far reaching consequences. Joanna Trollope, a resident of England and a descendant of Anthony Trollope, has a keen ear and eye not only for characters, but for their homes and surroundings areas. When the story takes place in Guy and Laura's suburban home we feel as if we are there and can see Laura's wonderful garden and the their dogs barking. And when Guy first meets Merrion during a train ride to London, we are seated next to them and privy to this meeting. Marrying the Mistress is a wonderful read whose characters and their lives reach our hearts and make us think about our own decisions, mistakes and regrets. Now that I've been introduced to Joanna Trollope's writings, I look forward to being further entertained by reading more of her books.
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