A Spanish Lover: A Novel [Paperback]

Joanna Trollope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2010

Lizzie and Frances, identical twins nearing forty, have hardly marked a parallel progress together through life. Lizzie is confident and effusive, the mother of a large, vibrant brood, a successful gallery owner, and a consummate homemaker. Frances, on the other hand, is as elusive as Lizzie is accessible: She lives alone, operates a modestly successful travel agency, and has never had a serious attachment to a man. It seems, to her loving family, as if Frances is destined to move through life anchorless.

But all that changes one Christmas when Frances makes an impulsive trip to Spain. There she falls in love—and not with just any man but with a wealthy, handsome Spaniard who is both Catholic and married. As Frances blossoms with newfound independence and relishes her engrossing affair, Lizzie becomes detached from her home life, which ultimately threatens her marriage. Though Lizzie’s was once the enviable life, now Frances has come into her own, and the twins must reexamine their roles—in their individual lives and in the special, shared world of sisterhood.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Joanna Trollope's The Spanish Lover, Frances and Lizzie are twins, but the resemblance between them is strictly physical. Lizzie is married, a mother, the owner of a successful business. Frances is--well, people are beginning to worry about Frances now that she is almost 40. Instead of dwindling into respectable English spinsterhood, however, Frances moves to Spain and falls in love with a very married Spaniard named Luis, who, because he is Catholic, will never leave his wife. The repercussions of Frances's actions are unexpected indeed: as her life takes on new meaning and joy, the lives of her family back in England begin to crumble.

Joanna Trollope, a descendant of novelist Anthony Trollope, has inherited her esteemed ancestor's talent for storytelling. In this bittersweet tale set on the Iberian peninsula, she deftly maps the complex relationships that exist within families and the equally complicated relations between lovers. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

If a talent for storytelling is a family trait, then Trollope (The Choir, LJ 10/1/95), a descendant of Anthony Trollope, has inherited it in spades, as her new book proves. From the title one might expect a fluffy romance, but this novel offers much more. It is also the story of a family, the trials and tribulations of ordinary people. Frances and Lizzie are the twin daughters of William and Barbara. Lizzie is married, with four children. Frances is single and owns a travel agency. On a business trip to Seville, Frances meets the man who will later become her "Spanish lover." The affair between Frances and Luis Gomez Moreno becomes the catalyst that causes shifts and changes in the whole family, for better and worse. Trollope constructs a beautiful plot, and her descriptions of Spain will have you itching to call your travel agent. Highly recommended.
-?Dawn L. Anderson, North Richland Hills P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (May 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345520971
• ISBN-13: 978-0345520975
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #667,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joanna Trollope has been writing fiction for more than 30 years. Some of her best known works include The Rector's Wife (her first #1 bestseller), A Village Affair, Other People's Children, and Marrying the Mistress. She was awarded the OBE in the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honors List for services to literature. She lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good summer read, July 9, 2001

By 

Book Brain - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spanish Lover (Paperback)

"The Spanish Lover" is the story of British twin sisters who lead very different lives. Lizzie "has it all" -- the good-looking husband, two well-behaved children, a spacious country home, and a successful gallery/shop she runs with her husband. She worries about Frances, her single twin, who seems to lead, in Lizzie's estimation, an unfulfilled existence (since it is in complete contrast to her own life). Frances is a travel agent who travels to Spain and meets Luis, a man who will have a dramatic impact on her life. When Frances decides to pursue a relationship with Luis, Lizzie begins obsessing over Frances' life and loses sight of the events in her own life. At first read one would call this the story of Frances' awakening and growth but it is really the story of the evolution of both sisters and the impact on the other people in their lives. The characters and plot are well-developed and the book is well-written. The ending is a bit contrived but still believable. Amazingly I did not take the cynical view that these people could not possibly exist or that the events could not happen -- Trollope made me WANT to believe them! This is an excellent summer read - escapism with substance.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Depth and realistic compromises, January 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Spanish Lover (Paperback)

I am a big Trolloppe fan, and enjoyed this book because it let me get to know the two main characters in enough depth so I wasn't going "huh?" every time someone said or did something, a minor complaint in some of her other novels, where dozens of characters are thrown at you. I savored the contrast between scenes set in chilly Bath and sunny, historic Spain. What I didn't quite believe at first was how the Spanish Lover, Luis, would go so nuts over prim Frances in the first place, but what happens at the end, which I won't give away, rings true for this kind of man operating in this kind of culture. The back story of the parents seemed labored and not entirely believable. It actually detracted from the otherwise strong believability of the twins. I always groan when a baby appears at the end of a book, making a paste-on happy ending, and as if to rectify all wrongs, but the ending here was bittersweet and mixed for both sisters. Life moves along in its real, sometimes thwarted way.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vacation reading, October 8, 2001

By 

wordfiendca (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Spanish Lover (Paperback)

I think that Joanna Trollope does an excellent job of exploring the choices that we make as individuals and how those choices impact where our lives go. Her characters are normal people who make imperfect choices and have to deal with the good and bad consequences.

In this book, I think that she jumped a little too much and didn't focus on character development as much as she could have. She established the main characters quite well, then had them change their behaviour too quickly, without enough of an explanation.

I did enjoy that she set a good portion of the book in Spain and did try to capture a different atmosphere besides the usual English background that she uses for her other books.

This is a great book to read on your first days of vacation or after a stressful week.