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Marrying the Mistress Paperback – June 1, 2001

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 2,856 ratings

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“Just as one has forgotten the intense pleasure of reading Trollope, along comes another flawless novel.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“A pleasure to read.” —The Washington Post

“Despite its title, Marrying the Mistress is no mere sexy romp detailing the lurid details of a juicy affair. Instead, Joanna Trollope offers a domestic drama that gives us an insider’s view of what happens to a family when the respected head of the household—60-year-old judge Guy Stockdale—announces he is leaving his wife of 40 years to marry his much younger mistress, Merrion. From his teenage grandson who thinks it’s cool that Gramps can still snag a hot young babe to his feisty daughter-in-law who sets up a secret meeting to check out the Other Woman, this is a nuanced tale that manages to be both familiar and surprising. What makes the situation complex—and the book beach-bag worthy—is that Merrion is far from the stereotypical villain/slut/husband stealer. She is intelligent, independent, successful and impossible not to like. Reading Marrying the Mistress is like spying on the neighbors that everyone on the street is gossiping about—without the guilt.” —Salon.com

“A modern-day Austen.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Masterful storyelling and memorable characters…a wise and gently truthful take on a highly charged subject.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This novel should easily vault onto the bestseller lists.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[Marrying the Mistress] must be the popular British writer’s most daring novel, as well as one of her most interesting…bracing and original…Trollope at her most challenging and thought-provoking.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Entertaining…great beach reading.” —USA Today

“A novel rich in accurate, piercing detail of domestic life and populated with strongly developed, realistic characters…absorbing and excellent.” —Booklist

“Splendidly nuanced.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A great beach or vacation read.” —The Baltimore Sun

“Trollope again displays her extraordinary gift for representing the intricacies of familial relationships and the vicissitudes of domestic life…None of the themes here—betrayal and anger, the lovers’ age difference, the grasping mother, the daughter-in-law’s resentment—are terribly unusual, but Trollope’s proven ability to present them intelligently, as moral and emotional tangles faced by thinking, interesting people, satisfyingly combines the universally recognizable and the intellectually engaging.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Essential.” —Library Journal (starred review)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Great beach reading. -- USA Today

[Trollope's] most daring novel, as well as her most interesting...bracing and original...challenging and thought-provoking. --
The Cleveland Plain Dealer

About the Author

Joanna Trollope has been writing for more than 30 years. Her enormously successful contemporary works of fiction, several of which have been televised, include Other People's Children, Marrying the Mistress, Girl from the South, Brother & Sister, Second Honeymoon, and Friday Nights. She was awarded the OBE in 1996 for services to literature.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Publishing Group; First Edition (June 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 327 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0425179648
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425179642
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.88 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 2,856 ratings

About the author

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Joanna Trollope
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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

4.1 out of 5 stars
2,856 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the characters sympathetic, even those with flaws. They describe the romance as thoughtful and engaging.

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3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters sympathetic, even those with flaws.

"...and surprising love story here, told with authenticity that keeps her characters true, and fully believable...." Read more

"...The character are all sympathetic even thoose with character defects." Read more

"...It is a wonderful read, unconventional, and insightful with well-drawn characters." Read more

3 customers mention "Romance"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's romance. They find it thought-provoking and engaging, with a true love story told with authenticity. The book is described as an easy, fun read that keeps their interest.

"Joanna Trollope delivers a wonderful, true and surprising love story here, told with authenticity that keeps her characters true, and fully..." Read more

"...They keep my interest." Read more

"I LOVE Joanna Trollope's novels! They are fun, easy reads!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2013
A great read. Joanna Trollope shows amazing insight into the way families interact with one another. In this book, a man who has been married for forty odd years tells his wife he is leaving her to marry the much younger woman with whom he has had an affair for seven years. One would expect the trouble to come only between the man and his wife but not so. Every member of the family gets involved and is affected in some way, right down to the teenaged grandchildren.

In spite of the subject matter, Trollope manages to make the husband and the mistress most likeable characters.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2020
I've thought deeply before starting this review in the hope that I could come to terms with the harshness of this book's conclusion. Its a testament to the richness and ease of Trollope's writing that I became so deeply involved in the human dilemmas that the ending caused me deep sorrow initially, and later, pure anger and disgust. Its final pages demeaned an otherwise brilliant book for me.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2000
Marrying the Mistress was a disappointing read. Trollope gives family life good detail, but neglects to portray any sympathetic characters. Guy Stockdale is the adulterer leaving his wife of many years for a younger woman. Well, after reading about Laura, his wife, we certainly don't blame him! Laura, the long suffering wife, is totally without any redeeming qualities. Guy is just wishy-washy and Merrion, the mistress, is unlikeable. Guy deceives his wife for 7 years, then leaves her--finally--to marry his mistress. The couple, however, can't seem to get past his family obligations, and in the end, make the most bizarre decision. I just wanted to shake everybody and say, 'grow up!' There are some nice passages about Guy's daughter in law and their children, but, alas, not enough for me to say I truly enjoyed this book.
8 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2014
Joanna Trollope delivers a wonderful, true and surprising love story here, told with authenticity that keeps her characters true, and fully believable. An insightful novel that is both romantic and wonderfully real.
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2020
Isn’t it fascinating how the actions of one family member impacts in different ways on the other members of the family.
This story kept me intrigued by the varying changes in the relationships.
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2015
I love the way Ms. Trollope writes. The stories reflect what is happening in today's society and she presents all participants viewpoints. Her
attention to detail (as in the way an animal or child is responded to and may be thinking) is 'right on'. I have enjoyed everything I have read of hers.
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2013
I have read several of Joanne Trollopes books and I enjoyed this one the least. It was well written, but several times throughout the book I wished it would end so that I could start on another book. Don't get me wrong, it was a detailed and descriptive story...but I didn't love any of the characters except for Alan.
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2013
After reading the Soldiers Wife which I enjoyed only have way through .. What I loved about marrying the mistress is that is not your typical mistress seedy storyline. It covers all sides of the family and other people involved . Well worth the read from start to finish ...

Top reviews from other countries

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D. C. A. Price
5.0 out of 5 stars Just as good on a second reading.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2020
Re-reading Joanna Trollope’s earlier books now on my Kindle and loving them just as much second time round. She has a style of writing uniquely her own, and one that I love. This is another story of the events which can rock a family’s corporate life, a bolt from the blue, and how the members try to resolve the resulting mess, in this case a much-loved and respected husband and father suddenly deciding to up and leave his wife after a secret seven year affair, and how his wife and adult children try to deal with the situation. Absorbing. Loved it.
NicShef❤️Reading
4.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly thought provoking...
Reviewed in Australia on April 14, 2018
Joanna Trollope has done it again. It’s always a joy to read this accomplished writer, with believable characters and a poignant twist as she exposes the frailty of family life in ‘Marrying the Mistress’ exceptionally well.

I assumed I was just going to read about a married man and and his relationship with his mistress, soon-to-be-wife; but not at all... We look very closely at the effect his actions have on the dynamics of his eldest son's marriage and family life, as well as the eccentric, gay younger son's view.

The main premise of the story is about a man who decides to leave his wife of over forty years to marry his mistress of 7 years. What follows is the ensuing fall out and the intricate web of family relationships which suffer in the aftermath. It shows how fragile family relationships can be and how some mothers manipulate their own children for their own ends.

Even though I’ll admit the people are not particularly likeable, Trollope’s insight into the machinations of the human spirit is outstanding. After all, a Much older man with young woman usually means the man needs to feel young again, but not Guy Stockdale; and Merrion doesn’t fit the stereotype either, she seems to feel happier with an older man as they claim theirs is a 'marriage of minds'.

The ending, though, is not what I was expecting. Quite sad really. Once again, a fascinating observation of the complexities of the human mind - a story well told and incredibly thought provoking.
Elmas
4.0 out of 5 stars Not one of her best.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2022
I liked the idea and the plot with a believable ending. Plenty of good writing and her keen eye for detail .
Some bits about the third generation were boring for me and I tended to skip them! 3 Stars .
Anna Berg
4.0 out of 5 stars Ein neues Familiendrama ...
Reviewed in Germany on November 17, 2014
... und darin ist J.Trollope eigentlich gut. Sehr einfühlsam und psychologisch gekonnt schildert sie die vielschichtigen problematischen Folgen der Tatsache, dass Opa Oma verläßt einer sehr viel jüngeren Geliebten wegen. Es war ein wenig langatmig und leider für mich am Ende falsch gelöst.
mary C. Irving
3.0 out of 5 stars An ok read but dated
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2019
JT creates a group of people dealing with a painfully difficult situation while also confronting their own private dramas. This book is well written enough to make it a gentle pleasure to read. However, I found it hard to develop any real interest the characters. They are all too stifled by the upper-middle class web which enmeshes them to stand out as relatable individuals.