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maryrobinson's review
2.0
An older Mother and Father live in Spain on the vineyard created by the Father. Their lives are going along fairly well but they are unhappily isolated from their three children and their families who all live back in England. That isolation ends when the Father has a stroke and the children come back to help … which brings out all the conflicts and complications in their lives. An insightful inter-generational family drama for which this author is known.
bectoria's review
3.0
Probably more a three and a half star read.
Gently engrossing family drama with a Spanish vineyard for extra reading pleasure.
It is quite comforting to read about difficult family situations being worked through with care and thought.
Gently engrossing family drama with a Spanish vineyard for extra reading pleasure.
It is quite comforting to read about difficult family situations being worked through with care and thought.
salreads's review
4.0
With thanks to Netgalley and The Independent Publishers’ Group for a digital copy. Set in southern Spain the story begins with Gus’ stroke and its ramifications for his family - his wife Monica, their three children and their grandchildren. Trollope examines relationships between the couples, between parents and their children and between siblings as fracture lines start to develop. She explores themes of work-life balance, career parenting, teenage self-harm and the fraught juggling act faced by the sandwich generation. As Gus recovers his family must come together to face next steps, but first they have to address the tensions which already exist between them. This is a lovely read which I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters were well developed, the issues described universally relevant, presented with realism and not neatly resolved. The warmth of the Spanish sun and the whisper of vines provided a stunning backdrop and even in lockdown I could feel myself there.
wendywoo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
carejea's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
spooky78's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mariasmusings's review
3.0
This is the first time that I've read a novel by the well-known author Joanna Trollope, and having read so many positive reviews of her previous works, I was eager to commence reading, ‘Mum & Dad’. This novel is set in set in Spain at the vineyard purchased by Gus and Monica over 25 years ago. Now, Gus has suffered a severe heart attack and the couple are relying on their 3 adult children to step in and help out at the vineyard. With all three, residing in the UK and busy with their own lives, the realisation with they are now expected to help out at the vineyard, comes as a shock and the cracks within the family are soon deepened as their secrets come out.
I loved this storyline and raced through the book in one evening as I was eager to uncover the next development in their relationships. At times, I found myself becoming somewhat frustrated with Monica as she seemed to subvert her own feelings and wishes in order to appease Gus. I came to understand this her attitude was representative of many of her generation and it’s down to the skill of Trollope’s own characterisation that I could so quickly come to understand and sympathise with Monica
I received a free copy of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review.
I loved this storyline and raced through the book in one evening as I was eager to uncover the next development in their relationships. At times, I found myself becoming somewhat frustrated with Monica as she seemed to subvert her own feelings and wishes in order to appease Gus. I came to understand this her attitude was representative of many of her generation and it’s down to the skill of Trollope’s own characterisation that I could so quickly come to understand and sympathise with Monica
I received a free copy of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review.
bananatricky's review
3.0
Gus and Monica moved to Spain 25 years ago and have successfully built their own prestigious (if not necessarily financially) vineyard and farm shop. Then Gus has a debilitating stroke and things start to unwind, Monica can't run the vineyard, their eldest son Sebastian refuses, their daughter Katie is a successful London solicitor and won't which only leaves the youngest, Jake.
At first, frankly, each of the characters comes across as unpleasant, in turns snobby, misogynistic, weak, mercenary and self-centred. Little-by-little we see into the lives of Gus and Monica, their children and their spouses and their grandchildren. Things start to make more sense, the characters become more relatable, the children and their spouses in particular change their behaviours.
My biggest issue with this book is that it ends very suddenly, I actually thought my Kindle had broken when it wouldn't move to the next page. Maybe it was deliberate, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next, maybe my more regular diet of romance has conditioned me to expect everything to be wrapped up but this felt like the start of something … and then nothing. Overall, I was left feeling 'So what? What was the point?'
The writing was excellent, each of the characters (and there are a lot) is given their own voice and the reader can empathise with each in turn (well maybe not all) and I was drawn into the lives of these three generations, but I was left hanging at the end.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
At first, frankly, each of the characters comes across as unpleasant, in turns snobby, misogynistic, weak, mercenary and self-centred. Little-by-little we see into the lives of Gus and Monica, their children and their spouses and their grandchildren. Things start to make more sense, the characters become more relatable, the children and their spouses in particular change their behaviours.
My biggest issue with this book is that it ends very suddenly, I actually thought my Kindle had broken when it wouldn't move to the next page. Maybe it was deliberate, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next, maybe my more regular diet of romance has conditioned me to expect everything to be wrapped up but this felt like the start of something … and then nothing. Overall, I was left feeling 'So what? What was the point?'
The writing was excellent, each of the characters (and there are a lot) is given their own voice and the reader can empathise with each in turn (well maybe not all) and I was drawn into the lives of these three generations, but I was left hanging at the end.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
chloholliday's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0