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A review by jacki_f
Free Love by Tessa Hadley
4.0
It's 1967. Phyllis is 40, married to Roger and they have two children aged 15 and 9. They live an idyllic life in a gorgeous home on the outskirts of London. But everything is turned upside down when Phyllis commences an affair with Nicky, whose parents are old friends of Roger's.
I thought this would be a novel about the affair and that's how it starts, but it spins into other directions as it provides the spur for Phyllis to make some drastic life changes which in turn influence the other three members of her family. There's a great plot twist, one that I didn't see coming, which transforms the plot into a "situation as fatally twisted as a Greek drama".
Hadley's great strength as a writer is how perceptive she is about people's behaviour. The characters are all interesting and each member of the family changes and evolves over the course of the novel. I found this a very satisfying book to read.
I thought this would be a novel about the affair and that's how it starts, but it spins into other directions as it provides the spur for Phyllis to make some drastic life changes which in turn influence the other three members of her family. There's a great plot twist, one that I didn't see coming, which transforms the plot into a "situation as fatally twisted as a Greek drama".
Hadley's great strength as a writer is how perceptive she is about people's behaviour. The characters are all interesting and each member of the family changes and evolves over the course of the novel. I found this a very satisfying book to read.