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A review by rkw25
Balancing Act by Joanna Trollope
4.0
I must have read something about this book, or had it on my long-time "books to get from the library" list, as I was inspired to track it down during this time of stay-at-home. I have read several of Trollope's books and seen some public television adaptations of her novels.
Susie heads up a pottery company where all three of her daughters work--Cara and Ashley in management and Grace as a designer. Cara's husband Dan is also in management; Ashley's husband Leo teaches part-time and they have two lively young children; Grace is clearly dating someone who is a jerk. Jasper, Susie's husband, had been a musician in a band until the girls came and he stayed home with them. Susie had been raised by her grandparents as her parents left her early on and lived on an island off Kenya. The return of her father, in his early 80s, is part of the catalyst that causes/allows each person in the family to change and grow.
The characters are mostly three-dimensional and complex, flawed but likable (except for the jerk). The women are primarily career-driven, but the men are not pushovers, and everyone contributes to the change needed. The title refers to the balancing each of the characters seeks between career/drive and family.
Susie heads up a pottery company where all three of her daughters work--Cara and Ashley in management and Grace as a designer. Cara's husband Dan is also in management; Ashley's husband Leo teaches part-time and they have two lively young children; Grace is clearly dating someone who is a jerk. Jasper, Susie's husband, had been a musician in a band until the girls came and he stayed home with them. Susie had been raised by her grandparents as her parents left her early on and lived on an island off Kenya. The return of her father, in his early 80s, is part of the catalyst that causes/allows each person in the family to change and grow.
The characters are mostly three-dimensional and complex, flawed but likable (except for the jerk). The women are primarily career-driven, but the men are not pushovers, and everyone contributes to the change needed. The title refers to the balancing each of the characters seeks between career/drive and family.