‘What a mess, she thought now . . . what a bloody, unholy mess the whole family has got itself into.’
It’s been twenty-five years since Gus and Monica left England to start a new life in Spain, building a vineyard and wine business from the ground up. However, when Gus suffers a stroke and their idyllic Mediterranean life is thrown into upheaval, it’s left to their three grown-up children in London to step in . . .
Sebastian is busy running his company with his wife, Anna, who’s never quite seen eye-to-eye with her mother-in-law.
Katie, a successful solicitor in the City, is distracted by the problems with her long-term partner, Nic, and the secretive lives of their three daughters.
And Jake, ever the easy-going optimist, is determined to convince his new wife, Bella, that moving to Spain with their eighteen-month-old would be a good idea.
As the children descend on the vineyard, it becomes clear that each has their own idea of how best to handle their mum and dad, as well as the family business.
But as long-simmering resentments rise to the surface and tensions reach breaking point, can the family ties prove strong enough to keep them together?
Sunday Times number one bestseller Joanna Trollope explores the issues at the heart of a modern family with her trademark wit and warmth, in Mum & Dad.
A Truly Wonderful Tale! 
What a well-conceived story! Honest, true-to-life and beautifully written!
When Gus decided to up sticks and move to Spain over two decades ago, Monica went with him, leaving their children in England despite knowing they weren’t happy about it. Family life has never quite recovered, but when Gus suffers a stroke, it’s up to the three adult children to step in and keep the business running . . .
A truly wonderful tale of family life; nobody’s perfect, they’re all just trying their best. Adding partners and children/grandchildren, each individual has more than enough on their plate already and as always with a family crisis, old grudges rise to the surface. Joanna Trollope has her finger on the pulse with her real life characters and this was an absolute delight to read! I raced through it, thoroughly enjoying the family dynamics – after all, who has the perfect family themselves? The author paints a marvellous picture of the attractions of Spain and I wallowed in observing these characters whilst sympathising with each and every one of them. A superb read which I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending. I can think of no reason not to give this one a full house of sparkling stars!
My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: family life, women’s fiction
- Format: ebook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook
- Size: 336 pages
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- Publication Date: 5 March 2020
- Links: Goodreads
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Author Bio
Joanna Trollope is the author of many highly acclaimed and bestselling novels, including The Rector’s Wife, Marrying the Mistress, Daughters in Law and City of Friends. She was appointed OBE in 1996, and a trustee of the National Literacy Trust in in 2012. She has chaired the Whitbread and Orange Awards, as well as being a judge of many other literature prizes; she has been part of two DCMS panels on public libraries and is patron of numerous charities, including Meningitis Now, and Chawton House Library. In 2014, she updated Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility as the opening novel in the Austen Project.
Social Media
Website: joannatrollope.com
Facebook: @joannatrollope
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