Joanna Trollope - The Other Family

Reviewed by Maggie Perkovic Thurs 1st April on show.
I am a great fan of Joanna Trollope but this novel is disappointing.

Chrissie always believed that Richie loved her, had loved her for all the twenty three years they had been together, loved their three daughters Tamsin, Dilly and Amy and had a happy life in their house in Highgate and their happy, lively existence.
Richie having been the entertainer of some repute and some fame, and even now in his later years he still had a great fan base.Chrissie was his manager and organised his shows and life, so when the book opens on his death we witness a complete collapse of their life as they knew it.

All very sad and understandable but when the will is read their is a problem.
Richie was married many years ago and had a son Scott, now grown up, and the fact of them never having divorced puts a lot of angst in the way of this previously settled little group.

Margaret, his wife of the early days, also finds his death and the surprising contents of his will awake memories long suppressed and a past life returning to haunt her and her son Scott.

The link between the two families is Amy, youngest daughter of Chrissie and Richie who wants to include this 'Other Family' in all that is going on, and who is in the middle of her exams which will lead her to university, if thats what she wants.

The premise is good but I found the biggest let down is we never get to see what sort of man Richie was. He is described by the second family as the best father ever etc. But even with his first family I never got a picture of the complete man and artist.

The author does a great job of promoting the Newcastle area from whence this Richie sprang, and attempts to join the London family to The Great Northen Complex is attempted. But it doesn't work for me.
Review by Maggie P