Trollope (Friday Nights, 2008, etc.) treats her characters with tough love, refusing to either downplay or offer pat...
Second family of a British entertainer is unpleasantly surprised by his legacy, in Trollope’s latest sensitive depiction of domestic upheaval.
Richie Rossiter, whose first wife (and agent) Margaret grew up with him in the fishing and mining towns of Tynemouth and Newcastle, never dreamed of expanding his musical circuit beyond his native Northern England until a much younger fan, Chrissie, approached him after a concert. A successful artistic manager, Chrissie promised to put Richie on the map in London and beyond as a pianist and singer-songwriter. She also enticed him away from Margaret and their son Scott, then 14. Now, established in a fashionable London neighborhood with Richie and their three daughters, Chrissie suffers misgivings over the fact that she and Richie never married. She even buys her own anniversary band of diamonds, albeit industrial ones. When Richie dies suddenly of a heart attack, Chrissie learns he willed his early copyrights and his Steinway piano to Margaret (still his wife) and Scott. Worse, since Chrissie cannot claim a spousal exemption, the rest of his estate will be largely consumed by inheritance taxes. Paralyzed by grief and the threat of imminent destitution, Chrissie resists her friend Sue’s advice to sell the family house and give up the piano. Twenty-something daughters Tamsin, with her entry-level job, and Dilly, lovely but listless, are ill-equipped to support themselves. Youngest daughter Amy, 18, who is reluctantly studying for her University entrance exams, reaches out to Scott, now a lawyer in Newcastle, because she wants to learn more about her father’s origins. Amy, a flutist, negotiates a diplomatic solution to the piano debacle, and Scott, safely in possession of the Steinway—he’s a passably competent player—invites Amy to Newcastle, where she discovers a passion for folk music. Margaret, aging in a shore-side cottage with her cat, is both disillusioned and reinvigorated by Richie’s unexpected bequest.
Trollope (Friday Nights, 2008, etc.) treats her characters with tough love, refusing to either downplay or offer pat solutions to their predicaments.Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4391-2983-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2010
IN THE NEWS
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
