When Richie Rossiter, once a famous pianist, dies unexpectedly,
Chrissie knows that she must now tell the truth to their three
daughters: their parents were never married. Yet there is one more
shock to come when Richie’s will is read. It seems he never forgot the
wife and son he left behind years ago—Margaret, who lives a quiet life
of routine and work, and Scott, who never knew his famous father. Now
two families are left to confront their losses and each other, and none
of them will ever be the same.
Witty, intelligent, and insightful, The Other Family is a story of
modern family life from one of our most beloved authors of domestic
fiction.
Reviews
An unexpected line in a will leads to complications and new beginnings
in Trollope’s eminently readable latest (after Friday Nights). The
novel opens outside London with the sudden death of Richie Rossiter, a
once-popular pianist whose star has been on the wane for some time.
Chrissie, Richie’s partner for the past 23 years, is shocked to learn
that Richie has left his piano and his early musical estate to his
“other family”—Margaret, the wife he never divorced, and their son,
Scott, now an aimless bachelor. Soon after, Chrissie’s youngest
daughter, Amy, becomes fascinated with her father’s original family and
his humble roots, leading to a tentative friendship with her
half-brother that may result in new opportunities for both of Richie’s
families. At times, the grieving characters—particularly Chrissie—seem
excessively distraught about trivial matters, but Trollope’s keen ear
for dialogue and her pointed development of secondary characters keep
the novel on the safe side of overwrought, while the hopeful if too
tidy conclusion highlights the sometimes surprising possibilities that
can emerge in the wake of grief. (Publishers Weekly - Apr.)
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. (Kirkus Reviews)
Biography
Joanna Trollope has been writing fiction for more than 30 years. Some of her best known works include The Rector's Wife (her first #1 bestseller), A Village Affair, Other People's Children, and Marrying the Mistress. She was awarded the OBE in the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honors List for services to literature. She lives in England.
Industry Reviews
"She can be as subtle as Austen, as sharp as Bronte. Trollope's brilliant."
--Fay Weldon, Mail on Sunday "[Trollope] aims for the heart...and she hits it."
--The New Yorker "[Trollope writes] something we see all too rarely these days: a genuinely grown-up work of fiction."
--Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post "Joanna Trollope's wise understanding shows that the jigsaw puzzle of relationships in contemporary life can be fitted together in new and more humane ways. She illumines human folly and offers a much needed vision of healing."
--Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife and Four Spirits "A heartwarming story of renewal and hope...intelligent and moving."
--Booklist "Brimming with wisdom, wit, and humanity, The Other Family is a sumptuous feast of a novel. Joanna Trollope creates an impeccably observed world, exploring the vagaries of love and family ties with such honest grace that I was left sweetly aching for more."
--Connie May Fowler, author of How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly
