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The Other Family

an utterly compelling novel from bestselling author Joanna Trollope

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About this listen

Fans of Elizabeth Noble, Erica James and Amanda Prowse will love this absorbing, emotionally charged and beautifully written novel from multi-million copy bestselling author Joanna Trollope. Our lives are not always as rock-solid as we think...

'Inventive, surprising and fascinating' - The Times
'A page-turner that feels like sinking into a warm, deep bath. With Trollope you are always in safe hands. Highly recommended' -- Sunday Express
'Trollope is shrewdly observant of human interaction' -- Daily Telegraph
'Fascinating' -- ***** Reader review
'Absolutely gripping' -- ***** Reader review
'I could hardly bear to put it down' -- ***** Reader review
'Another unputdownable book from Joanna Trollope' -- ***** Reader review

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SOME SECRETS ARE TOO BIG TO STAY HIDDEN...

Chrissie had always believed that her husband Richie was the one. With their three daughters, a lovely house and a fulfilling career, things couldn't be much better. And even if he hadn't given her the one thing she really wanted, she knew he loved her.

But suddenly Richie is no longer there and, without him, Chrissie's carefully constructed life comes tumbling down and the secrets start to come out.

As the practicalities of Richie's will must be sorted out, Chrissie must tell her daughters of their father's other family, a wife and son he had abandoned years before and sworn never to see again. And now, it is finally time for the two families to face each other...

 Family Life Genre Fiction Romance Happiness
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I really enjoyed listening to The Other Family. I didn’t initially think I’d warm to the characters, but got drawn into their lives and how they interacted with one another. It made me reflect on how we often judge others without remembering their back story.

A tale that draws you in

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To those who know her books this is typical Joanna Trollope territory: the exploration of family dynamics under stress, in this case, the anguish and anger caused by the death of a partner complicated by the fact that he has a wife and son from an earlier relationship. The author deftly evokes the feelings of the children of the two partnerships the man has had and the antagonism between the two mothers of his children. Fenella Woolgar does a splendid job of narration and to my ears caught the various regional accents to a tee. I'd categorize this book has having more appeal to women with a special resonance to those of us who are second wives.

A sensitive exploration of bereavement

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This is one of my favourite Joanna Trollope books and I have read the story several times. A poignant investigation of bereavement and it’s effect on two families, the original wife and son in Newcastle, and the ‘other woman’, who was never granted the status of wife, despite having three daughters with the central male character.
It’s a beautifully observed and cleverly written story, full of emotion and humanity, but what lifts this already captivating tale is Fenella Woolgar’s wonderful narration. She slips effortlessly between Geordie no-nonsense Margaret and polished London Chrissie, even the three teenage daughters are all given individual, completely believable voices. It’s a tour de force of narration, wonderful to listen to, that brings every character to life and makes an already thoroughly enjoyable book even better. Bravo Fenella!

A Lovely Story, Made Better With Stellar Narration

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