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Balancing Act

an absorbing and authentic novel from one of Britain’s most popular authors

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About this listen

Family and business, husbands and wives, parents and children. It's always a balancing act... In this emotional and thought-provoking novel, multi-million copy bestselling author Joanna Trollope expertly weaves a study of familial relationships with a lightness of tone and real sense of compassion. Fans of Elizabeth Noble, Erica James and Amanda Prowse will not be disappointed.

'To be relished.' -- The Times
'Joanna Trollope's evocations of human relationships are, as ever, penetrating and engaging.' -- Daily Express
'A joy to read' -- ***** Reader review
'A great read, very engrossing and hard to put down' -- ***** Reader review
'A real page-turner' -- ***** Reader review
'Sublime' -- ***** Reader review

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WHEN EVERYTHING YOU'VE WORKED TO ACHIEVE SUDDENLY FEELS PRECARIOUS, YOU'LL DO WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP IT STABLE...

Four strong women. All working in a family business. But what happens when they begin to want different things? And what about the men - and the children - in their lives?

Susie Moran has always been the breadwinner in her family. Her husband was the one who was there for their three girls. But now he wants something of his past back - the life he had before Susie's career took off, before they had children. And those children don't see their mother's business the way she has always seen it, thereby threatening the balance she has worked so hard to achieve.

And then, amidst the simmering tensions, someone significant from the past, someone almost forgotten, turns up. The problems of the past, the present, and the future all become challenges to the stability of both family and work. Which relationships - if any - will survive?

Contemporary Fiction Family Life Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Marriage Law

Critic reviews

Trollope writes about family relationships with intelligence and clear-eyed sympathy, and the outcomes of this terrific novel are always believable as they are surprising. To be relished.
Trollope is an extremely assured writer, with a brilliant eye for detail and a finely tuned emotional intelligence ... she writes absorbing, wise stories that dramatise the dilemmas we face. In Balancing Act, she has done it again.
Joanna Trollope, whose evocations of human relationships are as ever penetrating and engaging.
With her compassion for her characters, Trollope cuts to the quick of family life, and the difference between men and women. I loved it. (Fanny Blake)
Nobody writes about family tensions better than Joanna Trollope.
A tour de force of family dynamics.
Trollope...remains painfully skilled in tracing the faultlines in human relationships.
a hugely readable novel…Trollope writes with unflagging skill. She is brilliant at exploring the often unearned sense of entitlement within families
A glorious family saga.
All stars
Most relevant
I usually love Joanna Trollope's family sagas but after listening to this one I'm not sure that I'll bother in future. This was held together by Julia Franklin's narration which is always listenable. However, the storyline was pretty flimsy and I found the characters selfish and unsympathetic.

Hugely disappointing

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes

What was one of the most memorable moments of Balancing Act?

I liked the Characters

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She did well with the voice of the female characters but her depiction of the male characters was irritating.

Was Balancing Act worth the listening time?

Yes

Narration spoiled this story

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If you’ve listened to books by Joanna Trollope before, how does this one compare?

Not one of her better books. Joanna Trollope has an extraordinary ability to explore complex characters and relationships. She does attempt to do so in this book but something is missing and it feels contrived. Also there was not enough background to the potteries which presented as someone who researched it for a story rather than knowing it. On the whole it was very disappointing.

Balancing Act Joanna Trollope

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have been a fan for years and years and it has been lovely to revisit this book

my favourite Joanna Trollope

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Any additional comments?

the story didn''t live up to the synopsis.
this is the first Joanna Trollope book I have listened to and as none of the other books synopsis appeal I think it will probably be the last
tI didn't like the format it was written in. in the beginning all the family members were introduced and the story got under way. then out of the bluethe story flitted between the characters, some only being a sentence, then back to the story again a number of times. I found it jarring
.personally I think it would have been a lot better if it had been written in the first person i.e., from susie's point of view. it would have had more of an impact towards the end
.Julia franklin performed the book well.

disappointing

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