Girl from the South

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I must say that this was a wonderful book! I liked the way the author went back and forth from London to Charleston - having visited Charleston on may ocassions, and being familiar with the city, I could imagine each scene that Joanna Trollope described in her book. I must say that the author wrote about the "delima" that a lot of Southern women face when and if deciding if they should put a career first or do the "traditional Southern thing" and marry, raise a family, and do the social obligations. It made me grateful for the choices I have made in my life. An awesome read!

Rating:
Summary: A hodgepodge
Review: I picked up this novel with delighted anticipation: I love the South [even with all its pecularities], and I am an anglophile. So I was anticipating the best of both worlds! As an added bonus, reviews had led me to belief that Joanna Trollope [a descendent of "the" Trollope] wrote in "elegant prose".

I was disappointed on both counts. Trollope's style was not what I had been led to believe: any style which requires EIGHT commas in a single sentence is plodding, not elegant. In a novel which seems to investigate the allure of home and family, the portion of the novel that is set in England takes place in a rather shakily realised London.

The plot was minimal, the novel resting more on the unfolding of characterizations and relationships. That is fine -- but the unfolding should consist of surprises, and not be too predictable. The characters are familar to us: the Stokes family in Charleston consists of Gillon, a twentysomething who is "searching"; her sister Ashley has always acted the quintessential Southern Belle, but now feels unloved and unable to maintain the facade; her mother Martha, who has rebelled against the Southern Belle tradition by becoming a feminist and aloof to her family; her father Boone, who initially thought he wanted to break out of his environs, but as he ages sinks deep into its comfort. We know these characters, we are familiar with these characters -- but we learn nothing new about them, or about ourselves. The only character I wanted to know more about was Gillon's grandmother, Sarah. Since the plot is minimal, the lack of character development is lethal.

The British side fares somewhat, but not a lot, better. Henry, who comes to the States when Gillon returns home, is supposed to be a catalyst, or at least a reflecive lens, through which the characters see their environment in new way and are transformed. However, Henry is non-critical to the point of being transparent. Tilly, Henry's rejected girlfriend, slowly learns to be less dependent on the idea of marriage to define herself. But still: 'We're supposed to have so much choice, aren't we,' Tilly said. 'We're supposed to have more choice than anyone has ever had, personally or professionally, before. But we still go round, don't we, like hamsters on wheels, doing the same stuff, wanting the same things, dogged by the same doubts and fears.' "

That's how I felt reading this book -- going round and round, like a hamster on a wheel, not getting anywhere.

Rating:
Summary: No Southern Comfort
Review: I picked up this novel with delighted anticipation: I love the South [even with all its pecularities], and I am an anglophile. So I was anticipating the best of both worlds! As an added bonus, reviews had led me to belief that Joanna Trollope [a descendent of "the" Trollope] wrote in "elegant prose".

I was disappointed on both counts. Trollope's style was not what I had been led to believe: any style which requires EIGHT commas in a single sentence is plodding, not elegant. In a novel which seems to investigate the allure of home and family, the portion of the novel that is set in England takes place in a rather shakily realised London.

The plot was minimal, the novel resting more on the unfolding of characterizations and relationships. That is fine -- but the unfolding should consist of surprises, and not be too predictable. The characters are familar to us: the Stokes family in Charleston consists of Gillon, a twentysomething who is "searching"; her sister Ashley has always acted the quintessential Southern Belle, but now feels unloved and unable to maintain the facade; her mother Martha, who has rebelled against the Southern Belle tradition by becoming a feminist and aloof to her family; her father Boone, who initially thought he wanted to break out of his environs, but as he ages sinks deep into its comfort. We know these characters, we are familiar with these characters -- but we learn nothing new about them, or about ourselves. The only character I wanted to know more about was Gillon's grandmother, Sarah. Since the plot is minimal, the lack of character development is lethal.

The British side fares somewhat, but not a lot, better. Henry, who comes to the States when Gillon returns home, is supposed to be a catalyst, or at least a reflecive lens, through which the characters see their environment in new way and are transformed. However, Henry is non-critical to the point of being transparent. Tilly, Henry's rejected girlfriend, slowly learns to be less dependent on the idea of marriage to define herself. But still: 'We're supposed to have so much choice, aren't we,' Tilly said. 'We're supposed to have more choice than anyone has ever had, personally or professionally, before. But we still go round, don't we, like hamsters on wheels, doing the same stuff, wanting the same things, dogged by the same doubts and fears.' "

That's how I felt reading this book -- going round and round, like a hamster on a wheel, not getting anywhere.

Rating:
Summary: Dreary.........
Review: I wanted to like this book. I have loved books set in England as well as so many set in the south. This dark little tale captured the charm of neither.

The charachters- especially the "heroine" Gillon are all shallow and nasty individuals. Gillon is cold and mean to friends and family alike! The dialogue seemed to consist of people saying "what" or "pardon" to each other. There was no epiphany or growth- simply whining....

There are so many great novels set in England- reread Bridget Jones if you cannot find something else! As for South Carolina- try D.B. Frank's Sullivan's ISland. And SKIP Girl from the South

Rating:
Summary: take us back to England
Review: I'm a girl from the South and I miss Ms. Trollope's Merrie Olde. I'm wondering if her editor insisted she set a novel in the states to attract more American readers. This novel isn't as deliciously, cleverly complicated as her previous ones, with much less of the intricacies of plot and character than she usually displays with such talent in her domestic reality genre. I'm a great advertiser of Joanna Trollope, and will return to her, but if you're a first time reader, try Marrying The Mistress or Other People's Children. No one does the small details of children, marriage, and flawed characters better.

Rating:
Summary: A Different Trip for Trollope
Review: Joanna Trollope's newest novel, GIRL FROM THE SOUTH, has a few surprises in it for those who are expecting some of the same. I've always enjoyed the way she creates relationships in her books, whether it's platonic, romantic, or even the "old married couple." She does it well and continues to do it well here.

This is not a romance novel. It's not a novel that takes you where you think it will, with two people utterly and totally in love with one another and giving up everything they love to be together. How refreshing! Henry and Gillon have their own interests, their own lives. They have found a passion in their lives and it isn't based on another person. I found this to be inspiring. And a good lesson for those who think you can only find happiness when you find the right person.

This is different because it takes place in South Carolina (one of my favorite states) and England. An interesting change and even though there were times when the southerners spoke like they'd been raised in London, it wasn't something that detracted from the novel's plot or point.

I found GIRL FROM THE SOUTH to have a more modern attitude of relationships. She introduced us to individuals who were still searching but learning their way through life with intelligence and adventure.

I liked it. No disappointments for me at all.

Rating:
Summary: Characters lacked depth
Review: The premise and setting of this book had so much potential that the characters did not live up to. Once the storyline moved back to the U.S., the story died. There was dialogue between characters that was hard to follow because it assumed we knew so much more about the characters' psyche than we actually did. I felt like NOTHING happened in the latter half of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Characters lacked depth
Review: The premise and setting of this book had so much potential that the characters did not live up to. Once the storyline moved back to the U.S., the story died. There was dialogue between characters that was hard to follow because it assumed we knew so much more about the characters' psyche than we actually did. I felt like NOTHING happened in the latter half of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Not sure if I liked it or not
Review: This is the first 3-star review I've ever given. Usually I either really like a book or really dislike it, but I'm still not sure (a week after finishing it) how I feel about Girl From the South. I liked the first half, the intro to Henry, Tilly and William in England and Gillon's time there. But once the story shifts to jumping back and forth between Charleston and London it lost its charm. The author gave me no reason why Henry fell out of love with Tilly. No reason why Gillon and Henry like each other. No reason for Tilly to use William. Bottom line, the relationships don't make sense. Odd story, and I doubt I'll read more of hers.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: This novel has none of the depth of previous Trollope novels. This story is more suited to the "Caroline Harvey" romance line. The characters are shallow, the writing stilted, and the plot thin. There are many breaks in the storyline and they never seem to be tied together. This is the first Trollope book that I have been able to put down. In fact, it may stay down without the last third ever being finished.