Marrying the Mistress

Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Reaction--mine !
Review: If anyone had ever told me that I would read a book like this and sympathize with the mistress, I would have laughed. But this is just what happened, and I was totally surprised at my reaction. I guess this is the mark of a good writer--one who ccauses you to see something from a new and different perspective.

From the minute Judge Guy Stockwell makes his stunning announcement that he is leaving Laura, his wife of 40 years to marry his long-time mistress, emotions run rampant in the Stockwell family, but not necessarily in the ways you would expect. His revelation is like a large rock dropped into a small puddle-- the ripples are huge.

I think that Trolloppe is a master of character development--the characters were so well drawn and so fleshed-out. These people came to inhabit my home for several days and I came to know them quite well.

I am glad I finally got around to reading this talented author.

Rating:
Summary: HO-HUM
Review: Marrying the Mistress was a disappointing read. Trollope gives family life good detail, but neglects to portray any sympathetic characters. Guy Stockdale is the adulterer leaving his wife of many years for a younger woman. Well, after reading about Laura, his wife, we certainly don't blame him! Laura, the long suffering wife, is totally without any redeeming qualities. Guy is just wishy-washy and Merrion, the mistress, is unlikeable. Guy deceives his wife for 7 years, then leaves her--finally--to marry his mistress. The couple, however, can't seem to get past his family obligations, and in the end, make the most bizarre decision. I just wanted to shake everybody and say, 'grow up!' There are some nice passages about Guy's daughter in law and their children, but, alas, not enough for me to say I truly enjoyed this book.

Rating:
Summary: Love & Divorce in England
Review: Previous to now I resisted reading Joanna Trollope's books although I don't know why. Then a friend recommended Marrying the Mistress and now I have found a new author to explore further. In the tradition of Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, Trollope introduces us to ordinary people who are faced with changes and new challenges in their lives. And like Binchy and Pilcher, Trollope's characters become like family members who we come to appreciate and love.

Marrying the Mistress begins near London when Judge Guy Stockdale announces to his wife of 40 yeas that he wants a divorce. Not only does he want a divorce but he has already made plans to marry a woman, a 31 year old lawyer, who has been his mistress for the last seven years. As readers we now begin to see this revelation from different perspectives, the judges, his wife Laura, their two sons, a daughter-in law, grandchildren and finally Guy's mistress, Merrion. While sides are drawn over this dilemma, most of the characters would agree that the mistress is quite lovely. But as the plot develops and Guy's wife, at first pitiful and dependent becomes more assured leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next. When a series of startling events occur we watch as these people's lives are further disrupted and the changes in their lives have far reaching consequences.

Joanna Trollope, a resident of England and a descendant of Anthony Trollope, has a keen ear and eye not only for characters, but for their homes and surroundings areas. When the story takes place in Guy and Laura's suburban home we feel as if we are there and can see Laura's wonderful garden and the their dogs barking. And when Guy first meets Merrion during a train ride to London, we are seated next to them and privy to this meeting. Marrying the Mistress is a wonderful read whose characters and their lives reach our hearts and make us think about our own decisions, mistakes and regrets. Now that I've been introduced to Joanna Trollope's writings, I look forward to being further entertained by reading more of her books.

Rating:
Summary: Oh, puh-leese!
Review: Well, let's see. We have a philandering husband, a self-obsessed Other Woman, a broken wife and various others who seem to have some ridiculous opinion based on nothing. Guy and Marrion's affair is regarded as "just something that happened." Neither one seems to feel the slightest twinge of remorse. The husband feels justified because his wife is - what? - less than perfect? The other woman wants the wife to quit whining. Hmmmm, I wonder how she'll feel when he moves on to his NEXT other woman? The sons feel victimized by their hyseterical mother. The daughter-in-law is actually HAPPY about the affair. In fact, everyone seems happy about the affair. There are no recriminations against the other woman or the straying husband. The new relationship is accepted and welcomed even. Huh? So, we come to the wife who is seen as a clingy, manipulative, out-of-control mess. (Of course, she's so poorly written, that we have NO idea what's really going on inside her head.) Excuse me? Has her life not just been blown to smithereens? Thirty years of marriage for this? Everyone tells her to get over it and move on. So much for the support and kidness of friends and family. There is absolutely no depth to any of these characters. They are all morally bankrupt or just shallow shells. An absolute waste of time.

If you want a complex and moving account of an extra-marital affair, read "The Girl at the Lion D'Or" by Sebastian Faulks. The characters in this book are written with depth. It's easy to see their pain, confusion and conflicting emotions. It's excellent.