Synopses & Reviews
Brought up by the same parents, but born to two different mothers, Nathalie and David have grown up as brother and sister, and share a fierce loyalty. Their decision as adults to try to find their birth mothers is no straightforward matter. It affects, acutely and often painfully, their spouses and children, the people they work with, and, most poignantly, the two women who gave them up for adoption all those years ago. Exploring her subject with inimitable imagination and humanity, the celebrated author of Marrying the Mistress and The Rector's Wife once again works her magic.
Joanna Trollope, the nationally bestselling author of sixteen other books, lives in Gloucestershire, England.
Brought up by the same parents, but born to two different mothers, Nathalie and David have grown up as brother and sister, and share a fierce loyalty. Their decision as adults to try to find their birth mothers is no straightforward matter. It affects, acutely and often painfully, their spouses and children, the people they work with, and, most poignantly, the two women who gave them up for adoption all those years ago. The celebrated author of Marry the Mistress and The Rector's Wife explores her subject with inimitable imagination and humanity.
"Elegant and perceptive writing . . . With this book, [the author] once again shows that she is a true descendant of her famous literary forebear, Anthony Trollope."The Hartford Courant
"Joanna Trollope is to British literature what Sue Miller is to American . . . Exceptionally readable."The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Trollope is a pointillist of domestic relationships, and she has built an impressive body of work addressing powerful tensions like those that animate Brother and Sister. With well-placed strokes, she brings to life all of her characters, including the complex lives of the birth mothers. She's especially accomplished in her portrayals of childrenby turns humorous, frustrating or heartbreaking, but never precious."Kate Lehrer, The Washington Post
"As she has done adroitly in her previous novels, Trollope explores the unforeseen consequences of life-altering decisions, here telling the story of two adult adoptees who set out to find the mothers who gave them away."Publishers Weekly
"Born to two different mothers but adopted together and raised as brother and sister, David and Nathalie are fiercely close. Even their spouses acknowledge their unique bond, forged by the belief that they are special'chosen' by each other, though born to different parents. They aren't much concerned about the circumstances of their births until the girlfriend of David's colleague asks them to contact their birth mothers as part of her thesis research. Their decision to do so profoundly affects their lives and the lives of those close to them. When their mothers, who have gone on to have families, finally acknowledge their youthful indiscretions and meet David and Nathalie as adults, it sets off a ripple effect that nearly destroys all the families involved. Once again, Trollope explores the reactions of ordinary people to extraordinary circumstances with warmth, intelligence, and humanity. Her characters compel the reader to care about their relationships and the consequences of their decisions. The author is a master storyteller, a credit indeed to her famous literary ancestor, Anthony Trollope. Highly recommended."Library Journal (starred review)
"The prolific British author sensitively describes the confused responses as an adopted brother and sister search for their birth parents. Though sympathetic to the situations she chronicles, Trollope is too intelligent a writer to offer simple anodynes: And this always makes for a bracing read, with just enough consolations to blunt some of the harsher realities of the story. Nathalie and David, now in their late 30s, always knew Lynne and Ralph had adopted them, a fact that never bothered either of themuntil now. When Polly, Steve and Nathalie's little girl, needs an operation to correct what the doctor says is a genetic defect, Nathalie decides to look for her birth mother. Always close to David, who's younger than she, Nathalie persuades him to look for his mother as well. Steve has always felt that Nathalie confided more in David than in him, and Marnie, David's Canadian wife, feels similarly left out. These spouses' feelings of exclusion will increase sharply as the adoptees begin the search that soon takes over their lives. Steve is so upset that he has an affair with an employee's girlfriend, and Marnie finds herself questioning her life and her marriage. Even Lynne, whose life was transformed by raising Nathalie and David, feels threatened. The two birth mothers, when contacted, are equally conflicted. Carol, David's mother, is a successful businesswoman, married to a wealthy man, and mother of two other sonsshe has never told her husband about David, claiming that she'd had an abortion (when in fact Rory, the love of her life, got her pregnant, and then left). Cora, Nathalie's mother, is a fragile soul who at 16 was raped by a sailor and then sent to a home for unwed mothers. She still lives with her family, who fear that seeing Nathalie will upset her anew. Nothing, of course, turns out quite as expected, and the families nearly fall apart in confronting these revelations, along with unsettling questions about identity and loyalty. Yet another winner from the author of, among many others, Marrying the Mistress."Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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"[A] cool, smart book." Entertainment Weekly
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"Trollope is a pointillist of domestic relationships...With well-placed strokes, she brings to life all of her characters." Washington Post
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"Joanna Trollope is to British literature what Sue Miller is to American...Exceptionally readable." Philadelphia Inquirer
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"The author is a master storyteller, a credit indeed to her famous literary ancestor, Anthony Trollope. Highly recommended." Library Journal
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"Yet another winner." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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"Joanna Trollope...[is] an astute observer of complicated family relationships...Trollope handles all these revelations with a deft touch." Seattle Times
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"[A] cool, smart book." Entertainment Weekly
Review
"Trollope is a pointillist of domestic relationships...With well-placed strokes, she brings to life all of her characters." Washington Post
Review
"Joanna Trollope is to British literature what Sue Miller is to American...Exceptionally readable." Philadelphia Inquirer
Review
"The author is a master storyteller, a credit indeed to her famous literary ancestor, Anthony Trollope. Highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Yet another winner." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
"Joanna Trollope...[is] an astute observer of complicated family relationships...Trollope handles all these revelations with a deft touch." Seattle Times
Synopsis
Brought up by the same parents, but born to two different mothers, Nathalie and David have grown up as brother and sister, and share a fierce loyalty. Their decision as adults to try to find their birth mothers is no straightforward matter. It affects, acutely and often painfully, their spouses and children, the people they work with, and, most poignantly, the two women who gave them up for adoption all those years ago. Exploring her subject with inimitable imagination and humanity, the celebrated author of Marrying the Mistress and The Rector's Wife once again works her magic.
About the Author
Joanna Trollope, the nationally bestselling author of sixteen other books, lives in Gloucestershire, England.