Second Honeymoon

by Joanna Trollope

Ben is, at last, leaving home. At twenty-two, he's the youngest of the family. His mother, Edie, an actress, is distraught. His father, Russell, a theatrical agent, is rather hoping to get his wife back. His brother, Matthew, is struggling in a relationship in which he achieves and earns less than his girlfriend. And his sister, Rosa, is wrestling with debt and the end of a turbulent love affair.





Meet the Boyd family and the empty nest, twenty-first-century style.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, British Literature, Womens Fiction, Relationships, Novels

383 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Joanna Trollope Potter Curteis (aka Caroline Harvey)

Joanna Trollope was born on 9 December 1943 in her grandfather's rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of Rosemary Hodson and Arthur George Cecil Trollope. She is the eldest of three siblings. She is a fifth-generation niece of the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope and is a cousin of the writer and broadcaster James Trollope. She was educated at Reigate County School for Girls followed by St Hugh's College, Oxford. On 14 May 1966, she married the banker David Roger William Potter, they had two daughters, Antonia and Louise, and on 1983 they divorced. In 1985, she remarried to the television dramatist Ian Curteis, and became the stepmother of two stepsons; they divorced in 2001.

From 1965 to 1967, she worked at the Foreign Office. From 1967 to 1979, she was employed in a number of teaching posts before she became a writer full-time in 1980. Her novel Parson Harding's Daughter won in 1980 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[Helen (Helena/Nell) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my sort of book. Would I read something that said on the back cover ‘Meet the Boyd family and the empty nest – twenty-first century style’? I don’t even like full nests all that much.

However, it was free – after a manner of speaking. The purchase of a copy of the Sunday Herald (£2.50, no mean sum for a newspaper), secured a choice of paper-back novels, and I took this one. And I was on holiday. Really I didn’t intend to read it at all. I’m just not one to pass up a copy of a free book. You can always give them away.

Besides I did read it. And immediately I admired all sorts of things. The way Joanna Trollope introduces so many different characters, for a start – the many grown-up members of one family – and the way she switches from one to another, without losing the thread or the reader’s interest. Likeable characters, too. I empathized with the central character – the mum – who is an actress who has been ‘resting’ for rather a long time and is just getting back into stage work. I probably liked her husband Russell more: he’s a not very glamorous ‘voice-over’ agent; he’s hoping that now all the kids have left home (the youngest, Ben, has just absconded to stay with his girlfriend and her mother – though needless to say, not for long) that he’ll get back to the experience of being just . . . married. But the empty nest is not so great for Edie. She misses the kids something awful. And then she lands a role in a play.

Yes, here and there, I confess it, it brought a tear to my reluctant eye. I do have grown-up kids. I didn’t ever have the sort of family life the Boyds had, and I wasn’t ever an Edie-type mum, but I know what it is to miss kids and to grieve over their troubles, none of which can be solved by coming ‘home’. The eye-watering factor was self-indulgently pleasurable. Not deeply moving but like watching a gently nostalgic family saga on TV. And well done, you know. None of it over the top or annoyingly syrupy.

Joanna Trollope’s good at ending chapters on mini cliff-hangers, so you’re drawn through, always wanting to know how some element will turn out. There was only one point, near the end, where a chapter ended on Russell saying, ‘There’s something I have to tell you,’ and I sat up because, just for a moment, I thought the solid, reliable, lovable father might possibly be up to something interestingly BAD, and then I was never quite sure what the thing was that he had to tell Edie. It dissipated over the next two chapters of other plot elements, and if the final ‘thing’ was what I think it was, it wasn’t much of a thing at all.

And the very end of the book was a little bit flat because it came full circle, back to the central character, Edie, reflecting on her life. Which was a natural ending – a nice ending – but not a deeply satisfying way to exit from the tale. It’s a well-written book, a pleasurable read. It didn’t teach me anything or challenge any of my expectations, and that’s what makes it ‘just’ a holiday read. But yes, I can see why it’s a best seller. Nice work.

[Xanthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

None of the reviewers I read mentioned The Ghosts by Ibsen. Since the play and her success as an actor liberates Edie - it's worth reading either a synopsis or all of the play - as it adds to the fabric of the story.

It's Ibsen, so it's all sturm and drang and dark, dark, dark.

Joanna's novel is not dark and it is contemporary in its family's strands and reweaving.

But there's a reason why Trollope uses an Ibsen play - in such contrast to what is really a rather sunny look at family life. At first glance, it's a story of a mother who can't let go of her children and who is delighted when they return to the home for financial reasons - all of the children have different stories - but money is the underlying reason. At the same time, she gets a part and successfully plays Mrs. Alving in Ibsen's play. Her stage son becomes a substitute for her sons who have left home and he moves into the house. He eventually falls in love with the daughter, Rosa, and becomes a "real" son to Edie.
Edie's husband, Russell, is looking forward to having his wife to himself now that the children have left and is majorly disappointed when they all three return home. And they are obligated to pay rent at Russell's insistence.

Edie is actually struggling with her new persona as a respected actress and not easily giving up her "mother" role in the house. When she admits to herself that she is free finally to pursue her acting career to the hilt - she can leave the house where the children grew up and see the children off to their own lives. Lessons all around - By the way, the three children all resolve their present circumstances and look to what appears to be good lives.

Edie's husband, Russell, himself a threatre person as an agent, is a pretty good guy. In love with his wife, a good parent, and standing up for them as a couple (not parents) he is really my favorite character. I wouldn't mind having him around my own house.

Edie and Russell both come to the conclusion to leave the "house." A big, rambling house - full of tangible memories and in a comfortable mess most of the time. A house that is itself a character in the story and now waiting for the next family.

A good read - a good, practical read. Trollope is an engaging writer. What a burden it must be to be a "Trollope." She carries that burden with good grace.

[Aušrinė · Rating 2 out of 5]

Random book read from the library. It was fifth book from the right on the top shelf. The library had three shelving units of books in English language, so I had to choose only between three books. The first one was “Betting on the Muse: Poems and Stories” by Charles Bukowski. But I don’t like poems. The second one was “Villa America” by Liza Klaussmann. The last one was “Second Honeymoon” by Joanna Trollope. I chose to read the latter one, since it is shorter.

It is a story about Edie and the people around her: husband, three children, sister and theater actors (plus some other people related to these characters). Oh, and there is a cat. Edie’s life is dependent of the lives of others. When children leave their childhood home, she feels emptiness and high desire to take care of someone. Unfortunately, that someone is not her husband. Honestly, I didn’t actually understood, if she still loves her husband. She is all about her children (real life or from theater play). But from the husband’s point of view, I would say, her desire looks a bit selfish, since children are creating their own happiness on their own and he still lives with her.

I won’t keep you reading long and just say that I didn’t like this book. It was very easy to read, but it was not interesting. Nothing was happening in it. Just people were talking to other people. Some things were retold even multiple times: first time when it is actually happening, second time when one of the persons are retelling it to somebody else. And sometimes conversation might get retold for the third time, when it is discussed with even another person. So it was like reading the same thing over and over again.

The book was very predictable and it was only one surprising thing in it. Actually, this is still pretty surprising to me even in real life. How can smart people, who have nice lives, good jobs and specific future plans, get accidentally pregnant? At least some other characters from the book agreed with me. Also, the reactions of characters involved in this surprising situation were unbelievable. How can she ask a father of the baby, if he is mad that she is pregnant? What right he has to be angry? To make a baby is a work of two, so they should be both responsible. If he would be angry, then she can be equally angry at him. I know, I know, somehow it still works in real life, but I don’t think that it is a good thing.

In description it was written that this is a book about empty nest. But this nest was empty only for a short while. Then it became so crowded that Edie started to rethink her desires. And I didn’t understand why the book is called Second Honeymoon. From the first few pages I created a vision of how this book should evolve: Edie finally acknowledges the fact that her children are independent, she revives feelings to her husband and their live happily ever after as if it was their honeymoon (they are already married and probably had one honeymoon, hence this one would be second). But I didn’t find anything honeymoony in it. None of my predictions were completely true. But maybe happily ever after will exist for them following the end of the book.

While reading this book, I started to think more about what kind of books I like. And right now I would say it like this: I like realistic books, about realistic things, but not about ordinary things. I like when events in the book could actually happen, but they are not likely to happen to me. This explanation fits my love for mystery and detective books and dislike for romance and science fiction. Of course, this description has exceptions (or rather flaws), because I do like “Harry Potter” and “Hunger Games”.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this novel because of its very relevant theme (to me) of young people of today moving back to live with their empty nester parents—30% of those between 24-35 years of age, is mentioned within the pages of the book. To my generation who “went west” as young people and never returned to the family nest but created our own nests instead, this is a social tragedy that is often overlooked because one does not know where the cause lies: globalization and the lowering of entry level wages, over-indulgent parents, spoilt children whose lifestyles are beyond their pay packets, or a combination of all three?

Edie and Russell are the fifty-something parents of three grown children who move out periodically. When the last child, Ben, leaves the nest, Edie has withdrawal symptoms while Russell is looking forward eagerly but futilely to reclaiming quality time with his wife. A series of mishaps befall the children, nothing tragic, just the usual stuff of growing up—losing a job, breaking up with a partner, buying an unaffordable condo—and the kids trickle back to the nest, much to Edie’s delight and Russell’s chagrin. To add to the parents’ now-crowded life, Edie, a fading actress, has added a young starving actor, Lazlo, to their domesticity by offering him temporary accommodation in their home. Contrasting to Edie’s exhausting but “lived” life is her sister, Vivien, who has an only son departed for Australia to surf with a local girlfriend in the Lucky Country and never return, while her unfaithful husband Max is planning to re-enter her empty life and cheat on her again. The plot weaves in and out among all the characters and ends with new beginnings, a birth, and the commencement of a new cycle of parent-child entanglements.

I found the long sections of interior narration, where we are “told” the motivations and back story of the characters a bit trying. This is contrasted by lots of dialogue, and the missing element is action; the characters emerge on the page, in indifferent combinations, deliver their lines and retreat, almost like the cast in the Ibsen play that Edie is cast in, her last hooray. Also, the multiple viewpoints lead to sameness – no particular character, other than Edie, stands out. The lack of sharp conflicts makes this novel more or less a snapshot of reality, a middle-class reality play; I think fiction demands something more, even if reality has to be distorted.

All that said, the writing is elegant and fluid and Trollope has hit on a key topic of our times and seems to suggest that until this generation of 24-35 upwardly mobile wannabes start having their own children, they will not emerge from their self-indulgence and stop leaning on Mum and Dad to bail them out, particularly at a time when the parents are descending the productivity ladder. Being in that fifty-something cohort who also fathered some of these wannabes, I wonder if Trollope’s solution is an over-simplification.

[Kara Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. While I have always enjoyed books by Joanna Trollope, this one is not a stand out for me. We follow the lives of Russell and Edie Boyd, who have just seen the last of their three children move out of the house. Russell is keen to begin a new chapter in life with Edie where he envisions it being only the two of them. Edie, on the other hand, is feeling the pangs of her children grown up and moving on with their own lives. As the story unfolds, each of her children comes back home as they struggle with different aspects of their lives. I felt the book fizzled out from this point on- the characters were flat and it seemed the end just wrapped up a little too quickly.

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is meant to be ironic. After his youngest child leaves home, the husband eagerly anticipates reconnecting with his wife, while she becomes deeply depressed, a victim of the empty nest syndrome. When the children, one by one, ask to move home for financial reasons, their mother is delighted and their reluctant father is dismayed. The experience of everyone living under the same roof again isn't a return to happier, simpler times since the three adult children now have adult-sized problems -- proving that you really can't go home again. The author just nails the complex relationships between grown children, their siblings, and their parents. This tale will ring plenty of bells for anyone with adult children, whether they are living at home or not.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trollope always nails them, characters and plots, in the best possible way. It was a treat reading this book so I indulged rather than catching up on chores. A little embroidered picture that I've had for years gave me all the permission needed. This little picture has a chicken sitting on her nest. The words above the chicken say -"A Woman's Work is Never Done". Underneath it says -"So Why Bother?" Wise words, yes?

[Minnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so let me confess, I'm a dyed in the wool Trollope fan and this book lived up to my great expectations. Mz Trollope does not write earth shattering sagas but rather quiet stories of everyday people facing a crises of some sort. She deftly sketches ordinary people going about their usually ordinary life and she does it in a way that gets you involved. You want to continue reading, to find out what happens, how they resolve issues and perhaps even live happily ever after. She creates characters that you care for and I cared for Edie and her family, with their particular foibles, petty squabbles and perceived slights.
In the end I do feel that some problems were solved in a slightly unsatisfactory way, it seemed a little too easy. Despite that I enjoyed this book and Gentle Reader, if you relish the ordinary perfectly created by the hand of a master storyteller, then this is a book worth perusing.

[Karen Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empty Nest syndrome has hit Edie with a vengeance - her children have all left and she is desperate for the house to be full again, but her husband is looking forward to the time he hopes he and Edie will be able to spend together now, a rekindling of their relationship.
But as the children all struggle in their relationships and living situations and begin to make their way back home, as well as an extra lodger, its a case of 'be careful what you wish for'
This is a gentle and at times poignant story exploring a myriad of relationship dynamics and generational issues, all done with Trollope's trademark ease and grace.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Families ! I always enjoy reading Johanna Trollope interpretation of family dynamics and the role in which women often find themselves placed . I was intrigued by the comparison to Ibsen and now want to read Ghosts again .
Johanna Trollope has never written a book that I didn’t love …

[Jane Odgers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light holiday reading

Edie Boyd is an actress in her fifties suffering from empty-nest syndrome. Her three children have all left home, the youngest, Ben, so recently that Edie cries when she goes into his litter-filled bedroom. Her long-suffering husband, Russell, a genial theatrical agent, longs for her undivided attention and the next stage in life: travelling, impromptu dinners, galleries, fun ... the second honeymoon. But nothing ever goes to plan and all Edie's wishes are granted at once: a plum acting role and all three children limping home from failed relationships, despite Russell trying to head them off. Parallel to this is Edie's conventional sister, Vivien, who has thrown out her errant husband, Max, but misses him terribly, so is pretty quickly won round when he crawls back clad in his new bimbo-chosen wardrobe and gold chains.

The ebb and flow of relationships is brilliantly handled by Trollope. This is a much more metropolitan crowd than her normal characters - no timid country wives here. There is a very believable cast of characters, all in different and complicated relationships: the oldest son, Matt, is dealing with how he is affected by a girlfriend who earns far more than he does; his chippy sister, Rosa, is confronting the crippling debts left by her boyfriend. At the centre of this is the stalwart partnership of Edie and Russell, strong enough to survive all the disasters washing around them.

Trollope has perfectly caught the angst of the empty nest, the need to mother that Edie feels but is ultimately swamped by, and Russell's far more straightforward approach to letting them get on with it. As Edie comes to terms with loosening her grip, Rosa's friend, Kate, wonders how she will ever be able to leave her new baby and go back to work. Trollope has perfectly captured what it takes to be a mother.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is supposed to be a domestic comedy. Edie, mother of three and wife of Russell, has managed throughout the years of her children's growing up not only to be an exemplary mum (never uptight about laundry on the floor) but also to continue her acting career (not very believable but then this is fiction). Now her last child has left and she is devastated since her REAL purpose in life gone. With a lot of moaning and chest-beating, Edie finally drags herself to an audition and is immediately identified as the lead in an Ibsen play (not very believable but then this is fiction). Meanwhile, her children's lives are falling apart in various ways (which makes the reader simply want to slap them). Rosa, the only daughter, asks her Dad, (Russell) if she can return home and he turns her down because he wants Edie to himself (which makes the reader want to slap him). Edie continues to moan about her lot (which makes the reader want to shoot her), brings home a young man who plays her son in the Ibsen play (is this symbolic or what?) and establishes him in one of the kid's rooms. Eventually the house is full again and Edie learns that it isn't so great to have grown children living at home (surprise, surprise) and that they still don't pick up after themselves (another big surprise since she never taught them the value of tidiness). Sigh. Well written. And I would read another Trollope.

[Ahtims · Rating 4 out of 5]

None like Joanna Trollope for depicting the life of ordinary British people entangled in relationships. I just love her books. I started with "The Rector's Wife", which was good, but her subsequent books were even better, notably "Daughters in law" - the best of her books I have read so far. This book does not reach up to the level of DIL in my humble opinion, but still is an interesting read. The main theme is an old married couple, whose 3 grown up children have left their nests to set up homes of their own. The father has plans to rekindle a romantic relationship with his wife, but the mother is bemoaning the flight of her youngest and wants her kids back. She doesnt feel as fulfilled as she earlier was. Then one by one, the children come back to their parental home, and the resulting chaos is anticipated by none, except perhaps by the father, who seems selfish initially in denying his children their family home. I couldnot identify with the father, because it is not how fathers in my part of the world behave. So maybe I didnot like this book as well as the rest.

[Shelagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another Joanna Trollope book I have enjoyed immensely this summer. She's so right on the nail when dealing with a family now making that transition from a full house to the empty nest. Or so they suppose. But what happens if these grown children run into some of life's very typical problems with relationships, career, unemployment, and so on? They want to come back home of course. Just for a while, just to get over the hump, etc. But changes have already happened in what was once indisputably "home" for everyone, and how each person handles this is engaging, to say the very least--and very much a part of contemporary life in the western world. The constellation of the family is in perpetual motion, and who knows where the point of reference is going to be now?

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my usual fare in book but a cheap purchase through Amazon's Kindle Daily Deal. The main character is Edie, whose last child has left home and Edie is also an actress in plays. Her husband Russell is looking forward to this new phase in their marriage but Edie is saddened about her newly empty house. Also highlighted in the book are Edie and Russell's three adult children who have job and relationship problems. I was rather bored with this book and the prose was too light and the story line too predictable.

[HadiDee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm generally a fan of Joanne Trollope but this did not absorb me in the way most of her other books do. Read it all the way through because Trollope's portrayal of the characters and the way she handles the multiple narratives is excellent (as usual). Trouble was some of the main characters were not that likeable: Edie was self indulgent in the extreme; Matt's issues with his high-earning girlfriend were beyond stupid. On the other hand I liked Russell and Vivi.

[Asma Siddiqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/p5MGDBlTsg4

[Lyn Zuberbuhler · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started this book, I thought the writing somewhat mundane. However, I gained respect for Joanna Trollope as an author when I realized she is able to take a very common theme and write quite eloquently about the circumstances which arise when grown children end up coming home again.
Edie and Russell find themselves to be empty nesters.....and respond quite differently. Russell envisages regaining his wife and a life which he feels has never truly been “just the two of them” but Edie grieves for her grown children, especially the youngest.
Eventually, all 3 adult children return home, and Edie adds a fourth “orphan”, a young man who is her stage son in Ibsen’s play “Ghosts”. The house is a zoo, no one is really happy, and everyone must sort out their own dilemmas...without Edie’s help. She is struggling with her own emotions about finally finding a satisfying place in her world, the stage, which she has put off for years to dedicate her energy to her family. A fairly common occurrence many women find themselves in.
This is a novel about internal spaces and struggles, with not much action.
However, I am curious about Joanna Trollope as a writer, so will likely read another of her novels.

[Ilona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally I enjoy Joanna Trollope books, but I simply couldn't get into this one. Edie's inability to deal with the empty nest was incredibly irritating for me. I've been through that stage: I have adult children who all left the nest at appropriate times, and are now all cheerfully self-directed and independent. I was a full-time stay-at-home mom, didn't even have part-time work on the side as Edie did, so could have been bereft when they left, except that throughout the entire process, I understood that the goal was not to 'raise children' (as Edie seems to have done), but to 'raise adults'.

I was managing to hold on, though, just barely, even though Rosa's adolescent selfishness was irksome. But when Matthew's outrageous sexism became a theme, I put the book down in disgust. I checked to be sure it wasn't written in 1955, or even 1975, but no, 2006.

Tedious in the extreme. I gather, from reading the last few pages, that there was some development in the characters, but I just couldn't suffer through the remaining 250+ pages to get to it, and I'm not sure it would have been sufficient, anyway. Disappointing.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Second Honeymoon: Joanna Trollope
Like her ancestor before her, Joanna Trollope has a talent for nailing the pathways of the human heart and the way we live now. Edie and Russell Boyce are facing “empty nest” syndrome and Russell is bursting for quality time with his wife. He can’t wait for the last child to leave so he can have his hard won Second Honeymoon. But what about Edie? Has Russell consulted her on this ambition? No, of course not.
He reminds her that their youngest son hasn’t gone to Mongolia. “He hasn’t died he’s he’s gone to Walthamstow. The end of the tube line.” This further infuriates Edie
as she wallows in the past, pining for the “kids,” spending many tears over the broken toys and worn out clothes they’ve left behind and which she is desperately holding on to. There’s a lot going on in and around this marital and familial turmoil which Trollope mines with understanding, emotional depth and a great deal of accuracy..

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trollope has a knack for writing absorbing fiction, even when one can’t relate to the subject matter and I found myself engrossed in this novel.

The book is about the Boyd family and how the mother, Edie, struggles with an empty nest after her youngest son leaves the family home. Even though I have never had children, been a mother or have any siblings, I was absorbed by the story.

I enjoyed reading about the different members of the Boyd family. The father, Russell, who was looking forward to having his wife back just for himself, the daughter who lost her job and is in debt, a son whose relationship has broken down and who considers himself an underachiever and Ben, the youngest, who moves in with his girlfriend and her mum. I admire Trollope for being able to introduce lots of different characters who enhance the story.

Trollope writes with passion about every day “real” life situations.

[janbrown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selfish or sensible?

As usual with a Trollope novel, I recommend this book to anyone in love with a well-told tale.
Joanna and Anthony Trollope both like their characters. I do too because none of them conform to any simple characterization. Nobody represents anything but themselves. The story line examines how different people deal with adulthood and change. Written with her usual warmth and understanding, Trollope lets each character work out each situation in a manner uniquely his or her own way. I would love to get a phone call from each person in about a year letting me know what happened and how they are doing. That is how I feel about all of the Trollopean books. The author's skill makes my feelings possible.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This selection was ok. It didn't really go where I thought it would, but the characters were somewhat interesting. The story focuses on Edie and her husband Russell who suddenly have an empty nest. But, the story really revolves around all of the family as each of their children returns home for a variety of reasons. Even Edie's sister, Vivian, has her estranged husband return home. But, then, bit by bit, the characters realize it is time to move on and that they cannot relive what they had. I guess this story's theme is pertinent and interesting, especially in today's world when so many young adults are returning home. But, I thought the characters were a little flimsy. Perhaps there were too many of them. ??? It was an ok Kindle read while I walked on my treadmill.

[Hemmie Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows the Boyd family. Edie and Russell are finally empty nesters, much to Russell's delight. But Edie isn't coping with the departure of her youngest son, Ben. Plus, her acting career is rather lackluster after putting it on the backburner for years.
But life isn't straightforward for the three Boyd children, and gradually, they all need to return home for one disaster or another. But can we ever return home after experiencing independence?
I normally adore a Joanna Trollope novel, but I must admit I found the pages of nothing but conversation rather exhausting to read at times. Having said this, it's still a great observation of family life, with beautifully written characters.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of me did not like this book--BUT I couldn't put it down. I read it in 2 days. I disliked almost all of the characters at first. (little spoiler*) I mean what does anyone think of a modern day man who is so demeaned by a lovely, loving woman who makes more than he does? I wanted to smack most of them on the upside of the head and say, "grow the heck up and get over yourselves." In the end--I actually think that was the author's point. Not a fairy tale ending (good), but a satisfying one. All in all, a good read. I know my book club will have a great conversation!!!

[Jan Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empty nest syndrome is preventing Edie from moving on. Her three children have all left home and husband Russell is looking forward to them spending time as a couple again. But eldest boy Matthew earns less than his girlfriend, who is ready to move up the property ladder, and he’s not happy. Rosa has a secret mountain of debt, and the strain of living with his girlfriend’s mother begins to take the shine off being part of a grown-up relationship for youngest boy, Ben. Meanwhile, after a stalled career, Edie lands a part in an Ibsen play, only to find herself offering an empty bedroom to her down-at-heel stage-son. Cue all three adult children eventually asking to come back, and their bohemian family home is fuller than ever.

Not as light as the title might suggest, and I really enjoyed this. A good, easy read without being overly sentimental. A touch of light comedy about it too, as well as Trollope’s usual insight into the complexities of family relationships.

[Catriona Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it’s a good old family drama by the master Joanna T. The mother adjusting to empty nest syndrome as the last of the 3 children move out & finding you have time on your hands alongside the father who is looking forward to getting his wife’s attention back. But then the children have issues & start to love back home. And as a mum you miss your children when they leave but do you want them back at home with you? I enjoyed it and as a recent empty nester I could relate to the story. A good beach read.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

From beginning to end, this was a predictable plotline. The characters in this novel were flat and unlikable. The story moves painfully slowly through transitions in the lives of a couple and their three adult children. All three end up moving back home in the course of the story. They do find their way through the changes and begin to establish their own lives again in the last few chapters.
I've enjoyed other books by this author and was disappointed by this one.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiction. Edie Boyd is an actress in her 50’s with a stalled career. When her youngest son moves out, she gets a terrible case of empty nest syndrome. Russell, her husband, is a theatrical agent and he begins to look forward to a second honeymoon with his wife now that the kids are gone. Unexpectedly, Edie gets a great role in a play and all the family relationships change when she is no longer available at everyone’s beck and call. A very good read.

[UtBitsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosa wil weer thuis komen wonen en de vader zegt nee zonder de moeder daarin te kennen.... bij mij zou dat een oorlogsverklaring zijn ;)
Tja en de moeder, Edie? Oververmoeid en geen warm water meer in de boiler? “Voedt die volwassen kinderen van je op” zoals hopelijk de meeste mensen doen.

Boek uit 2006: Maeve komt met een plastic bekertje koffie binnen bij Russell, kan echt niet meer in 2021 :)