Marrying the Mistress

by Joanna Trollope

Book Overview

"Just as one has forgotten the intense pleasure of reading Trollope, along comes another flawless novel." -- Library Journal (starred review) "A pleasure to read." -- The Washington Post "Despite its title, Marrying the Mistress is no mere sexy romp detailing the lurid details of a juicy affair. Instead, Joanna Trollope offers a domestic drama that gives us an insider's view of what happens to a family when the respected head of the household--60-year-old...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425179648
• ISBN13: 9780425179642
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Love & Divorce in England

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.

Excellently written story on how divorce affects family.

This book gives a complexity of how each family member is taken by the news of Guy's announcement to leave his wife of forty years for a much younger ambitious woman. Guy, the family patriarch, has been having an affair for seven years with fellow legal eagle Merrion Palmer. The novel goes back and forth into time detailing Guy and Laura's marriage and his encounter with the mistress. In addition to Guy, Laura, and Merrion, the Stockdale children Simon and Alan wrestle with their father's departure from the marriage. Reading this book, one would feel sorry for Laura, the suffering wife. But as the reader examines closely into her character, we see a woman who has made herself a shadow of her husband's and leans on to both of her sons which have an effect on their personal lives and significant others. Merrion Palmer, the mistress, although independent, needs male coompanionship. Guy makes up for what she didn't have--a male figure. Her father died when she was three years old and her mother's second marriage to his best friend ended bitterly in divorce affecting Merrion's views of a family. This book is not sexually candid, which is good. The details of the affair are easily interpreted and what is shown is a pattern of how marital infidelity affects a family and a community.

REDGRAVE'S VOICE ADDS ZEST TO TROLLOPE'S TALE

There could not have been a better choice to read Joanna Trollope's timely, complex, and fascinating domestic drama than acclaimed English actress Lynn Redgrave. She is articulate, knowing and highly listenable in this tale of a man, Judge Stockdale, who is leaving his wife of 40 years to marry his young mistress. Readers cannot jump to any prejudiced conclusions as this young mistress is strong, brainy, and has a highly successful career of her own. What's more the Judge's progeny find themselves liking her. Leave it to Trollope to offer the mesmerizing unpredictable!

Marrying the Mistress

Trollope departs from her usual device of following two paths resulting from a single starting point (the twin sisters in Spanish Lover, etc.) and keeps to her exploration of the consequences of decisions in life---this time showing how those decisions are acted upon by circumstances beyond control of any of the individuals. It is a wonderful read, unconventional, and insightful with well-drawn characters.

Best of British Writers in this genre

Resident Judge Guy Stockdale decides to end his relationship with his wife Laura after four decades of marriage. The sixtyish Guy plans to wed his mistress of seven years Merrion, who happens to be about thirty years junior to the Judge and is even younger than his children.Obviously his wife is stunned by his announcement. However, it is his sons and their wives and his grandchildren who react by what they perceive is the family patriarch's callous action of thinking with the wrong body part. One particular son, Simon, finds himself being pulled in several conflicting directions. He does not know whether to emotionally support his mother or his father, but realizes he has no option but to help both of them. His wife wants him to do neither as she does not want to "fund" her in-law's folly. Worse yet, Simon and his children find the former mistress turned fiancee charming to the point Simon would not mind filling his father's shoes. The aftermath of Guy's proclamation is just starting to evolve and the impact it makes on his close circle of relatives is just beginning to emerge.Joanna Trollope is known for her deep thinking look at middle class England. Her latest novel carries the author's trademark of complex problems encircled by conflicting emotions swirling about real people. What makes this tale work is the fact that Merrion is not a gold digger, but is a spirited nice person and the fact that Ms. Trollope does not provide gift-wrapped solutions with a bow on top. Anyone who enjoys a poignant relationship drama by one of the sub-genre,s best will want to read MARRYING THE MISTRESS.Harriet Klausner