Daughters-in-Law

By Joanna Trollope

A captivating new novel from the master of domestic drama.

As the youngest of their three sons marries and Anthony and Rachel Brinkley welcome their third daughter-in-law to the family, no one quite realizes the profound shift about to take place. For their different reasons, the two previous daughters-in-law hadn't been able to resist Rachel's maternal clout and Anthony's gentle charms, and had settled into Brinkley family life without rocking the boat. But Charlotte — very young, very beautiful and semi-spoiled — has no intention of sharing power with her mother-in-law, and sets out to vanquish the matriarch. Soon Rachel's sons begin to treasonously think of their own houses as home, and of their mother's house as simply the place where their parents live — a necessary shift of loyalties that sets off fireworks in their mother's brain, breaks their father's heart and causes unexpected waves in their own marriages.

A lovely, candid and hugely perceptive exploration of what happens inside every family when one generation, with its ways and habits, has to make way for the next — and everyone needs to learn what family love means all over again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9780307366917

Joanna Trollope

Joanna Trollope is the author of twenty highly acclaimed contemporary bestselling novels, including The Other Family, Daughters-in-Law and The Soldier’s Wife. She has also written a study of women in the British Empire, Britannia’s Daughters, and ten historical novels published under the pseudonym, Caroline Harvey. Joanna was appointed OBE in the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours List and was the Chair of Judges for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012

Reviews for Daughters-in-Law

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was nothing like I imagined it would be based on the back cover blurb. Charlotte really didn't have as much to do with the shift in the family as the blurb made it sound. My main thought through most of the novel was "what a miserable family". I do think each of the couples loved each other in their own way--but lack of communication abounded, and when there was communication, it was often between the wrong people.Anthony and Rachel: Rachel's defined herself as a mother and a hostess. Anthony has his drawing and his teaching--he even has a studio to retreat to. The novel opens with their third son getting married and this changes the sons's dynamic with their parents. For whatever reason, Rachel has never learned to be tactful and often just seems to blurt out whatever she wants to. This causes some tension with her third daughter-in-law, Charlotte--a tension that spreads to the rest of the family. Rachel also always wants to be "in the know" on what is happening and to be doing something to "fix" whatever she perceives is wrong.Edward and Sigrid: They have a daughter Mariella. Sigrid suffered severe depression around the time of Mariella's birth and did not want anyone but Edward and her own parents to know. Edward tries but can't stop his mother from guessing the truth--and then when his mother presses the issue with Sigrid once she returns to England, Sigrid feels betrayed. It takes a while for the two of them to return to a better relationship. Even later in this novel, Sigrid flees with Mariella to Sweden for a "holiday". I was glad to see her mother gave Sigrid good marital advice and also some insight into her mother-in-law.Ralph and Petra: They have two boys: Kit and Barney. Petra was once a student in Anthony's classes and was kind of folded into the family. She's always been a bit of an odd duck. Maybe it's a bit weird to have two odd ducks married to each other. Ralph was once employed by a bank in Singapore and when he left there, he thought he wanted to be self-employed. Maybe if they'd stayed on Shingle St. his business would have performed differently--it's hard to say. Ralph seems to find that he misses working for someone else when he's given the chance to return to banking. Ralph and Petra let his parents convince them that they need to move from Shingle St. to a bigger place because of the children. Ralph's business fails and instead of telling his wife and including her in planning, he just makes a plan and then is stunned when she doesn't feel it is the right one for her.The two don't communicate well to each other and Ralph's need to feel "free" translates in Petra's mind into the two of them being free to see other people--and this leads to an estrangement.Luke and Charlotte: Newlyweds, they soon find they are expecting--something that's so against Rachel's ideas of their life that she blurts out some things that hurt Charlotte's feelings and cause a rift in the family as most side with Charlotte. Even Anthony feels that what Rachel said was wrong, but he is somewhat loyal to his wife as well--and it does open the two of them up to some honest conversations and to Anthony putting his foot down in some situations that Rachel wants to orchestrate. Charlotte seems to favor her family over Luke's. Apparently, Charlotte was treated as a princess in her family--and she seems to sometimes feel that "happily ever after" should just happen in her life without a lot of effort. Charlotte seems to favor her family over that of her husband (even before the tiff with Rachel). I still haven't decided if that was just because she felt more comfortable with them or if it was something more. I was glad to see that Charlotte and Luke do communicate better than his siblings do and that Luke was intent on the two of them working together to make their marriage and life work rather than relying on Charlotte's mother to give them a nanny and a bigger place. So along the way, everyone grew to new understanding. Sigrid learned to see the other side of the coin and to appreciate Edward. Ralph and Petra both grew up and learned to appreciate one another and hopefully have learned communication skills. Luke and Charlotte are learning how to be a family. Anthony learns to confront his wife in love and Rachel learns there are times she needs to hold back and not insert herself as well as that she needs to find something to occupy her time that is hers.

[dubaireader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review for the unabridged audio version.I recently listened to this audiobook on a long haul flight and was sucked into the narrative, after an initial problem with all the characters' names. I then had to borrow the book to read the last one hour and find out how/if it was resolved. Matriarchal Rachel and her husband, Anthony, live in a big house on the Suffolk coast. He's a painter and teaches in the local college, she's a homemaker. Their lives revolve around their three boys, Edward, the uncompromising Ralph, and Luke, the youngest. As the three boys move into adulthood and marriage, the dynamics within the family shift and everyone has to adjust. It is Rachel who is most affected by these changes. The three daughters-in-law were refreshingly different from one another and formed interesting bonds within the family structure; at least two of them seemed to setting themselves up to be matriarchs in their own right! Their husbands were torn between their mother and their new wives, and each handled the situation differently. I would expect many readers could relate to the issues raised. Although largely character driven and with minimal plot, this was an undemanding listen, perfectly suited for a relaxing summer read. Unlike the previous 4 Joanna Trollope books I've read, I was actually satisfied with the ending and have therefore rated it higher than my previous reads.

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this to be a mildly interesting story, which was probably not really worth reading. The characters didn't appeal to me and the story didn't seem to be relevant to me despite my age similarity to the parents. The characters didn't even seem real to me, but maybe I just don't know much about British culture. The plot seemed contrived and the ending was somewhat sudden and neat. Come to think of it, it was really stretching the friendship to give it 2 1/2 stars.

[kelslynn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Many women are, in fact, mothers-in-law or daughters-in-law, and regardless of which role(s) one plays, the results can be life changing. Trollope explores the ways that a mother and father, Rachel and Anthony relate to their three sons and their wives. Rachel has always been at the center of her family's life, orchestrating events and even lifestyles when given the chance; enter Charlotte, Luke's wife, the last of three women to become a daughter-in-law. She is attractive, young and opinionated about how families work. She's only slightly aware of Edward (the oldest of the siblings) and Sigrid's relationship with Rachel and Anthony. Sigrid's own family lives in Sweden, and she uses the distance and the differences in cultures to establish her freedom from family. Rachel, of course, is resentful. She's also mindful of Ralph and Petra's relationship with Rachel and Anthony. Ralph is "difficult" and different; Petra is independent and also different...aha...a perfect match, think the matriarch and patriarch. Anthony has fostered a familial relationship with Petra initially because of her extraordinary artistic talent; Rachel has more seen her as more someone to mother.How the sons and their wives figure out their relationships to each other and the place their parents should hold in their lives is the stuff of soap operas...and real life.Daughters-in-law was a somewhat fluffy but good read. It made me relive my relationship with my mother-in-law and vow to be a better mother-in-law myself.

[figgles_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Romantic fiction often ends with a wedding. This book starts at the wedding of Luke and Charlotte and that marriage is the catalyst for change, not only in their lives but in the lives of their siblings and their parents. Particularly the parents who must learn to move from the centre of their children's lives. This is a lovely quiet book that emphasises that none of us stay the same and that we must accept change ourselves to give others the space to change and grow. One of her best.

[picardyrose · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of them says no, and the rest topple like dominos.

[triscuit_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trollope is less amusing these days and more sad. But this is well-written look at the family dynamics of mothers of grown sons and the families, particularly the strong wives, they bring into their family of origin.

[kiwifortyniner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read most of Joanna Trollope's books so was keen to read this one as I was interested in the area of life it was writing about, the relationships between daughter in laws and their mother in laws. In this book we have Rachel and Anthony who have had three sons all of whom are now married. When this happpens Rachel beginds to feel that she is not the centre of the family any more as the daughter in laws like to do things their own way. I found it easy to identify with Rachel and where she was. I liked the way the relationships between Charlotte and Luke, and Edward and Sigrid (from Scandinavia) were depicted. It worked well to to have the imput from both Charlotte's and Sigrid's mothers in the story. When the crisis occurred in Ralph and Petra's relationship I could understand where Raaplh was coming from but I found Petra's character a little less well drawn, and a little less understandable and I wondered how the compromise that they reached at the end of the book would work for them

[margaretdebuhr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the book but being that I have sons-in-laws it wasn't as relevant. Everyone can see themselves somewhere in the book.

[timswings · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lightly written, but observant novel about changing roles and habits in a family. The shifting of responsibilities of the parents to their grown-up married three sons and their daughters in law. First the painful acknowledgement of the parents that the attention of their sons is shifting. A process in which the sons seek advise with each other. As well as the sisters in laws seek advise with each other. The feeling of a the empty nest syndrom since they are not any more the centre of their children's world. And the sometimes painful finding of the road to a new future with new family patterns. Beautiful passages about Suffolk and its birds; studied and painted by Anthony, the father of the family, who made his career as a famous artist of birdlife. A good read, although not very adventurous or mind provoking. We know the outcome, during different phases in their lives, the family has to change. Just as in real life.

[janglen_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I guess we all love a well written book that is relevant to our own lives, so for me, this was a winner from the start. Yes, there are flaws and the character of Petra is one of them, and the plot resolution for her and her husband, Ralph, is unconvincing. But generally the characters are well drawn and their various dilemmas make for a can't-put-down book.

[kp9949 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I so enjoy J. Trollope's novels. The characters seem so real to me. She writes a lot about family dynamics; and, in doing so, you recognize these people as people you may know. We can see into the characters and see what happens behind closed doors of those we know. This novel revolves around three daughters-in-law each with very distinct personalities. Then we have the mother-in-law who can't let go of her sons.

[hvanwillegen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another gem from Trollope.

[sallysvenson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Joanna Trollope is one of my favorite authors for airplane reading, and luckily for me, paperbacks of newish books of hers can usually be found in airport bookstores--this one turned up in Hong Kong. Trollope understands family life, her plot lines are well executed, and like most of her books, this one holds one's attention without demanding much from the reader. As my children are at a similar stage in their lives and relationships to the children in Daughters-in-Law, there were lessons/warnings here.

[froxgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Joanna Trollope is an author intrigued by family and especially women and children. Her books are domestic dramas but I say that with all due respect. She brings you into the homes of middle and upper class Brits, whose struggles tend to be unique to the bourgeoisie, as no one is starving and most of the characters either have good livings and incomes, or choose to stay home to create lovely environments for husband and kids. However, the dilemmas are always true to life and their resolutions satisfying. In this one, Rachel, master and commander of three sons, falls apart when circumstances cause all three to wrench themselves from her bosom to create independent lives with their wives. Trollope usually wraps up her novels with somewhat pat endings, and this one is more contrived than most, but all in all, there’s a great pleasure in reading about the problems of others when they are solvable. Other of hers to enjoy: The Rector’s Wife and Other People’s Children.