Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

A question of trust is another great book by the author Penny Vincenzi. The book is heart warmer and also a page turner with characters that you care about.

I'm sure fans and new readers of Penny Vincenzi will enjoy this book.

I wanted to love this book, I really did, having enjoyed other stories by the author. But I really didn't like this one at all. It became a struggle to persevere to the end. And it started with such promise too.

First of all there were far too many characters, and I frequently lost track.

Then they turned into such horrible people. I couldn't empathise with any if them. They didn't learn from their experiences. They kept making the same mistakes.

But the worst thing about this book was not knowing which of this enormous cast of characters was speaking next. It often wasn't clear and I frequently had to read several paragraphs before knowing whose viewpoint we were in.

This was disappointing to say the least, and not for me. However, I won't be posting such a negative review to any of my public pages. I'll keep it to NetGalley.

This is the first Penny Vincenzi that I have read, and I have to say that I enjoyed it. It was definitely better written with a tighter plot than I was expecting and I would recommend her to anyone wanting a good page-turner. Though a little bit of editing wouldn't go amiss but I always think that. Good read.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read one of my favourite authors. A Question of Trust is in true Vincenzi style - mixed up families, mixed up relationships....the greatest form of saga and this is no exception. I did find it a bit laborious in places but that could just have been me in my eagerness to find out what happens next. The characters were well described and real.....I particularly liked Ned. It was interesting to read about such a time when lots of perceptions were changing, the woman's role, healthcare, politics yet still all wrapped up in a tissue paper layer of glamour. I can thoroughly recommend this book to all.

I have always been a fan of Penny Vincenzi’s books and was highly honoured to receive a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

If it was any other author but Penny Vincenzi, seeing several pages of names that will appear in the book before I have started it would have intimidated me, but I knew from the beginning this was a story to sink my teeth into!!

Diane & Tom are worlds apart but at first sight there is an instant attraction that is never forgotten.

This book has everything I love, it is full of wonderful characters, has romance, glamour, betrayal, politics and much much more!!

Although it is a long story, I was fully immersed in this book and by the end of it felt like I was reading about people I knew as well as my family.

I am now Searching for any Penny Vincenzi books I haven’t read yet, as I cannot believe this might be the last book I read of Penny’s.

Penny vincenzi at her best....a heart warming book with a mixture of totally loveable characters and a variety of stories. Highly recommend.

In all honesty, I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected to. A little bitty I did enjoy the nostalgia surrounding this book especially the start of the NHS, but still, I found it rather disappointing..

This is my first ever novel read by Penny Vincenzi. She is my sister’s favourite author and I decided to glance at the synopsis when I saw it on netgalley. Immediately it intrigued me and I decided I would give it a try…
What I was to uncover was, I am quite the Penny Vincenzi fan myself.

The novel is 600 pages in length and spans the years from 1936-1954. It covers many aspects of life within the era. The second world war, the changing roles of women, the sexual liberation of women, the class structure and changing political atmosphere.
Which as you can imagine is quite a lot to cover within one novel. The novel is character driven and centres around two main characters. Tom Knelston the working-class done good, that longs for a career in politics and is heavily influenced by the post-war socialist movement.

‘Politics are about principles’

Also, the beautiful Diana Southcott, born into privilege and wealth but; self-aware enough to realise that this does not always lead to a happy life.

“No I despise people who think marrying the right man, by which they mean rich and not common, is the only thing they want to do’ – Alice

The novel flicks back and forth between each character and details the choices they make and the impact they have on their own individual futures. They both chose to marry, Tom to local girl Alice and Diana to a man of her own class Jonathan. But when Jonathan is brutalised by the second world war, their love becomes divided and Diana becomes bored….
‘How Diana would fit into that future, he could not begin to imagine. Or even think about’ – Jonathan

There are secondary characters included, who are mutual friends of both Tom and Diana. One of my particular favourites was Ned. But for reasons I do not want to state as I do not want to leave spoilers in my review.

As said above the novel is long and one best enjoyed if you are invested in the characters early on. Personally, I became very invested in the characters and seeing how their lives turned out.
The author has done a fantastic job of bringing the 1940’s and 1950’s era fully alive. From the harsh realities of ww2, to Diana’s glamourous modelling career.

This title is perfect for book groups and I can imagine a whole host of debate themes would be uncovered. 4*

Another blockbuster from Penny Vincenzi, and so sadly her last. As usual full of interesting characters and their lives - not all of them likeable characters! The relationships between them interwoven so well, despite there being so many. It wasn't always easy to remember who was involved with whom, but Penny cleverly made it clear in her writing. I felt so invested in all the characters I unashamedly wept my way through some of the final pages. The setting was very interesting - much of it set in the days of Aneurin Bevan's fight to have a fair and free NHS for all. Interesting contrasts of political calls for equality and the higher echelons of society.
Very many thanks to Netgalley/Headline for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Excellent read. Well written, good strong believable characters. English class system played a big part, especially in the early chapters. Recommended

I have been a fan of Penny Vincenzi for many years and was pleased to be given the chance to read this latest novel. I was not disappointed. The book was well written and had a plot that kept me reading at every available minute. Thoroughly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and Headline for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Penny Vincenzi is a master storyteller, who can draw the reader in among all the characters.
The story centres around Tom Knelston, his love life, his great passion for politics and the Labour Party and his strong principles.
We meet the woman in his life as the story unfolds, Laura his 1st wife who dies tragically and then Alice his 2nd wife.. there is also Diana whom he has known nearly all his life, unhappy in her marriage, later divorced, wealthy, beautiful, she is a fashion model, she has always found Tom very attractive.
There are a few other strong characters, Ned, who Diana had a crush on as a teenage girl and Alice’s girlfriend Jilly.
An enjoyable read. With lots of ups and down for Tom and the other characters

The lovely, totally spoilt, Diana Southcott and her best friend, Wendelien, wine and dine and meet friends at The Ritz, The Dorchester, The Connaught Hotel (clients need a personal recommendation before making a booking here), The Oyster bar at Fortnum and Mason, and many other upmarket venues in London.

But there is so much more to this novel than illustrious settings, beautiful people, and dramatic romance. Penny Vincenzi has researched her latest novel with great care. She details a ‘who’s who’ in London, from 1936 to 1955, in politics, medicine, education, the law, fashion models and photographers. Snippets of historical fact weaved into the narrative absorb readers into the era. Like Winston Churchill temporarily claiming Claridge’s Hotel as Yugoslavian territory, in order that Crown Prince Alexander would be born on his native soil. And, bizarrely, details of the Ascheim-Zondek frog test that predicted early stage pregnancy. Readers feel they’re sipping an exotic cocktail, listening in to intriguing conversations, when in reality, probably sprawling, on the couch in trackies.

But it wasn’t all fun, frogs and eccentric politicians. If life for females was narrow, for homosexuals it was downright dangerous. These were unenlightened times, and we see some brave characters suffering and attempting to change the status quo.

Through the main character, Tom Knelston, readers appreciate how a working class boy has to fight for every inch of advantage and personal gain. Nothing is prescribed when your father is a postman.

On the other side of the class divide, well-trodden paths circumscribe a young life, particularly for girls. Diana Southcott is no exception, she is expected to marry and not take too long about it.

The only thing Tom and Diana have in common is the small Hampshire village in which they were born. But oddly their paths cross, again and again!

Diana marries Johnathan, a man she does not love, thinking she will live a glamorous life in London, enjoying her socialite friends. Her husband prefers the country life and she ends up on his estate, and miserable, in Yorkshire. Wendelien comes to the rescue. She introduces Diana to people in the fashion industry, and the beautiful Diana becomes a model. This gives her a leave pass to spend time in London, where more than one, almost ruinous, liaison takes place.

Tom is clever, idealistic, ambitious, (and oh so good looking) and, sadly, tormented by grief. He is working hard to fulfill his life’s ambition and become a Labour Member of Parliament. He marries middle class Alice, who is a nurse. Alice trained at the famous St. Thomas’s Hospital, so is well acquainted with the British health system. Tom is campaigning energetically for a National Health Service to be established, but, when his son becomes dangerously ill, he is put in an invidious position. In fact, Tom is juggling other tricky issues in his life, all of his own making, and all of which could ruin him.

The plot, and threads of several sub-plots, links a large cast of characters together. Main characters and minor ones are either related or known to one another through other characters, or via their profession. Penny Vincenzi introduces them all in such a way that the reader does not become over-whelmed, or even need to refer to the character list at the beginning of the book. Readers are also skillfully connected to the era via real historical figures. They might get a brief mention, or, like Aneurin (Nye) Bevan, the Labour Minister for Health (1945-51), who plays the part, indirectly, of Tom’s political role model. In this way the novel is well constructed.

Just one slight historical blip, the term ‘homophobic’ was used in dialogue that was taking place in 1955 (p.379), however, ‘homophobic’, was introduced by psychologist George Weinberg, in the mid-sixties. Other than that it was all very true to form.

A Question of Trust is Penny Vincenzi’s nineteenth novel. The first was published in 1989. Clearly, she is a huge publishing success. Her career began in the lending library of Harrods, Knightsbridge, leaving this position to attend a secretarial college with a department of journalism. She began her career as a junior secretary for Vogue, working her way to being a Fashion and Beauty Editor on magazines such as Woman’s Own, Nova and Honey, before becoming a Deputy Editor of Options and Contributing Editor of Cosmopolitan.

I really enjoyed A Question of Trust. It is essentially a lovely nostalgic yarn. The plot, sometimes predictable, also had a few shocks, there were tear-inducing moments, and a, mainly, ‘happy-ever-after’ ending.

A fantastic book which has a rich cast of characters from all classes of society whose lives become intrinsically entwined
It is on one level a social history of the early part of the twentieth century dealing with such issues as class, women’s place in society, the plight of homosexuals, and of course the birth of the National Health Service .
On another level it is a question of trust but on many levels.
Well researched as someone who grew up in that period can stand testimony to.

This was a slow read for me - over a week which is unheard of! I was initially put off with the long list of characters at the start as I like to be introduced to characters as I read.

I did enjoy the book, the way the characters lives were linked and found it equally happy and sad. It seemed to end very suddenly as though some of the book was missing. But as much as I enjoyed it I didn't feel it was the right book for me.

Than you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A very enjoyable book covering a very interesting period of history. It has a bit of everything; a family saga, plenty of historical fact, politics and some romance. Not all the characters were particularly likable, but I believe that was intentional. It was well rounded, with a beginning that draws you in from the first page, and an ending that will satisfy most people. It is well research as are all of her books, just sorry that there will be no more.

I usually devour and adore every book by Penny Vincenzi but I hate to say that this was not one of my favourites and knowing that this great author has now passed away, I would have loved to have enjoyed this book a bit more, but for me it was just lacking the excitement from previous novels.

Although this was not my favourite book it is still a worthy 3* and I am sure it will appeal to others who don’t crave a fast paced read like I do.

Penny Vincenzi at her best, weaving in and out of the central characters with a complexity of great story telling. Impelling read revolving around the post war years particularly relating to the NHS which as a 50s child I found extremely interesting.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I normally really like this author and this book did not disappoint at all. Tom and Diana's paths briefly cross as teens. When they meet again some years later Diana is divorcing her husband and Tom is an aspiring labour m.p. When they embark on an affair, it has consequences for not just themselves,but everyone around them