Just finished this and what a good read it was. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Joanna Trollope's books.
In this book it is about how each generation of a family can work to help each other and as I reading this in lockdown with 3 generations living under one roof it is a timely reminder of what each generation can bring to the table. Mum & Dad need help but it turns out each generation needs some help and support and they find it within the family. - Great read and I now need to go and find another Joanna Trollope book I haven't read.

Joanna Trollope is a master at writing novels based around family dynamics, especially when facing a new and difficult situation. I have enjoyed a lot of her other novels, such as The Rector’s Wife and The Village Affair particularly. This novel was based around Gus and Monica who left England 25 years ago to live in Spain. They’ve led a wonderful Mediterranean life and have built a vineyard and wine brand from the ground up. However, when Gus has a stroke they need support from their children and grandchildren. Of course each child has their own family dynamic going in and now they’ll all be thrown together. The eldest, Sebastian is running his own company with his wife Anna, who doesn’t have great relationship with Monica. Kate is a lawyer, she works in the city and has problems with her long term partner Nick and their grown-up daughters. Jake is the baby, the easy-going optimist of the family. He hopes to convince his new wife Bella that a move to the vineyard is just what they need

Everyone arrives with their own ideas and resentments. Both about the family and the business. Trollope is brilliant at creating three dimensional characters, full of flaws but still relatable and interesting. There has been a breakdown in communication between Gus, Monica and their kids. Trollope mentions that Monica is nervous because she hasn’t seen any of them for years. Meanwhile, Gus is not the best patient because he’s known in the family for being stroppy. Trollope must spend hours sat in cafes just observing people, because every quirk and piece of dialogue is perfectly natural and organic. We learn that Monica only moved to Spain so Gus could make his dream come true. It hasn’t her dream. I think we see this tension echo through the generations. It’s all about our struggle to understand each other, to truly communicate down the generations and the difficulty of having obligations to parents and children at the same time. As her novels always do, this breezed along very quickly and stood up to the earlier novels I’d enjoyed. A solid writer who always delivers.

Gus and Monica moved to Spain 25 years ago and have successfully built their own prestigious (if not necessarily financially) vineyard and farm shop. Then Gus has a debilitating stroke and things start to unwind, Monica can't run the vineyard, their eldest son Sebastian refuses, their daughter Katie is a successful London solicitor and won't which only leaves the youngest, Jake.

At first, frankly, each of the characters comes across as unpleasant, in turns snobby, misogynistic, weak, mercenary and self-centred. Little-by-little we see into the lives of Gus and Monica, their children and their spouses and their grandchildren. Things start to make more sense, the characters become more relatable, the children and their spouses in particular change their behaviours.

My biggest issue with this book is that it ends very suddenly, I actually thought my Kindle had broken when it wouldn't move to the next page. Maybe it was deliberate, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next, maybe my more regular diet of romance has conditioned me to expect everything to be wrapped up but this felt like the start of something … and then nothing. Overall, I was left feeling 'So what? What was the point?'

The writing was excellent, each of the characters (and there are a lot) is given their own voice and the reader can empathise with each in turn (well maybe not all) and I was drawn into the lives of these three generations, but I was left hanging at the end.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a compelling story of extended family problems and resolutions. A great cast of characters. I liked the roles of the children and how they found the core of the problems. Lovely conclusion.

I had high hopes and they weren't disappointed. The story wasn't quite as I expected, but was actually better as it was more realistic in terms of how people behave and why. I was actually quite disappointed when it ended - I want to know what happens next! Sign of a good story, I guess. My only complaint is that there isn't enough depth to the backstory of why the grandfather was quite so hated and what awful thing he did.
Trollope's writing style flows so easily, it's unchallenging yet not simple. Her characters are all so likely, so real, that you can almost place them in your own life and own collection of friends and family. Some you want to shout at, some you want to hug and all you want to have a happy ending.
A great book for summer days in the garden, or on a flight to Spain!

Joanna writes so well about the intricacies of families. All of her novels have shown a surprising and refreshing insight into life.
This novel takes part in Spain and London, on the surface an idyllic situation but a stroke leads to revelations about the family dynamic and the deep rooted unhappiness of all the its members. Sebastian, Katie and Jake are the children of Monica and Gus, they have to learn to cope with their fathers stroke and their own difficulties,
Monica is sometimes frustrating as she seems older than she is portrayed, she was never a feminist and is surprised by modern attitudes to marriage and child rearing.
Thank you Joanna and NetGalley for an absorbing read

A Joanna Trollope book never disappoints does it? I just loved this story, particularly as I could easily relate to so many of the sub-plots going on. It's the story of a broken family slowly putting itself back together, sad in places, humourous in others but down to earth and easy to read especially as it was during the covid-19 period where concentrating on anything was hard. I'd thoroughly recommend this to cheer everyone's day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Mum & Dad is the story of a family who have grown apart due to decisions and choices made many years ago many years ago. Gus, the father moved the family to Spain to start a new life and develop a vineyard, his wife, Monica, followed him as she felt it was her duty and put his wishes above those of her three children.
Current relationships are fractured and distant until Gus has a stroke. The unknown future throws them all back together and brings to light the problems within in each individual family unit.
The characters are all relatable, if not likeable and you are drawn in to the family.
Mum & Dad is an easy book to lose your self in for a few hours, just add sunshine and a glass of something chilled.

I was given a copy of Mum & Dad by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

I’ve read all of Joanna Trollope’s books and enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to reading Mum and Dad.

Parents Gus and Monica moved to a Spanish village 25 years ago to run their own successful vineyards. All their children (and grandchildren) are living their own lives in the UK when Gus has a stroke. Although he recovers well, it’s clear that he will no longer be able to manage the family business, and he doesn’t like that. It’s not easy for Monica, either, and then all the children visit them to decide what to do about the vineyards.

A great family drama and I’d highly recommend it, especially for a summer read with it being set in sunny Spain.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This book is different from what I usually read. It is about 3 children who have to deal with the aftermath of their fathers stroke. Their parents have lived in Spain for many years whilst all three children are living in the UK and now grown up with husbands and wives and children of their own. The old two siblings have far more ties to the the UK than their youngest brother who volunteers to step in and run the vineyard their father built up from nothing. However soon it becomes obvious that things are not always as simple as they seem. The older two children will soon have to figure out why their brother willingly left the UK and was able to pack up his family’s life so quickly.
Read this book to find out what happened! It’s very easy reading and will keep you wondering what will happen next. Enjoy.

Monica has lived in Spain for over 20 years. She followed her husband Gus as he wanted to leave England to get away from his overbearing father. Her elder two children Sebastian and Katie stayed behind at boarding school. But the youngest Jake was educated in Spain.

Now Gus has had a stroke and the family are back together, the siblings at least as well as Jake’s wife Bella and his daughter Mouse. But what will happen to the vineyard in the future if Gus can’t manage it.

What follows after is an interesting portrayal of family life as it appears that nobody has a perfect life.

A great read.

In a time of uncertainty, it’s nice to have some consistency.



Opening the latest Joanna Trollope felt comfortable, like tucking your feet under you in the corner of the sofa, with a strong cup of freshly ground coffee & getting ready for a natter with a good friend.



As ever the subject matter is family relationships – this time, parents & their relationships with adult children, brought into focus by the father’s stroke.



The author’s characters are well drawn, credible and flawed, if not particularly likeable. The novel is well written, of course, - and will strike a chord with many readers, as it’s just so realistic, covering subjects that we all have to deal with, as we become the grown-up children, whilst dealing with our own family issues.



It’s not necessarily unputdownable, but it is like having a sneaky peek at neighbours’ lives then having a conversation with your friend (see above!) and analysing whether their decisions are right or wrong.

I was really looking forward to reading this and the blurb sounded interesting and different to what I would normally read.
This was a layered story which explored family dynamics in intricate detail. Trollope was able to help the reader understand the difficulties posed at having a livelihood abroad and leaving family behind. I found it hard to relate to the main characters and their dysfunctional families.
In a book, as a reader I want an immersive experience I want to be a part of their world and feel what they feeling but felt no real connection and unfortunately this is one area where the book fell flat. A pleasant read but something was missing.

When Gus has a stroke, it throws the whole family into disarray. The father of three children, he and his wife had moved to Spain 25 years earlier and built a successful vineyard business. At the time of his stroke all of his children And grandchildren live in England. Thrown together in Spain, trying to come to terms with their fathers ill health and ageing parents, it becomes apparent they all have different ideas about what to do with the business- meanwhile Gus is extremely unhappy and irritated that he will not be managing the business, frustration pouring out of him. Resentments build and the tension is palpable. A brilliant family led drama, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I haven’t read a book by Joanna Trollope for a while, and like her previous books Mum and Dad was a great comfort read from the beginning – just what was needed whilst in lockdown.

Mum & Dad, Gus and Monica, moved to a village in Southern Spain, 25 years ago leaving their two older children, in school in the UK. Gus sold everything in the UK and hiring local help, he built vineyards – a dream of his. Fast forward 25 years, the vineyards are a success, their children, back in the UK, have partners and children and busy lives.

Gus seems to have a grumpy personality from the start, however, following a debilitating stroke it is obvious that Gus won’t be able to look after the Vineyard and his grumpiness turns to resentment.

The children quickly realise that they are going to have to take an active role in their parents' lives, although they all have their own family dramas and anxieties. Mum & Dad is interwoven with complicated relationship issues within the families and between them and their parents.

Mum & Dad kept my interest throughout. I thank NetGalley, and the publishers, for an advanced copy and I give it 5 stars.

This was my first book by this author and I thought it was very well written. However, it wasn’t really my type of storyline, I didn’t find it very gripping but a pleasant enough read to hold my somewhat limited attention at the moment. The fact it was set in Spain and was very descriptive helped.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

My first ever Joanna Trollope book and I did enjoy it! I was hooked pretty early on as my Mum has suffered several strokes and I recognised all that was said about Gus. And as with our family, that badly hit the Beacham’s. I loved the way that we learnt more about all of the characters in the family as events evolved. Some didn’t turn out as I initially thought but I like that - you never know the people in a story straight away, you have to learn more about them as time goes on.
I loved picturing the scene at the vineyard under the wonderful southern Spanish blue skies and would love to have shared an early morning cup of tea with Monica on the terrace!
My only criticism of this book was that I felt that the ending was a little rushed. Everything was going along nicely, at a good pace, when I suddenly realised that I didn’t have very much longer til the end. And it then seemed to me (and it could just be me!) that ideas / solutions were suddenly written about that hadn’t come up at all before, almost as if the author had a deadline to meet and needed to get finished! As I say, that could just be me but I am giving an honest review!.
Anyway, I would still recommend this story and thank Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

As someone who read the majority of Joanna Trollope's early books, but has not read one for a number of years, I was intrigued to pick this up and see if I would enjoy this as much as some of her previous ones. The book tells the story of three generations of one family - the parents live in Spain running a vineyard, their children and grandchildren live in England. When the father has a stroke, the whole family's lives are turned upside down.

Whilst it started a little slowly for me, I found myself drawn in as the story progressed and this book did remind me why it is I have always enjoyed Trollope's books - she is exceptionally good at writing family sagas that explore the dynamics and complexities of familial relationships, and her development of characters is always strong. She also sets the scene particularly well and her descriptions of life in Spain painted a vivid picture that provided some enjoyable escapism

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great family drama with realistic characters. Story draws you in from the beginning. Loved it so much I bought a hard copy too!!!

😊 This is Joanna Trollope’s latest novel and once again she has written a mature story that delves into the complexities and inevitability of change in relationships, particularly familial, charmingly and adeptly.

The novel features three generations of the Beacham family and the dynamics between them. Monica and Gus now the grandparents, left England for Spain many years ago, leaving behind their children, Sebastian, Katie and Jake who were all at boarding school. Now, Sebastian is married to Anna, who has never got on with her mother-in-law; solicitor Katie is with Nic, her long-term partner and they have three children; optimistic Jake is newly married to wife Bella, and they have an eighteen month old baby daughter, Mouse. Gus's recent stroke has left Monica unsettled and bewildered as her familiar world threatens to disintegrate. She has not seen her children for several years and this only emphasises the lack of communication between them.

Like many others, I have been a devoted Joanna Trollope fan for a long time. In Mum & Dad I loved how wonderfully she portrayed the essence of family, the interactions of parents and children, siblings, husbands and wives with insightful honesty and dashes of humour.

There is a wide variety of eclectic, cross-generational characters in this meaningful novel, adding enrichment and interest to the story. I certainly got to fully appreciate the author's impressive characterisation talents. A number of them have massive flaws, and all have their own different ideas with regard to their parents ill health, business and age issues. Bubbling resentments, rivalries, poor communications, and long-held secrets are all aggravated by their time away from each other. The author expertly depicted the idiosyncrasies of human nature, paying attention, as ever, to those finer details that are the icing on the cake in all of her novels.

The stylish, evenly paced plotline and the clarity of Joanna Trollope's writing made it easy to follow and my desire to see it through didn't waver. I enjoyed Mum & Dad so much, I didn't want to put it down! A smart, entertaining, very highly recommended read. My thanks must go to Joanna Trollope for writing such an impressive, sophisticated and exhilarating book! 😊

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.