"Mum and Dad" is an immersive family saga which explores the inner lives of a family on the brink of breakdown for all sorts of reasons. It's a detailed deep-dive into the heads of each family member, and their own issues with their spouses, children and siblings. A little slow in places but skillfully written: an ideal holiday read.

A rather disappointing read for me as I usually enjoy Joanne Trollope books. Relationships are what Trollope does best and this followed the trend but seemed to lack any punch. The characters flowed from total dysfunctional family members to miraculous successful place for everyone in the world without even much angst. It all seemed too easy and most unlikely.
A decent holiday read though as not challenging on many fronts. The writing g style was excellent as always just for me not an interesting enough plot line.

This latest novel by Joanna Trollope is a family saga set primarily in Spain, so would make a perfect holiday read!

Gus and Monica (AKA Mum & Dad) moved to Spain 25 years ago and bought a run down vineyard, which over the years they have transformed into a thriving business.

Now in their seventies, Gus suffers a stroke and life as they know it changes overnight! Monica is understandably a little lost following Gus’s stroke and whilst he is in hospital, looks to her three children for some much needed support and guidance. Cue the family coming over to Spain from England, some complex family dynamics and sibling rivalry.

This was a nice warm, easy read which I devoured in 4 days, but it was just a middle of the road book for me. Not my favourite Joanne Trollope read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favourite book of recent times, but an interesting exploration of family relationships. Sebastian, Katie and Jake have different and difficult relationships with their parents, Gus and Monica, who moved to Spain when the children were growing up to develop a vineyard. Each has a complicated personal relationship with their partner, and during the novel we see how these work out. Katie and Sebastian have never taken their now teenage children to visit their grandparents for many years, but when Gus has a stroke we see family ties and their importance come to the fore. A complicated family story, which in the end shows the value of family. #netgalley #mumanddad

I think it's quite well written and the characters are fleshed out but the story didn't keep my attention and fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I was not sure about this book when I first started but I gradually got drawn in. I felt that the family was very real and the characters fitted well into the whole story. They felt like a real family of today's society. There were many issues of life brought up within just one book. I really enjoyed this and will look out for more by Joanna Trollope.

A good read set in beautiful surroundings which kept me reading into the night. This is a family with a lot of secrets and relationships that need mending. Their story is really well written and I loved the setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Great family drama novel although it was a a little "itv Monday night drama for me". Really enjoyed it even though this is usually my cuppa tea. Would be a really good holiday read.

This book tells the story of one family and how their lives are turned upside down by the unexpected stroke that the father has. Secrets come out, priorities change, people might even change but nothing will be the same for any of them.

The premise for the book is interesting and it covers some relevant topics around feminism and the role of women in the family. But I feel the book could have benefitted from being a bit longer and from a bit more detail being given to each character. While I know it's possible to enjoy a book without being able to identify with any of the characters, I do find it hard when I don't feel I understand them or their decisions.

But I did enjoy the setting. The author did an excellent job of conjuring up images of Spain and (in these difficult times!) made me keen to see foreign shores again soon!

I haven't read any of the author's others books so I don't know if it will appeal to regular fans. I don't think this particular book will make a regular reader of me but I enjoyed some aspects of it and would recommend it as a holiday or light read.

I've never heard of this author before but in thought I would give one of her books a go and see if I like it or not.

I found it an interesting concept and it was something different. 

The writing and the characters suck you in and you want want to stop reading until the end. 

If you like a book about family dynamics then give this book a read

Monika and Gus left their eldest children to go and live in Spain when they were young and so don’t have the closest of relationships. Youngest son Jake lived with them in Spain but has since moved to the UK. Gus has a stroke and Monika now needs the support of their children. Jake selflessly volunteers to run the family vineyard, but does he have an ulterior motive. Behind the scenes all three children have emotional and complex family lives and need their own support. A really enjoyable story of a family in turmoil all needing some love and care.

Interesting read which can transport you to Spanish lifestyle. Conflict occurs within the family when recent events take a family on an unexpected journey with surprising results. All seems idyllic within the family business but is it, and secrets siblings have surface during the struggle to save the family business.

This was a slow start for me and I struggled to ‘get into’ the novel but once it took hold I loved it as much as Joanna Trollope’s previous novels. Her gift is in characterisation, giving the reader multi dimensional characters that we can identify with and care about. I am currently adapting to having ageing parents who also live far away from me so I had every sympathy with Jake, Sebastian and Katie and I could agree with each of their ways of dealing with their parents rapidly changing circumstances.
My favourite relationship is without doubt is the one between Monica and Marta. The importance of Grandparents is often underestimated in the modern lifestyle where families are separated by geography and demanding careers. The scenes in Katie’s home felt cosier, less stressful and safe. Spouses in family novels are often ignored but Nic, Anna and Bella are fully drawn and provide further context to the unfolding storylines. I did find it a trifle archaic that Katie and Nic’s relationship wasn’t legitimate in Monica’s eyes. Surely in her 70’s she would accept that a long term relationship of two decades was in every way except legally the same as her other children’s relationships. To me it had far more grounding that Jake and Bella’s! Perhaps I am surrounded by modern thinking pensioners but it did jar with me.
By the end of the novel I was so invested in the families lives that I was left feeling bereft as I turned the last page. This novel could so easily have a sequel. I carried the characters with me for days afterwards and was reluctant to start another book and replace them in my head with new characters.

What a well-conceived story! Honest, true-to-life and beautifully written!

When Gus decided to up sticks and move to Spain over two decades ago, Monica went with him, leaving their children in England despite knowing they weren't happy about it. Family life has never quite recovered, but when Gus suffers a stroke, it's up to the three adult children to step in and keep the business running . . .

A truly wonderful tale of family life; nobody's perfect, they're all just trying their best. Adding partners and children/grandchildren, each individual has more than enough on their plate already and as always with a family crisis, old grudges rise to the surface. Joanna Trollope has her finger on the pulse with her real life characters and this was an absolute delight to read! I raced through it, thoroughly enjoying the family dynamics - after all, who has the perfect family themselves? The author paints a marvellous picture of the attractions of Spain and I wallowed in observing these characters whilst sympathising with each and every one of them. A superb read which I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending. I can think of no reason not to give this one a full house of sparkling stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan for a digital review copy of this book - my thoughts are my own.

This is the first Joanna Trollope book I've read for quite a few years. The story revolves around a family - parents running a vineyard in Spain with 3 grown up children and seven grandchildren living back in the UK.

When Gus, the father and grandfather has a stroke out in Spain, the family dynamics start to change. The story looks at how the three siblings deal with the past (two had been sent to English boarding schools whilst the youngest grew up in Spain) and move forward with helping their parents. Monica, the mum and grandmother grew up in a very different era to her daughter and daughter-in-laws. The grandchildren vary in ages from party going teenagers to a toddling baby.

As a mum of two teenagers, with elderly parents living 160 miles away, I found the story interesting and enjoyable. There is a large amount of characters but no different to an episode of Cold Feet. The story evolves well, secrets are kept and discovered, old grievances are aired and new relationships are formed.

This book captures modern family life pre global pandemic and was an enjoyable read. Looking at other reviews, it does appear to have divided opinions but personally I enjoyed travelling backwards and forwards to Spain with the family.

Mum and Dad is a family saga telling the tale of Monica and Gus Beacham. 25yrs ago Gus and Monica left England to start over in Spain, on a hillside near Ronda. Over that time Gus has built a very successful vineyard and Monica has set up a delicatessen style shop on the grounds. Their three grown up children, Sebastian, Katie and Jake, all now live in England with their respective partners and children, none of them particularly keen on visiting or being part of Bodega Beacham. However, out the blue Gus has a stroke and life as they knew it will never be the same. Which child will step up and help run the vineyard? Who will support Monica to adjust to this 'new' Gus? and What will Gus do now if he cannot run his own award winning vineyard.
Once again a great novel from Joanna Trollope who's family saga's are always a joy to read.

If you love fiction that explores family dynamics in exquisite detail then look no further than Joanna Trollope’s new novel Mum and Dad.
This author has such a keen eye for observing all the intricacies of family life, including sibling rivalry in such an incredibly easy to read style that once you start you won’t be able to put down. Her style of writing feels effortless so to begin a new novel by this author is a real treat and one to savour.
For me,Mum and Dad is multi layered with numerous complex relationships in play and is immediately SO believable and relatable. Trollope could have picked any family at random and by delving under the surface discovered just as many feelings of hostility and regret and angst that are present in the lives of the fictional Monica and Gus and their extended family.
Expats Monica and Gus have forged a new life in Spain for the past twenty five years at Beacham Bodega, with Gus cultivating his vineyards producing award winning wine. He is a controlling, extremely bad tempered individual used to getting his own way and Monica is his long suffering wife. This novel explores the fallout for the whole family when Gus suffers a minor stroke and the future of the vineyard looks uncertain.
You certainly feel for Monica is the sense that she has been deeply unhappy for many years, of a generation expected to make a marriage work at all costs, perhaps in hindsight to the detriment of her relationships with children Sebastian, Katie and Jake.
One of the many things I loved about this book was the fact the simple title of Mum and Dad doesn’t just relate to Monica and Gus but to Sebastian and Anna and their two boys; to Katie and Nic and their three daughters and finally to Jake and Bella with baby Mouse.
In the immediate aftermath of Gus’ stoke it’s clear to see there is plenty of resentment bubbling beneath the surface in terms of Sebastian,Katie and Jake. Sibling rivalry provides a wealth of material for developing characters such as these three with Jake, the youngest seen as the favourite who can do no wrong. Familial duties and obligations need to be considered which Katie takes seriously despite not having the best relationship with her parents. You can feel their resentment at being forced to deal with a situation not of their making since it wasn’t their choice for Monica and Gus to uproot and settle in Spain. Except now they are faced with the consequences of this move, which one of them will step up and take on the ‘burden’ of taking care of Monica and the estate whilst Gus recuperates?? It certainly made me ponder my own situation as it may do for many.
Of course this novel isn’t just about the obligations of caring for parents in their old age but how it impacts on the already complicated lives of the three siblings.
Sebastian and Anna are an intriguing couple, the driving force of this marriage is most definitely her with Sebastian portrayed as a rather insipid pathetic emasculated man who is always angry.
Katie and Nic were the family I felt most sympathy for,juggling work and parenthood with two teenage children one of whom is coping with adolescence in a most disturbing way.
Jake, the most laidback and care free person is one to be wary of. Assuming the role of saviour without much thought or effort Katie and Sebastian are left wondering exactly what their baby brother is up to. However his relationship with his daughter Mouse is heartwarming; fatherhood is clearly a responsibility he relishes and adores.
All in all this is a novel full of warmth and wit and I felt invested in all of their lives, favouring no one character or situation but relishing all their interactions, their disputes, their rivalries and ultimately all their love. In this instance, it isn’t a prerequisite to either like or love any of the characters to enjoy this storyline. Families are flawed and these characters are true representations of that fact.
Without question a five star read for me and my thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read such a delightful novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I have never read a Joanna Trollope book before, so had no preconceived ideas going into this book.

I liked the sound of the book description - 3 children stepping in to help their parents, with ongoing family tensions simmering in the background. However, I found every single main character to be unlikeable - Dad is a bully, mum is a self-obsessed, old-fashioned wimp and the 3 children were solipsistic, wrapped up in their own problems and not seeing anything around them.

Whilst I can’t criticise the writing itself, I have to have some sort of relationship with the characters to really enjoy a book, however, I felt nothing but contempt for all except for Katie and Nic’s daughters, where I felt sympathy for them due to being overlooked by their parents’ (mainly mum’s) self-obsessions.

On looking at the other reviews, it appears that I’m not the only one to have been disappointed by this novel and I don’t think I will rush to read another book by the same author.

A most enjoyable read about family tragedy, secrets, mistakes, forgiveness and love!

Gus and Monica Beacham own a vineyard in Southern Spain which they have put their heart and soul into for 25 years.

However when tragedy strikes their future is uncertain without the help of their three grown up children, who all have lives of their own back in London.

As the family rallies to assist their parents, while dealing with many internal family issues of their own, conflicts happen, personalities are upset and family secrets are revealed.

But at the heart of it all they just want the best for Mum and Dad.

I really enjoyed this tale of family life, no family is perfect, but the characters on the Beacham family do all care about each other.

The Southern Spanish setting was so enjoyable, especially in the current situation, where we’re unable to travel. It made me reminisce about past holidays and dream about future ones....

Thank you 😊

Mum and Dad follows the life of Monica, her husband Gus and their 3 adult children. After Gus has a stroke, everyone's lives are impacted.

What I loved about this book is how relatable it is. Within 10 minutes of reading it, I had to call my mum because my grandad had a stroke about 6 or 7 years ago, he has 3 children and there are 6 grandkids. Whaaaat? Is this book about my family? #anythingcanhappen

Family relationships are tricky. We've all been there or know people who have. As well as love and loyalty, it's natural for individuals to feel jealousy and resentment. They're ugly feelings but they're real. And that's what this book is. There are moments of love. There are moments of familial bonds and shared history. And there are also moments of old hurt and misunderstandings that were never dealt with. But above all, they are a family. And families stick together.

I gave this book 4 ⭐ because Trollope developed her characters very well. I felt that I understood each family member and their actions and choices so well. She also gave some of them little quirks which made them come to life and enjoyable to read about. This is a wonderful, familiar and cosy read that anyone can enjoy.