Mum & Dad

The Heartfelt Richard & Judy Book Club Pick

By: Joanna Trollope

Narrated by: Yolanda Kettle

Sunday Times number one bestseller Joanna Trollope explores the issues at the heart of a modern family with her trademark wit and warmth, in Mum & Dad.

‘What a mess, she thought now . . . what a bloody, unholy mess the whole family has got itself into.’

It’s been twenty-five years since Gus and Monica left England to start a new life in Spain, building a vineyard and wine business from the ground up. However, when Gus suffers a stroke and their idyllic Mediterranean life is thrown into upheaval, it’s left to their three grown-up children in London to step in . . .

Sebastian is busy running his company with his wife, Anna, who’s never quite seen eye-to-eye with her mother-in-law.

Katie, a successful solicitor in the City, is distracted by the problems with her long-term partner, Nic, and the secretive lives of their three daughters.

And Jake, ever the easy-going optimist, is determined to convince his new wife, Bella, that moving to Spain with their eighteen-month-old would be a good idea.

As the children descend on the vineyard, it becomes clear that each has their own idea of how best to handle their mum and dad, as well as the family business. But as long-simmering resentments rise to the surface and tensions reach breaking point, can the family ties prove strong enough to keep them together?

'Trollope writes about family relationships with intelligence and clear-eyed sympathy' - The Times

Critic reviews

Trollope is an extremely assured writer, with a brilliant eye for detail and a finely tuned emotional intelligence . . . she writes absorbing, wise stories that dramatize the dilemmas we face

With her compassion for her characters, Trollope cuts to the quick of family life, and the difference between men and women (Fanny Blake)

Joanna Trollope's novels address the issues and emotional journeys that face women today

Trollope writes about family relationships with intelligence and clear-eyed sympathy

Nobody writes about family tensions better than Joanna Trollope

Witty and warm

Another delightful listening experience for fans of Trollope.
Lovely narration. Each family member comes alive.