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Other People's Children

By: Joanna Trollope
Narrated by: Clare Higgins
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Summary

When a man and a woman get married, things can get complicated. When they have children from previous marriages, "complicated" can become the understatement of the year. From the grown daughter who insinuates herself into her widowed father's romantic life, to the sullen teenager whose loyalties lie with her estranged mother; from the awkwardness of tense celebrations to the discovery of surprising sources of strength, Joanna Trollope reveals the laughter and tears, the tension and the tenderness, that live behind the statistics and stereotypes about stepfamilies.

Read by Clare Higgin.

©1998 Joanna Trollope (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about Other People's Children

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Other People's Children

Nice enough story about the complexities and dynamics of family life. Well written. Very character driven. Each character has their own complex life, personality, outlook, motivations and feelings so you really get to connect with each one.

The narrator was fine but the audio quality was pretty bad.

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Sensitively written and performed

Less dated than some of Trollope's novels, this novel explores the dilemmas of blended families, from viewpoints of different generations of family members The children are sensitively depicted.,. I found the characters of Elizabeth and Rufus particularly interesting and surprisingly moving.
I did not enjoy the final chapter of the novel which neatly attempted to bring closure and tie up loose ends of a messy far reaching family saga.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Relatively engaging but expresses dubious views

The book explores interesting themes around the relationship between stepparents and stepchildren, and there are some engaging and interesting characters. However, the author expresses concerning views around gender and social status. Poverty is portrayed as a lifestyle choice of the feckless, and individuals in deprived areas are depicted as only capable of 'communicating through violence.' The affluent professionals, on the other hand, are presented as the most honest, kind, and emotionally stable characters, while the behavior deteriorates as you descend the social ladder. Men are portrayed as passive, benign bystanders during conflicts between reasonable and unreasonable women. They are shown as incapable and therefore not responsible for dealing with the emotional turbulence in their lives.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Middle class real life

Waitrose world! I found the voice cloying but it fitted the characters well. No fault of the actor. I lost interest in who was who. Nonetheless a pretty realistic view of efforts to create happy blended families!

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Accurate dissection of complex family relationships

Probably my favourite Trollope work. Accurately portrays the complex mess caused by forming relationships ( or not), with ‘other people’s children’. Spoilt only slightly by Amy’s odd accent - Hartlepool is NOT part of Geordieland, and the accent is totally distinct.

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disappointing

I am a fan of Joanna Trollope, But i was disappointed wit this one, not much of a story

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2 people found this helpful