Find out what Gransnetters think of City of Friends by Joanna Trollope

I have finally finished it. It took me ages as I couldn't get into it. I usually can read a book in a few days. I am grateful that Gransnet gave me the opportunity to read it, but I wouldn't spend money purchasing it. In fact, I had to keep going back to read parts and I felt the characters never developed into interesting people. It was all quite shallow.
Reading Joanna Trollope's books was always a treat I looked forward to, and I was so excited to receive the book. What a disappointment, it was so bitty. I hope this is only a blip and Joanna goes back to the drawing board and her next novel is more of the standard of her earlier books.

I'm not in the book club and downloaded the latest JT novel onto my Kindle before going away to look after the GDs for a week.
They are in their teens and in school holidays spend more time out of the house than in and Grandma is only there to see that they get fed and go to bed at a reasonable time.

The novel fitted the bill perfectly. It is light and shallow and and I jumped from one character to the other not really warming to any of them. JTs novels began to fade with 'Friday Nights' and since then I've downloaded them onto Kindle because I can return them within a week if I don't like them.
City of Friends was not so bad, but my favourite is The Spanish Lover and I'd rather read that again than buy another from her.

I felt the book was OKish with no strong feelings about it.I felt jumping between the 4 main characters quite confusing and really could not identify with any of them.I liked Sarah probably because she was an outsider and I enjoyed the parts of the book that featured the children who were portrayed very well apart from Liam who seemed a bit babyish.I found the book quite readable. Does Joanna have any plans to develop any of the characters in another book?I would like to know more about Stacey,Steve and Mum and whether Stacey's venture was successful.

Finished the book in 3 days which is quick for me as busy with family staying. I thoroughly enjoyed it . I have adult children and a daughter in law who all work in London and recognised several of the situations faced by the friends. I will lend this book to friends and family. So pleased I won it Thank you

Well, I did quite enjoy this book, not at all what I normally read.The four friends, Stacey, Beth, Gaby and Melissa did seem like real people due to so much background information about their lives. Also the sense of truth behind the fact that you think you know everything about a friend/ partner but really of course you don't.
I thought the scene around Stacey's dismissal from work was well written, and in fact some years ago my own DD faced the same, and was asked to clear her desk.In some professions where there are client secrets, they want you gone immediately.
All in all, a good light-ish read.I will now read Joanna Trollope's other books.

Have just finished the book sent to me and really enjoyed it . I find lots of similar dilemas in my own family life and think that Joanna Trollope gets it just right. I cannont find where to leave my review please could you post the link. Thank you

I agree*mumof*. I also thought it was improbable that 4 uni friends would all have become hi powered career women.

I am usually a big fan of Joanna Trollope's novels and have read them all I think. However I agree City of Friends was a disappointment. I found it hard to remember the four main characters and who lived with who and the names of their other halves/ children. Was that just me? I also felt much about the story was unrealistic. Did Mel really have so many clothes/ accessories to give away to start a charity helping people go for interviews and all the clothes in one size?? Bizarre! I didn't feel I got to know the main characters at all. I usually feel quite sad when I finish a JT novel but this time I was glad to be able to put it down. Hopefully next JT novel will be back to her usual standard. Thanks GN for sending it to me nonetheless.

I am halfway through it and and it still seems contrived and stilted. I am finding myself skimming over bits, as she loses my interest. I then go back to check to see if I have misread it.
I was so excited when I won and looked forward to reading the book (I can't really call it a novel) , as I had with J T's previous novels. Sadly, she seems to have lost her some of talent somewhere along the line. It reminds me of when I taught writing and would constantly reiterate the need for good planning to ensure cohesion in a piece of writing. I am so disappointed, as the whole story seems quite amateurish.

Oh thanks Quilt. Sorry.. Senior moment!

I've read the book and read it quite quickly but I do agree with many other posters that it seems very contrived and I found the characters difficult to warm to. There were many things that didn't ring true in the storylines and in the characters. I have read many of her books over the years and used to greatly enjoy them so I was very disappointed that this one did not come up to the standards of her earlier works.
Btw, Atqui she didn't write Chocolat - that was Joanne Harris

I've only got onto the fourth of the friends so far , and wondering if the story is going to be reminiscent of the TV programme Mistresses. I haven't read any books like this recently, but did read her debut novel Chocolat back in the nineties (?) Is it classed as Chick-lit? I 'm also wondering how many people are really that close to their university friends when they have busy lives in their forties. Anyway , I shall persevere as it was a gift and we've been asked to post a review.

Well I have finished the book; surprisingly it didn't take me very long. It is the first Joanna Trollope I have read. One thing that stood out for me was how claustrophobic it felt. I have never read a novel where the characters became so inextricably entwined with each other, either by accident or design and that didn't quite ring true. Some of the scenarios seemed a bit sloppy (I have already commented on Stacey's improbably abrupt departure from the company where she was a senior partner) such as the one where Gaby is in a coffee shop with the youngest of her sons who could not have been more than about ten. Even for an intelligent ten year old it was an unlikely conversation. I did like the way the older children were written though. I agree with the poor editing. I would never have written that Melissa would say, to a room full of men she was about to talk to, "Thankyou for having me" ! Would she not have rather said "Thankyou for giving me the opportunity to speak to you"! Trivial points, maybe, but they jar. Toward the end, the whole story seemed rushed and contrived in an effort to achieve what seemed like multiple happy endings. Given the author's reputation, I felt the whole story could have been a better developed.

willsmadnan - I completely agree, I loved quite a few of her early ones such as The Spanish Lover, The Rector's Wife, The Men and The Girls and Other People's Children, but like a lot of authors she's gone off. She did write wonderfully well about family dynamics at one time. Like you I would single out Friday Nights as being particularly dire along with The Girl From The South, after those two she lost a lot of her appeal for me I'm afraid. I didn't apply for this one and don't think I'd be tempted by it.

Well, that's it read. I think I may be growing away from this type of novel. It wasn't at all thought provoking, I didn't particularly warm to any of the main characters and as someone else said the males all came across as rather insipid. Having said that I did get stuck into it and finished it quickly. Back to crime for the next one I think. Anyone want my copy, pm if you do.

I've only read seventy pages so far but the only characters I have managed to warm to are the adolescents!

I used to devour Joanna Trollope, DDs always knew what to buy me for Christmas etc, but DD1 gave me 'Friday Nights' and I couldn't believe how clunky and forced her writing was when she strayed away from the Aga sagas, as you say MawBroon. I let it be known (gently, of course) that I'd 'gone off' JT. I tried her several years later out of curiosity , thinking maybe Friday Nights was a blip, with Daughters in Law but it still didn't appeal like her earlier ones. She seems a bit stuck in an upper-middle-class-world which doesn't quite resonate with today. Or, maybe it's me

Not had a chance to read anymore, too busy with last minute childminding. That's my Mother's treat for tomorrow, sitting reading.

Nobody else yet??
Hope I have not put anybody off

Right, I've persevered and made it to the end of one of the most muddled and confusing light novels I have read in a while. So many strands which really only hang together with a massive effort of will on the part of the reader, such flat 2-dimensional characters who never really jumped off the page at me and a denouement which did very little to reassure me that women can "have it all".
None of the men come to life and therefore the relationships stay flat and uninspired too. If you can't care about the characters, it is hard to care about what happens to them. There were one or two possible beginnings of story lines, (Tom and Claudia) but they mostly fizzled out. Even the project which Stacey and get going is a) not original and b) never "fleshed out." Poor editing put Elgin (NORTH of Scotland) in the Scottish Borders which irritated me from the start and there were some other simple errors which good proofreading should have eliminated.
IMHO Joanna Trollope can do a lot better than this so while it seems ungracious to look a gift horse in the mouth, this is one book fir the charity shop!!

I get the feeling she hasn't done her research on this one, just sat typing away. I've only read three chapters, but it doesn't flow.
My DH, an HR consultant is horrified at Stacey's treatment. I had to explain that it is fictional! He says she has a good case for going to a tribunal!
However, I will read on and hope it gets better.

I do know that people can be made to clear their desks with security standing over them if they are sacked, but Stacey was made redundant and there must surely be a due consultation process. She must have had a cast iron case for wrongful dismissal, so why did she not pursue that.
I'll be honest, this book is not grabbing me. People /the characters are too rich/glossy/brittle and superficial. I am not finding myself warming to any of them and even Stacey's mum's rapid decline into vascular dementia is unconvincing.
I like a light read as much as anybody, but frankly I think Trollope was on surer ground with the Aga sagas of her earlier career.

I got the email to say I had won. So excited. Sadly no book as yet.

Fingers crossed for this evening.

I got this book yesterday and only had time to read the first chapter. I was puzzled by the fact that this person was supposed to have been a senior partner in the company she worked for. Is it credible that she would have been made redundant and sent on her way in such an arbitrary and ignominious manner? It didn't sit well with me, but I shall push on.

I know Maw. I read that part twice just to confirm I hadn't misunderstood. I woke up really early this morning and decided to read it, as I couldn't sleep. I like Joanna Trollope, but it really annoys me when authors don't check their facts.
It is a pleasant and undemanding read, when you don't want to read anything too deep.