The Men and the Girls – Joanna Trollope

One of the first Joanna Trollope books I read and I have to say my favourite.

A story of relationships between older men and young women.

Julia Hunter and Kate Bain appear on the surface to have found true happiness with men old enough to be their father. Likewise James and Hugh who have been  lifelong friends feel blessed to have found such lovely young women to look after their every need. However all is not what it seems in this idyllic set up. The age difference cannot be ignored forever and when James has a brief incident involving another women this sets in motion a train of events where suppressed feelings of discontent and frustration come to the surface.

Julia and Kate start to feel trapped. They want more from their relationships and old fears and anxieties resurface. Kate is lonely and starts to make friends with people her own age while Julia seeks consolation from her blossoming career. Both girls develop an existence far removed from the ones they have with their partners.

In this story the author creates realistic characters you can instantly relate to and empathise with. The couples are real people with real lives.

A light easy read a good one for the holidays.