Bookends: Matriarchy without tears

Patrick Skene Catling has written the Bookend column in this week’s magazine. Here it is for readers of this blog.

About 80 per cent of books sold in this country are said to be bought by women, none more eagerly than Joanna Trollope’s anatomies of English middle-class family life. Her 16th novel, Daughters-in-Law, is sociologically and psychologically as observant as ever, showing how not to be a suffocatingly possessive mother-in-law. Men, too, should benefit from this stylishly entertaining work, especially young men who are considering legitimising their love affairs. Trollope offers valuable lessons to both sexes alike on the snipping of umbilical cords.

The central character, Rachel Brinkley, is a powerful materfamilias who attempts to dominate her three sons even after they leave home to establish families of their own. Her portrayal is recognisably realistic. The danger of caricature has been skilfully avoided. She and her extended family are represented with intimate understanding and commonsensical fairness.