Friday Nights

Trollope once again examines the complexities of contemporary lives by telling the story of a group of women that meet on Friday nights and what happens when a man upsets their balance. Each character's individual story is told and woven together to form connections in this group. Eleanor, the retiree, sees two harried single mothers, Paula and Lindsay, pass by her window everyday. She decides to invite them for a Friday night and the tradition begins. Soon Blaise, Eleanor's new neighbor; Karen, Blaise's coworker; and Jules, Lindsay's younger sister, are included in the gathering. The friends find support and encouragement when they meet. But when Paula introduces her new beau, upsetting things begin to happen. This is Trollope at her best: examining the way women deal with the issues in their lives and writing about normal people neither good nor evil, making mistakes but remaining optimistic about their future despite uncertainty over decisions.

They were women, of different ages and stages of life, who formed an amazing but unlikely sisterhood. The diverse group--that numbered only six--included women who were single, married, divorced, and widowed; unemployed, working at home, working away from home, and retired; with and without children. They came together on Friday nights drawn to the pleasures and promises of female friendship. In Joanna Trollope's latest novel Friday Nights (Bloomsbury, 2008), Eleanor, a retiree who lives alone, spots two younger women from her bay window: one a newly widowed mother and the other, a single mom by virtue of her love affair with a married man. As an antidote to the loneliness she senses in them and her own life of solitude, she invites them to her parlor. Before long, the warm get-togethers, lubricated with wine, become a cherished constant in their busy and dynamic lives. Through her characters, Trollope explores some of the universal emotions experienced by female friends including love, loyalty, passion, and jealousy as well as the difficulties in mastering the challenges of the work-life balance, aging, and balancing time between female friends and the men in our lives. I was so drawn to these women on the other side of the pond that I felt like sharing Friday nights with them. This book joins a genre of novels published in 2008 that explore female friendships in groups. Others include: The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, The Professors' Wives Club by Joanne Rendell, and The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

I am a Joanna Trollope fan, and I liked this book. The characters represented a good range of modern working women, whether satisfied with rather pedestrian jobs, or more ambitious, or having difficulties juggling family and work. And the characters covered the spectrum of working life, from Jules just starting on a career, to the retired Eleanor. I thought the novel developed that aspect of the characters' lives very effectively and realistically; they all seemed like people I have known. Trollope was at her best with the character Eleanor, whose concise and objective comments cut through to the heart of issues, and whose occasional musings provided the more thought-provoking aspects of the novel, particularly about the place work has in our lives. My one complaint concerns Jackson. He is described in the book as "opaque" and "enigmatic", and boy, was he ever. A mysterious character can add intrigue to a book, but sooner or later the reader needs a little glimpse into his motives, or a hint of the background which makes him behave as he does. Maybe I missed something, but to me, Jackson simply remained inexplicable, to the point that, by the end of the book, I found it irritating. But don't let that stop you from getting the book. It is an enjoyable read. With the exception of the baffling Jackson, Ms. Trollope reveals new insights into her characters with almost every page.

Just another wonderful story and incredible writing from this exceptional author who never fails to please me. Her stories so simple and heartwarming about just ordinary people with ordinary lives and all the trials that ordinary people contend with in life. And this one about a group of women who are for the most part complete strangers to each other who come together for various reasons including loneliness and then the children and their innocent interaction with not just each other but with the adults as well. This book contains the most completely satisfying cast of characters. The men don't fare as well but that's ok as they misbehave badly indeed. I sent Joanna an email to thanks her for the pleasure her books have always brought to me and she sent back the most charming email that I printed on vellum to frame. She's just a beautiful person writing books that always please.

It is Eleanor, a Londonite retired from the National Health Service, marriage less and childless, who notices a couple of single moms in her neighborhood, decides to offer assistance, and thereby starts a Friday night social ritual. Three others soon join the group. Eleanor is their rock: she is imperturbable, largely unsentimental, and helps to supply coherence to these young women's lives. But after several years, changes disrupt the group's harmony. Paula, one of the young unmarried mothers, is literally given an upscale loft by her guilt-ridden former lover. Then to top if off, she holds a Friday night gathering in her new place and brings in her new boyfriend - apparently a real catch. The enigmatic new man proves to be a very upsetting factor as he manages to insinuate himself into their lives by making various offers, both business wise and more romantically tinged. Suspicions and envy abound, the easy friendliness of the group disappears, and allies are sought to justify actions. Each character is unique, largely understandable, and portrayed more or less sympathetically. Although the various children seem awfully bratty. The mere formation of the group, its long standing, and the ubiquity of the new man are perhaps a stretch. Furthermore, the recovery of each person is also a bit too tidy - no train wrecks. Nonetheless, the author has a keen eye for the difficulties and changes of life, and yet retains a certain optimism regarding our abilities to adjust and move on. The book is a quick read, however the flurry of interactions once the problems start almost become too much to follow.