The Family Way

Try as I might, I still can't stifle my perpetual yawn having read this garbage. Excited to see if the author (Tony Pratsons) improved on his other poor novels (all best sellers), I began this book with great expectations. Yet I was instantly disappointed by writing that was trite, uninspired, and one-dimensional--prose as flat as the walls in my sittingroom.

And what makes matters worse is this tired prose tries to tell the story of women getting pregnant, and people adopting babies from China (Parsons has described a scenario that is so far away from what would be acceptable to the UK authorities and the Chinese government, that anyone considering adoption would be very badly misled. The couple has 3 months of bureaucracy - in real life it is more like 3 years.
What a shame some simple research wasn't carried out).

Anyhoo, it all results in one series of contrived cliches after another--trite storytelling that is literally agonizing to read.

Quick. Give me some gravel to gargle so I can get the icky taste out of my mouth.

Good but needs a change in style (5/5 people found this helpful)

The Family Way is about three sisters ranging from their mid 20s to 30s, pregnancy and children. Oldest sister Cat more or less brought up her siblings when her mother left and doesn't want children of her own...or does she? Mid-sister Jessica meanwhile has a loving husband but they can't manage to conceive whereas the academically-gifted youngest sibling Megan becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. The Family Way reflects their different attitudes towards motherhood though it is also, as much as this, an illustration of the very strong bond between the three siblings.

Tony Parsons' fourth novel is good with the author being one of the very best writers on modern families and their relationships and values, albeit with sentimental and arguably reactionary undertones. The downside of this though is that, having read Parsons' previous three novels, The Family Way continues the trend of slowly diminishing returns. It would be great to see Parsons try something stylistically or emotionally different like his near contemporary Nick Hornby has with both How To Be Good and A Long Way Down rather than ploughing the same artistic furrow.

The Family Way is still a good, contemporary lifestyle novel though the author's unchanging prose style and subject matter is beginning to get a bit tiresome.

Very good (1/4 people found this helpful)

I love Tony Parsons as he has a great ability to get to the heart of things and really tell it like it is. He impresses me in this book with the way he writes so convincingly about pregnancy and child birth. A great read.

Couldn't put it down! (3/5 people found this helpful)

This book demonstrates the complicated in's and out's of modern relationships. It shows that those who are driven and determined are successful in the end. Having read most of Tony Parson's novels, this is definately the most intriguing as it follows the lives of 3 sisters from the same background, but with different but similar futures...well worth a read!

Loved it !!! (4/5 people found this helpful)

Having read some of the reviews about this being tedious or stating that the only goal in life for women is to be pregnant -I felt I had to write a review of my own.

I certainly do not think that my only goal in life is to be pregnant - nor have I ever been pregnant and doubt I will at my age - however, I was moved deeply by this book as I can understand the position of CAT especially and was amazed that he seemed to capture my thoughts too.

The book isn't about women's goals being to get pregnant! It is about the needs and desires of women changing as the bio clock is ticking - especially when step children are involved.

It really is a good read.........

Tony Parsons

Reader Reviews:

Terrible novel (1/2 people found this helpful)

Good but needs a change in style (5/5 people found this helpful)

Very good (1/4 people found this helpful)

Couldn't put it down! (3/5 people found this helpful)

Loved it !!! (4/5 people found this helpful)

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