SOURCE: Weeks, Brigitte. “A Tale of Ordinary Lives and Families Falling Apart.” Washington Post, no. 237 (30 July 1998): B2.

In the following review, Weeks compliments the universality of Trollope's themes of romance, relationships, marriage, and children in The Best of Friends.

Despite the longevity of Masterpiece Theatre, chroniclers of the ways of the British middle classes have a surprisingly difficult time scoring hits in the U.S. market. Joanna Trollope hasn't made her mark here yet. And that is a shame. Love, marriage, children and relationships are universal themes, and Joanna is as poised and intricate a portraitist as her famous novelist ancestor, Anthony Trollope.

The Best of Friends is the story of two marriages, many friendships and four teenagers—volatile ingredients. The two couples, Gina and Fergus Bedford, Hilary and Laurence Wood, live in the same mid-size English town and have known each other forever. Sophy, Gina and Fergus's...