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The Family Way [Paperback]

Tony Parsons (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 4 Aug 2008

It should be the most natural thing in the world. But in Tony Parsons’ latest bestseller, three couples discover that Mother Nature can be one hell of a bitch.

Paulo loves Jessica. He thinks that together they are complete – a family of two.
But Jessica can't be happy until she has a baby, and the baby stubbornly refuses to come. Can a man and a woman ever really be a family of two?

Megan doesn't love her boyriend anymore. After a one-night stand with an Australian beach bum, she finds that even a trainee doctor can slip up on the family planning.
Should you bring a child into the world if you don't love its father?

Cat loves her life. After bringing up her two youngest sisters, all she craves is freedom. Her older boyfriend has done the family thing before and is in no rush to do it all again. But can a modern woman really find true happiness without ever being in the family way?

Three sisters. Three couples. Two pregnancies. Six men and women struggling with love, sex, fertility and the meaning of family.

And one more bitter-sweet bestseller from the author of MAN AND BOY.

Frequently Bought Together

The Family Way + Men from the Boys + Starting Over
Price For All Three: £18.37

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  • Men from the Boys by Tony Parsons Paperback £5.99
  • Starting Over by Tony Parsons Paperback £5.99

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Harper; (Reissue) edition (4 Aug 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007151241
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007151240
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 304,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Praise for The Family Way:

‘His best since the very fine Man and Boy’ GQ

‘Parsons goes head to head with controversial issue after controversial issue…jam-packed with Parsons’ trademark perceptiveness and sensitivity’ Daily Mirror

‘Heartwarming and highly recommended…his most sensitive book yet’ Heat

‘His stories show all too well how we muddle along in search of love and fulfilment, and when we fluff it…sometimes that’s just because it’s easier’ Observer

‘Unquestionably readable and perfect for whiling away the hours’ Daily Mail

Praise for Man and Boy:
‘One of the finest books published this year…Hilarious and tear-jerking in turns’ Express

Praise for One For My Baby:

‘One For My Baby is stylish, polished, complex and it really gets its teeth into the big issues of sex, love, family and friendship’ The Mirror

Book Description

IT SHOULD BE THE MOST NATURAL THING IN THE WORLD

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but needs a change in style 18 Dec 2006
By Greg Farefield-Rose
Format:Paperback
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Sexist portrayal of womanhood, infuriating read. 3 April 2011
By Jessica Harris
Format:Paperback
Tony Parsons asks on the back of his book 'can a modern woman really find happiness without ever being in the family way?' According to him, the answer is no. All three of his main characters, even the one who does not want children, get pregnant and it becomes the best thing that has ever happened to him. The characters are utterly unbelievable and kind of pathetic. Does he really think women are this way? If you are a woman, whether or not you have children, I can't imagine you will put down this book without feeling hard done by. I have not read any of Parson's other books but this has put me off. He clearly doesn't understand women and, judging by some of his other titles (Man and Wife, One for my Baby), he seems to think all that women are interested in is starting a family, not so. Very dissapointing.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The Family way a great read 21 July 2004
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
After reading most of his other books and enjoying them all,looked forward to reading this one too, similar in style and just as good. Tony Parsons manages to write from a women's point of view very well too.The only downside is that its quite easy to read and is over too quickly and wants you wanting another book to find out how the characters manage with the next stage of their lives.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars A huge disapointment.
I've read his first three novels, they were enjoyable to read and I thought that I would give this one a shot. I have only read a third of this tripe and that was a struggle. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Winstone
1.0 out of 5 stars Patronising and boring
I was extremely disappointed with this book. Tony Parson's views on women seem more than a little sexist, and certainly one dimensional. Read more
Published 22 months ago by IK
5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing!
I started reading this book on a long coach journey and had to pace myself not to finish it before the journey was over. Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2010 by M. J. Tilley
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Having read many Tony Parsons books I decided to catch up with this one.

I found it hard to believe they were written by the same person who wrote Man and Boy, etc. Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2010 by Bookaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars My first Tony Parsons novel
I'd heard the name but not read anything by Tony Parsons before. I really enjoyed it and if I hadn't known that the writer was male I wouldn't necessarily have known. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by P. J. Parker
1.0 out of 5 stars prejudices confirmed
People like having their prejudices confirmed so Tony Parsons is on to a good thing with this book. The woman who abandons her children is an actress; the Italian brothers import... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2009 by student of Russian
2.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a letdown
I'd read Man and Boy before I picked up The Family Way and had love it, thought it was a really great read. But Family Way never really won me over. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2009 by C. Lochhead
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read.
I have read a few of Tony Parsons' books but would not describe myself as a particular fan. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Read more
Published on 7 July 2008 by BM
4.0 out of 5 stars The real meaning of Family
It is unusual to read novels about such emotional issues as families and parenthood that are written by men. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2008 by LindyLouMac
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible novel
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),... Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2007 by Billy Ray Cyrus
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