Free Love
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- Create Date：2022-01-04 00:51:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tessa Hadley
- ISBN：1787333671
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Summary
From Tessa Hadley， bestselling author of Late in the Day and The Past， comes a compulsive new novel about one woman's sexual and intellectual awakening in 1960s London
1967。 While London comes alive with the new youth revolution， the suburban Fischer family seems to belong to an older world of conventional stability: pretty， dutiful homemaker Phyllis is married to Roger， a devoted father with a career in the Foreign Office。 Their children are Colette， a bookish teenager， and Hugh， the golden boy。
But when the twenty-something son of an old friend pays the Fischers a visit one hot summer evening， and kisses Phyllis in the dark garden after dinner， something in her catches fire。 Newly awake to the world， Phyllis makes a choice that defies all expectations of her as a wife and a mother。 Nothing in these ordinary lives is so ordinary after all， it turns out， as the family's upheaval mirrors the dramatic transformation of the society around them。
With scalpel-sharp insight， Tessa Hadley explores her characters' inner worlds， laying bare their fears and longings。 Daring and sensual， Free Love is a compulsive， irresistible exploration of romantic love， sexual freedom and living out the truest and most meaningful version of our lives。
'She has such great psychological insights into human beings， which is rare。 She is one of the best fiction writers writing today。' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
'Tessa Hadley recruits admirers with each book。 She writes with authority， and with delicacy: she explores nuance， but speaks plainly; she is one of those writers a reader trusts。' Hilary Mantel
1967。 While London comes alive with the new youth revolution， the suburban Fischer family seems to belong to an older world of conventional stability: pretty， dutiful homemaker Phyllis is married to Roger， a devoted father with a career in the Foreign Office。 Their children are Colette， a bookish teenager， and Hugh， the golden boy。
But when the twenty-something son of an old friend pays the Fischers a visit one hot summer evening， and kisses Phyllis in the dark garden after dinner， something in her catches fire。 Newly awake to the world， Phyllis makes a choice that defies all expectations of her as a wife and a mother。 Nothing in these ordinary lives is so ordinary after all， it turns out， as the family's upheaval mirrors the dramatic transformation of the society around them。
With scalpel-sharp insight， Tessa Hadley explores her characters' inner worlds， laying bare their fears and longings。 Daring and sensual， Free Love is a compulsive， irresistible exploration of romantic love， sexual freedom and living out the truest and most meaningful version of our lives。
'She has such great psychological insights into human beings， which is rare。 She is one of the best fiction writers writing today。' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
'Tessa Hadley recruits admirers with each book。 She writes with authority， and with delicacy: she explores nuance， but speaks plainly; she is one of those writers a reader trusts。' Hilary Mantel
Reviews
Andrew Smith
，
Towards the end of the swinging sixties， London housewife Phyllis Fischer doesn’t realise she’s unhappy with her lot until the young son of a family friend comes around for dinner one night。 Phyllis loves entertaining and but Nicky is something of an awkward guest， arriving late and seeming to have little to say other than becoming embroiled in a rather political discussion with her steady but dull husband， Robert。 But then， as they are searching for a lost item in an adjoining garden， Nicky une Towards the end of the swinging sixties， London housewife Phyllis Fischer doesn’t realise she’s unhappy with her lot until the young son of a family friend comes around for dinner one night。 Phyllis loves entertaining and but Nicky is something of an awkward guest， arriving late and seeming to have little to say other than becoming embroiled in a rather political discussion with her steady but dull husband， Robert。 But then， as they are searching for a lost item in an adjoining garden， Nicky unexpectedly kisses her。 Suddenly her outlook on life changes and soon she’s so enraptured by this rude， self-possessed young man that she’s left home and moved into his filthy flat， leaving Robert and her two children， Hugh and Collette， behind without so much as a word。The writing here is excellent， brilliantly capturing what I believe to be both the mood and the feel of the 1960s。 For the first half of the book I was completely transported to this time and this place as the various characters attempted to adjust to this sudden upheaval in their lives。 But why would an attractive， middle-class housewife be so taken by this intelligent but scruffy and somewhat inattentive young man？ In part it’s clearly the sex， but beyond that somehow the whole change of scene just seems to light something up within her。 In the second half of the book sixteen year old Collette takes the spotlight。 Unattractive and unpopular with her classmates she decides the moment is right for her to commence her own journey – to somebody more interesting， increasingly brave and sometimes rash in her choices。 But this switch in focus also heralds a change in the mood of the whole piece， as we are increasingly we are asked to consider a number of moral choices to be made by the leading characters。 The change adds something to the story but it also takes something away， as Phyllis and Nicky rather fade into the background and for me a good deal of the story’s overall momentum is lost。I really enjoyed the enviable way the author is able to put words on the page and yet here she’s introduced us to a cast of characters who are almost universally unlovable。 And the story is， I think， a mixed bag of things that in the end that just doesn't quite tie together。 I’m sure this one will divide opinion and I’ve already seen a number of reviews from readers who absolutely loved it， but I’m struggling to build up too much enthusiasm for a book that， in the end， I was glad to finish。 It’s a three star rating for me。My thanks to Random House UK Vintage for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Allison Valentine
，
The story starts in 1967 suburban London with the lives of a middle class family。 Phyllis ，the perfect housewife， Roger the breadwinner working in the Foreign Office and their two children Colette who is studying for her A levels and Hugh who is on the verge of going away to boarding school。 Everything seems utterly delightful on the surface until a visit from a young and handsome Nicholas the son of an old family friend。 The visit seems a disaster and it really didn't help with Nicholas turning The story starts in 1967 suburban London with the lives of a middle class family。 Phyllis ，the perfect housewife， Roger the breadwinner working in the Foreign Office and their two children Colette who is studying for her A levels and Hugh who is on the verge of going away to boarding school。 Everything seems utterly delightful on the surface until a visit from a young and handsome Nicholas the son of an old family friend。 The visit seems a disaster and it really didn't help with Nicholas turning up an hour late for dinner but as the evening goes on and Phyllis and Nicholas engage in a passionate kiss， everything changes for all of them。Tessa has got into such detail about every character within the book and the decision they make。 Such an insightful and wonderfully written novel into free love， free speech and the freedom of discovery。 。。。more
MisterHobgoblin
，
What a wonderful romp！Free Love is a comic novel set in 1967， the summer of Free Love and widely held to be the gateway from traditional values to modern thinking。 Tessa Hadley provides a journey through this gateway， seen through the lives of the Fischer family。 Roger Fischer is a meat and two veg kind of middle class guy - war hero - senior civil servant in the Foreign Office - father of two school age children， Colette and Hugh， and happily married to Phyllis。 His friends are well connected， What a wonderful romp！Free Love is a comic novel set in 1967， the summer of Free Love and widely held to be the gateway from traditional values to modern thinking。 Tessa Hadley provides a journey through this gateway， seen through the lives of the Fischer family。 Roger Fischer is a meat and two veg kind of middle class guy - war hero - senior civil servant in the Foreign Office - father of two school age children， Colette and Hugh， and happily married to Phyllis。 His friends are well connected， and his social life has revolved around country estates。 The Fischers' lives are mapped out on a path to moderate success within the establishment。 Enter stage left， Nicky Knight - the son of an old family friend who is invited to dinner one evening in the hope that he might hit it off with Colette， the dowdy 16 year old daughter。 Nicky has just established himself in London with writerly ambitions， so the hope is that Roger could provide mentorship while Colette provides friendship。 What a tangled web we weave - Nicky leaves with the wrong woman。 Phyllis， seemingly on a whim， follows Nicky into 1967's bohemia - art， sex， drugs and West Indians。 The characters are all grotesque。 They have major character flaws， they are not terribly virtuous but they all have a likability that is enhanced by a shifting point of view that shines a spotlight on each of them in turn。 Phyllis is the star: naive， romantic and self-absorbed; with Nicky the immature and shallow co-star。 The supporting cast of immediate family， aunts， hippies and schoolfriend are a comic delight。 They all bring piety and leave with disgrace。 The narration is done with a vein of humour that sets the reader in a position of moral superiority。 The scene setting feels right。 The contrast between the brown affluence and the colourful poverty; the supposed shift in society - while the values actually turn out never to have been quite as far apart as all that。 Roger is less conventional than he appears; while Nicky and the kids seem quite happy to jack in their free hedonism to chase careers。 Novels often try to capture a momentous time through a limited car of characters - this one is that rare beast that succeeds。 There feels like there is a world beyond the lives of these characters; it feels genuinely as though they are the link between two worlds and two ages。 This is not a remarkable or terribly surprising story。 The strength is in the way it is told。 。。。more
Jen
，
Free Love is my first Tessa Hadley novel and I very much enjoyed her writing style。 She’s so good at setting the scene， I was immediately transported back to the 1960s， when this story takes place。 It really does capture the melting pot of cultures at the time that were bubbling and clashing together。 The upheaval and new beginnings of society are reflected by the characters in the book。Free Love seamlessly shifts between character perspectives so we get to see how the members of the Fischer fam Free Love is my first Tessa Hadley novel and I very much enjoyed her writing style。 She’s so good at setting the scene， I was immediately transported back to the 1960s， when this story takes place。 It really does capture the melting pot of cultures at the time that were bubbling and clashing together。 The upheaval and new beginnings of society are reflected by the characters in the book。Free Love seamlessly shifts between character perspectives so we get to see how the members of the Fischer family feel as events unfold。 Our lead character is 40-year old， Phyllis， married to Robert， they have two children: Colette and Hugh。 Phyllis’ life is upended when the son of an old family friend， Nicky Knight， comes over for dinner。I found myself very drawn to Phyllis， considered old by society the age of 40， she decides to walk away from the dull life-path she is on and embrace one that’s everything she isn’t right now。 Kick started by having an affair with the much-younger， Nicky。We then follow Phyllis as she abandons her middle-class life in the suburbs to live with Nicky in his small flat in Ladbroke Grove。 We also get Colette’s perspective on what’s happening and I enjoyed how Colette’s and Phyllis’ storylines had a coming-of-age synergy: Colette’s being literal as she is 15， and Phyllis’ being an awakening。 Colette’s storyline， however， sort of got brushed aside in the later section of the book， I would have likeD to hear more from her as she was so interesting。The only other niggle I had was that Phyllis is only able to take this new path because she comes from money and privilege。 She has an inheritance nest-egg so just plays at being poor and destitute， and the fact she abandons her children when they are still young enough to need their mother isn’t the most appealing characteristic to me…Overall though， I devoured Free Love in a few days over the Christmas holidays – it was a great slice of escapism with more than a few clever plot moments and a wonderful trip back to the 1960s， I do recommend it。 Really， when I think about it， maybe I’d like to be a bit more Phyllis and just abandon all responsibility to live how I want。 。。。more
Laura Spira
，
Tessa Hadley’s characters are always interesting but in this book she gets their context so precisely right that they become even more credible。 The changes of the 1960s are beautifully evoked through the story of Phyllis who suddenly embarks on an affair with a much younger man and leaves her husband and two children to plunge into a very different world from the post-war middle class environment of her family。 While this is a big emotional and cultural shift， she is still conveniently cushione Tessa Hadley’s characters are always interesting but in this book she gets their context so precisely right that they become even more credible。 The changes of the 1960s are beautifully evoked through the story of Phyllis who suddenly embarks on an affair with a much younger man and leaves her husband and two children to plunge into a very different world from the post-war middle class environment of her family。 While this is a big emotional and cultural shift， she is still conveniently cushioned by inherited money of her own。 The staggering selfishness of her behaviour inevitably makes the reader sympathise with her husband but he turns out to be a more complex character than he originally appears。 Their children merit more concern: I finished the book wanting to know how they would navigate their lives beyond a damaged adolescence。 The writing is superb: social position is neatly signified by tiny observations of the characters’ clothing and surroundings。 Highly recommended。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Josh
，
An excellent read。 I was familiar with Hadley's short fiction， but this was my first time reading her longer work。 Her prose is masterful as is her characterization。 Each character in this novel is richly realized and layered。 There's a warmth to them in how they navigate the world and explore the changing landscape of 1960s England and， more important， their own ideas about how they fit within this landscape。The narrative focuses on Phyllis and rapidly reveals her yearning for something more th An excellent read。 I was familiar with Hadley's short fiction， but this was my first time reading her longer work。 Her prose is masterful as is her characterization。 Each character in this novel is richly realized and layered。 There's a warmth to them in how they navigate the world and explore the changing landscape of 1960s England and， more important， their own ideas about how they fit within this landscape。The narrative focuses on Phyllis and rapidly reveals her yearning for something more than what her suburban lifestyle seems to offer， but we also see the ripples of her pursuing her own course through the eyes of her children and her husband。 And it would be easy for the novel to overly romanticize the era of free love or to moralize against it， but Hadley threads a fine needle of taking us inside the shifting lives of these characters and lets us simply observe。 。。。more
Fiona Mccormick
，
I really enjoyed this book， it was a great evocation of the late 60s。 Phyllis annoyed me with her complete turnaround not giving any thought to her children， and her husband Roger was even more annoying with his total lack of empathy towards his family。I enjoyed the foray into 1960s London and Phyllis's journey from suburban housewife to the 'Mrs Robinson' figure。 But I would have run a mile if I had encountered Nicky's flat from hell！The character development is sublime， so well written。 I love I really enjoyed this book， it was a great evocation of the late 60s。 Phyllis annoyed me with her complete turnaround not giving any thought to her children， and her husband Roger was even more annoying with his total lack of empathy towards his family。I enjoyed the foray into 1960s London and Phyllis's journey from suburban housewife to the 'Mrs Robinson' figure。 But I would have run a mile if I had encountered Nicky's flat from hell！The character development is sublime， so well written。 I loved Colette， she triumphed in life with no thanks to her distanced and uninterested parents。 I also loved how Hugh was written， very perceptively and realistic。I thought this book was extremely clever， some of the characters such as Roger and Phyllis were totally self absorbed and their poor children were left to pick up the pieces。 Clever， touching and ultimately sad。 。。。more
Brian
，
Free Love depicts the effect of the new ways of thinking that flooded through society in the nineteen sixties upon a middle-class woman。 Phyllis， the wife of a senior civil servant in the foreign office， begins an affair with a much younger man with devastating effects upon her family Tessa Hadley’s examination of her characters is acute and unflinching。 However， I do find her use of multiple third person narrative perspective a bit off-putting。 It facilitates a wide canvas， certainly， but somet Free Love depicts the effect of the new ways of thinking that flooded through society in the nineteen sixties upon a middle-class woman。 Phyllis， the wife of a senior civil servant in the foreign office， begins an affair with a much younger man with devastating effects upon her family Tessa Hadley’s examination of her characters is acute and unflinching。 However， I do find her use of multiple third person narrative perspective a bit off-putting。 It facilitates a wide canvas， certainly， but sometimes at the expense of empathy - by which I mean that the reader gets to know all the characters but doesn’t necessarily get to like any of them。 The overall effect is a painfully recognisable portrait of the times for anyone who lived through it， highlighting much that was destructive as well as liberating about the birth of the so-called counter-culture。 。。。more
Lesley
，
I was sent a copy of Free Love by Tessa Hadley to read and review by NetGalley。 I really enjoyed this novel， I found that I could identify with it on several levels having grown up during the 60s and 70s。 Thankfully there wasn’t any gratuitous sex featuring in it， despite the title。 Both the characters and locations within the book were well rounded and believable。 The author used the increasingly popular style of not having specific speech marks in the dialogue between characters， which I found I was sent a copy of Free Love by Tessa Hadley to read and review by NetGalley。 I really enjoyed this novel， I found that I could identify with it on several levels having grown up during the 60s and 70s。 Thankfully there wasn’t any gratuitous sex featuring in it， despite the title。 Both the characters and locations within the book were well rounded and believable。 The author used the increasingly popular style of not having specific speech marks in the dialogue between characters， which I found very appropriate for this book。 I liked the style of writing， though it did change slightly for a time towards the latter part of the story which is the only reason for not giving the novel the full 5 stars。 A great read。 。。。more
Flashflood
，
I’ve enjoyed several of Tessa Hadley’s books， and this is her best yet。 It’s 1967， and Phyllis Fischer is a bored hausfrau in the depths of Middle England， married to decent but dull-seeming Roger， a “respected and subtle Arabist” with the Foreign Office， and mother to schoolboy Hugh and the adolescent Colette， who has a pash on her English teacher。Nicholas Knight， the son of a family friend， is coming to dinner， which no one seems particularly enthusiastic about。 But Phyllis， “used to communica I’ve enjoyed several of Tessa Hadley’s books， and this is her best yet。 It’s 1967， and Phyllis Fischer is a bored hausfrau in the depths of Middle England， married to decent but dull-seeming Roger， a “respected and subtle Arabist” with the Foreign Office， and mother to schoolboy Hugh and the adolescent Colette， who has a pash on her English teacher。Nicholas Knight， the son of a family friend， is coming to dinner， which no one seems particularly enthusiastic about。 But Phyllis， “used to communicating with men through these light sexual touches， as much as through her chatter，” touches Nicky briefly on the shoulder with fingers cold from the ice bucket， and a touch paper is lit。 They kiss in a neighbour’s garden， then in Phyllis and Roger’s bathroom， and before we know it Phyliss has hot-footed it to London to shack up with her paramour， abandoning husband， children and home。From our vantage point in the twenty-first century， we know that the sexual revolution was a far better deal for men than for the women they bedded so freely。 But Tessa Hadley， while deftly portraying a swinging London in all its swank and squalor – a time when Ladbroke Grove was distinctly infra dig – refuses to make victims of any of the women and girls in this novel。 All of them have agency – Phyllis， entirely aware of the immaturity and shortcomings of her new lover， Colette， who visits her mother regularly and successfully negotiates her O levels， despite a period of truancy， Jean， Nicky’s mother， who is linked to Phyllis in a way that she couldn’t have imagined， even Colette’s schoolfriend Susan， who after a wild night on the town with Colette， vanishes in West London。Free Love is a brilliant evocation of a time and place， and I thoroughly enjoyed it。Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amanda
，
In late-60s well-heeled suburbia， Nicholas， the son of a family friend， comes to dinner with the Fischers。 A kiss in the dark leads to more than anyone bargained for。Free Love accurately conveys many period details， attitudes and the clash between youth and the British Establishment。Hadley’s writing style is clean， precise and adept at zooming in on a character’s motivation。 Despite the psychological insight， the characterisation lacks freshness – everything unfolds exactly as expected。 As a res In late-60s well-heeled suburbia， Nicholas， the son of a family friend， comes to dinner with the Fischers。 A kiss in the dark leads to more than anyone bargained for。Free Love accurately conveys many period details， attitudes and the clash between youth and the British Establishment。Hadley’s writing style is clean， precise and adept at zooming in on a character’s motivation。 Despite the psychological insight， the characterisation lacks freshness – everything unfolds exactly as expected。 As a result， the reading fell flat for me。 This is the second novel I've read by the author。 I had a similar impression the first time， but put it down to the book being a set text of my MA Creative Writing course。 Hadley is a very well-respected author， but I've reached the conclusion that her writing style just isn't for me。My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Vintage Limited for the ARC。 。。。more
Ceecee
，
It’s 1967 and we are in the leafy suburbs in the home of the Fischers where Free Love， Protest and rejecting the’Old Guard’ has not yet showed up in any way shape or form。 Roger Fischer works at the Foreign Office， wife Phyllis is a typical 50’s/60’s housewife and they have two children Colette， a teenager due to take her O Levels and 9 year old Hugh。 All is well until the son of old friends of Roger’s comes to dinner and Nicholas Knight ruffles the conventionality and how！ Phyllis makes a choic It’s 1967 and we are in the leafy suburbs in the home of the Fischers where Free Love， Protest and rejecting the’Old Guard’ has not yet showed up in any way shape or form。 Roger Fischer works at the Foreign Office， wife Phyllis is a typical 50’s/60’s housewife and they have two children Colette， a teenager due to take her O Levels and 9 year old Hugh。 All is well until the son of old friends of Roger’s comes to dinner and Nicholas Knight ruffles the conventionality and how！ Phyllis makes a choice and it’s a daring one。 Brave， mad or foolhardy？ Your point of view would depend on how closely you are associated with the fallout。There is much to like in this latest novel by Tessa Hadley。 First of all， it is without doubt extremely well written and I do engage with the story although I don’t think there’s anything especially new here。 For instance， although Nikki is intriguing in his youthful views you would expect him to reject the establishment that Roger represents。 The characterisation is very good and I especially like Colette who brings her own brand of reality to the situation and Hugh initially is great fun although this definitely changes。 Phyllis throws herself wholeheartedly into the sexual revolution and you can’t decide if you admire her or not！ There is some good dialogue， at the start there is an entertaining dingdong between Nikki and Colette but be warned some dialogue will make you wince！ It’s excellent in the historical context， the ideas and beliefs of the time， the “old‘ are expressed through Roger in particular and the ‘new’ via the newly branded Phyllis and Colette。 There’s a good plot twister at the end that you definitely don’t see coming！However， despite the many positives it does feel a bit predictable in the main plot thread in what occurs between flirty older woman and a much younger man。 In places it’s a bit long winded and overdetailed which gets in the way of the progress you want to follow with the Fischer family and Nicky。 Overall though it’s a well written book and I really enjoy the 1960s setting。With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U。K。， Vintage， Jonathan Cape for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Emma Hardy
，
Oh I really wanted to like this， but sadly it just fell a bit flat for meStruggled to keep my attention。 Never read a Tessa Hadley book before so not sure if this is the usual style， but the form， particularly with speech for example was so distracting。Not for me。
Roman Clodia
，
This is my first Hadley novel， a writer I've been meaning to try for some time， so I can't say whether this is characteristic of her fiction: for me， it's competent and efficient but also constructed and a bit clichéd。 The writing is clear and precise， detailed and visual - but there's nothing exceptional or personable， it's all smooth， bland and neutral。 The story feels like a familiar one: a 40-ish suburban housewife gets a sexual awakening and abandons bourgeoise comfort for a vaguely anti-es This is my first Hadley novel， a writer I've been meaning to try for some time， so I can't say whether this is characteristic of her fiction: for me， it's competent and efficient but also constructed and a bit clichéd。 The writing is clear and precise， detailed and visual - but there's nothing exceptional or personable， it's all smooth， bland and neutral。 The story feels like a familiar one: a 40-ish suburban housewife gets a sexual awakening and abandons bourgeoise comfort for a vaguely anti-establishment lifestyle。 Along the way we see the fall-out in her family， and there's a rather laboured revelation that verges on melodrama and which seems rather too neatly formed for my taste。 The setting is 1967 but really this looks back at so many books that question the conventionality of middle-class domestic life， and doesn't really have anything new to say。 This feels rather old-fashioned to me both in terms of writing style and content and it's hard to see what the writerly intention is。 So not really my thing， I'm afraid， but that's subjective taste rather than a criticism of the book。 Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more
matthew
，
Was worried it would be all about hippies and i hate hippies， or at least how they're depicted in fiction。 insufferable annoying wankers。 luckily， Hadley is interested in the same old thing （infidelity and its fallout）。 Shocking that there isn't more than one description of clouds in this novel。 She's lost her way！ Was worried it would be all about hippies and i hate hippies， or at least how they're depicted in fiction。 insufferable annoying wankers。 luckily， Hadley is interested in the same old thing （infidelity and its fallout）。 Shocking that there isn't more than one description of clouds in this novel。 She's lost her way！ 。。。more
Valerie
，
Won in a Goodreads Giveaway。 A favorite author of mine。 Characters seemed less developed than usual but the main character’s suffocation and then of her daughter are aptly portrayed。 Male characters seemed more on the periphery。
Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer
，
This novel is set in the London of 1967 – and opens with a （rather reluctant on both sides） visit to a rather conventional suburban family by a twenty-something year-old son of a family friend – one with an unexpected outcome。The family is Roger Fisher， an Arabist in the Foreign Office; Phyllis his wife; Collette - a rather over-earnest older daughter with a crush on her English language teacher; and Hugh – an easy going 10 year old in the final flush of boyhood freedom ahead of a likely future This novel is set in the London of 1967 – and opens with a （rather reluctant on both sides） visit to a rather conventional suburban family by a twenty-something year-old son of a family friend – one with an unexpected outcome。The family is Roger Fisher， an Arabist in the Foreign Office; Phyllis his wife; Collette - a rather over-earnest older daughter with a crush on her English language teacher; and Hugh – an easy going 10 year old in the final flush of boyhood freedom ahead of a likely future at his Father’s boarding school。 The visiting son is Nicky Knight – his parents Peter and Jean friends of Roger via his parents and assisted in Roger’s recuperation after his activities in the war。 Nicky is living in London is something of a squat， mainly off his mother’s allowance， and the little he can make working as a left wing journalist。Rather unintendedly on both sides Phyllis and Nicky exchange a passionate kiss during a rather farcical pond-based hunt for the missing sandal of one of Hugh’s playmates。The incident awakens something in Phyllis and at her instigation the two begin an （at first） sporadic and covert affair – the book tracing how this turns into first a relationship， then full on cohabitation and finally loves its covertness and how this plays out for Phyllis but also for Roger and Collette in particular。 There is also party way through a twist which even the characters admit to be a little unexpectedly coincidental。This is a very competently written book – there is a strong sense of place and time， the book as far as I can tell being anachronym free， not just in period detail but more strongly in the attitudes and reactions of the characters。 The problem with this is that it feels like the book too is very old fashioned and uninvolving with the characters attitudes and life-arcs seeming （precisely because of their accuracy） almost clichéd。 Nicky for example is predictable in his denunciation of Roger and his world view - Phyllis in her late discovery of the freedoms of the late sixties （sex， drugs， music and dancing， commune style art and the questioning of accepted authority）。Like Nicky himself I felt like I had paid a visit to rather conventional suburban novel – but without the unexpected outcome。My thanks to Penguin Random House for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more
Anni
，
The title recalls the heady days of the Summer of Free Love， Woodstock， the Swinging Sixties， anti-war demonstrations - and the whole sex ，drugs and rock & roll era - when it was said that if you remembered it， you weren’t really there。 Hadley has brilliantly portrayed the atmosphere of that time， although her protagonist is not the expected teenage rebel against authority， but a middle-aged woman trying to regain her lost youth with an unsuitable liaison。 It is a modern take on the Anna Karenin The title recalls the heady days of the Summer of Free Love， Woodstock， the Swinging Sixties， anti-war demonstrations - and the whole sex ，drugs and rock & roll era - when it was said that if you remembered it， you weren’t really there。 Hadley has brilliantly portrayed the atmosphere of that time， although her protagonist is not the expected teenage rebel against authority， but a middle-aged woman trying to regain her lost youth with an unsuitable liaison。 It is a modern take on the Anna Karenina or Emma Bovary tragedies， which we know will end in tears， but Hadley has sensibly avoided the easy moralising aspect to keep the reader’s empathy with her flawed characters。 Highly enjoyable！Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC via NetGalley。 。。。more
Kevin
，
This is not a book I would normally read but was given the opportunity from the publisher due to reviewing another of their novels so I thought， why not？ Shouldn't we all step out of our comfort zone once in a while。I have to say that for something I did not have great expectations for， I really enjoyed this novel。 Phyllis is married to Roger， a fairly nice but boring civil servant however is sexually （re-）awakened with the re-introduction of the son of her friends。 Much against her public chara This is not a book I would normally read but was given the opportunity from the publisher due to reviewing another of their novels so I thought， why not？ Shouldn't we all step out of our comfort zone once in a while。I have to say that for something I did not have great expectations for， I really enjoyed this novel。 Phyllis is married to Roger， a fairly nice but boring civil servant however is sexually （re-）awakened with the re-introduction of the son of her friends。 Much against her public character she embarks upon an illicit affair with him。Tessa Hadley is clearly a great novelist and the pacing of the story and depth of characters is excellent。 Definitely a recommended read。Thanks to Random House UK， Vintage， Jonathan Cape and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Free Love
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Free Love&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Free Love&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0