Free Love
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- Create Date：2022-02-14 06:52:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tessa Hadley
- ISBN：0063137771
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Summary
"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
From the 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 an irresistible exploration of romantic love， sexual freedom and living out the truest and most meaningful version of our selves - a novel that showcases Hadley's unrivaled ability to "put on paper a consciousness so visceral， so fully realized， it heightens and expands your own" （Lily King， author of Euphoria）。
From the 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 an irresistible exploration of romantic love， sexual freedom and living out the truest and most meaningful version of our selves - a novel that showcases Hadley's unrivaled ability to "put on paper a consciousness so visceral， so fully realized， it heightens and expands your own" （Lily King， author of Euphoria）。
Reviews
Annagrace
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See my review of Hadley’s The Past for my feelings here， too。 I will happily read every single thing she writes， and ever admire the ways she writes uncomfortably real women。
Stefaan Sterck
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i
Zibby Owens
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In 1967 London， a typical English housewife， Phyllis， changes her life forever when she lets a young man kiss her in the family garden。 What follows is a journey of self-discovery， sexual awakening， and choices that change the lives of everyone around her。 The book is set during one of the most pivotal times in modern history。 The setting swept me away。 The time period was so well-described that I felt like I was in London during the mid-1960s。 I love how the author showed the secluded suburban In 1967 London， a typical English housewife， Phyllis， changes her life forever when she lets a young man kiss her in the family garden。 What follows is a journey of self-discovery， sexual awakening， and choices that change the lives of everyone around her。 The book is set during one of the most pivotal times in modern history。 The setting swept me away。 The time period was so well-described that I felt like I was in London during the mid-1960s。 I love how the author showed the secluded suburban life （and wife） separate from cultural changes happening in London before immersing the reader into the London scene。 The author did a fantastic job describing problems in Phyllis's marriage。 I loved when the author wrote: “Getting his pleasure， Nicky was so heedless and unconstrained so that she too was unconstrained and didn't care how he saw her。 Married love was too kind， she thought。 It hovered on the threshold of this knowledge and never went inside， never took the necessary liberties。 Because her shared life with her husband was grown-up and considerate， they had made love considerately， like innocence。 Also， she’d been ill with miscarriages after giving birth to Colette， which was why， in the end， they had come home to England。 This had shadowed their lovemaking with the gravity of failure， made them apologetic。 Nicky had no history of failure and no grown-up authority in the world， so when he made love to her， it was with his whole， frank concentration and with such urgency as if nothing else was important。 That was what Phyllis thought then too。 Nothing else was important。"To listen to my interview with the author， go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens。com/transcript/tes。。。 。。。more
Lynn Fraser
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Brilliant writing。 Skilled creation of a cast of unique， full-fleshed characters。 A realisation of the time， that moment in the sixties when society underwent an apparently seismic shift， created through a layering of detail and insights into characters’ thoughts， and brought to life in Phyllis - a housewife of the establishment with an old lady name who begins to doubt everything and long for freedom。 It doesn’t choose a side， not allowing an idealisation of either the old order of war time her Brilliant writing。 Skilled creation of a cast of unique， full-fleshed characters。 A realisation of the time， that moment in the sixties when society underwent an apparently seismic shift， created through a layering of detail and insights into characters’ thoughts， and brought to life in Phyllis - a housewife of the establishment with an old lady name who begins to doubt everything and long for freedom。 It doesn’t choose a side， not allowing an idealisation of either the old order of war time heroes， fragrant mothers， honour and civility or the new era of multiculturalism， peace， free thinking， free love。 And in a way， that is both its strength and its weakness。 I didn’t take any of the characters to my heart。 I saw the truths but didn’t fully engage。 The writer expertly takes us from the point of view of one character to another， but it felt disjointed， like I was just settling in one place and I was yanked to another。 Perhaps that was the point， the intention， but it was unsatisfying。 For me， the novel was like a tasting menu at a fabulous restaurant - you recognise that you are experiencing something wonderful created by a skilled practitioner of their art， but， for me， it was somewhat unsatisfying。 。。。more
Catriona
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I struggled to get excited by this book。 I just didn’t relate to any of the characters and found next to no thrill in any of the sexual exploits。 It wasn’t bad， I was just a bit bored of it and keen to finish it。
Carol
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Superbly rendered audiobook and a lovely， intimate novel of complicated people in complicated times trying to negotiate personal happiness and societal imprimaturs。 Highly recommend。
Sharon L
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Well， I finished it。 The setting was mildly interesting， but nothing about the plot grabbed me。 Everything felt familiar and overdone， like you knew where the story was going after the first 10%。 And it does。 （view spoiler）[ I keep thinking， what was the author trying to say？ At the onset it seems like a feminist theme， but our MC ends up right back where she started from， at home caring for a child， but now has to work on top of that。 Plus Phyl's newly found friend group introduces her 15 year Well， I finished it。 The setting was mildly interesting， but nothing about the plot grabbed me。 Everything felt familiar and overdone， like you knew where the story was going after the first 10%。 And it does。 （view spoiler）[ I keep thinking， what was the author trying to say？ At the onset it seems like a feminist theme， but our MC ends up right back where she started from， at home caring for a child， but now has to work on top of that。 Plus Phyl's newly found friend group introduces her 15 year old daughter to someone whisking her away to America。 And she goes。 Creepy。 （hide spoiler）]Thanks to Libro。FM for an Advanced Listening Copy as part of their ALC for Librarians program。https://libro。fm/alc-program 。。。more
Jane Gregg
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The subtle brilliance of Tessa Hadley is devastating。
Liz McCammon
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3。5 Stars I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway and am providing an honest review。 I really enjoyed this novel but I am finding it hard to explain exactly why。 This isn’t a redemptive or punishing story， there isn’t the typical arc that leads to the conclusion but it does end in a way that makes the reader consider the “full circle” of the characters lives。 It’s an easy， smooth read - one I finished in just a few days。 I told my husband that I wished my story was on （TV）- because tha 3。5 Stars I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway and am providing an honest review。 I really enjoyed this novel but I am finding it hard to explain exactly why。 This isn’t a redemptive or punishing story， there isn’t the typical arc that leads to the conclusion but it does end in a way that makes the reader consider the “full circle” of the characters lives。 It’s an easy， smooth read - one I finished in just a few days。 I told my husband that I wished my story was on （TV）- because that is how this book read。 It felt like an evening serial - one you just wanted to keep watching。 The one part of this book I wish had been different lies in the character of Phyllis - I found it irritating that she mentally did not develop-I understand that this might have been a sign of the times but if she could become financially independent couldn’t she also have become politically aware in a way that didn’t befuddle her？ 。。。more
Carolyn Huckfield
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London in the 1960，s means different things to different people。 Phyllis is a dutiful wife and mother but suddenly she wakes up to being in love with a friend of her son when they kiss 。He is a communist sympathiser and she wakes up to politics as well as passion with him。 She then makes an unusual decision， to leave her comfortable middle class life to be with her new lover。1967 is a time of change and new ideas for a number of people and this novel captures this time brilliantly。 The insight s London in the 1960，s means different things to different people。 Phyllis is a dutiful wife and mother but suddenly she wakes up to being in love with a friend of her son when they kiss 。He is a communist sympathiser and she wakes up to politics as well as passion with him。 She then makes an unusual decision， to leave her comfortable middle class life to be with her new lover。1967 is a time of change and new ideas for a number of people and this novel captures this time brilliantly。 The insight she gives us into people’s lives is brilliantly told。 Bravery comes in many forms and Phyllis is a strong and very brave woman。 It is a shame her lover does not live up to her expectations。 The story becomes a sad tale of lost relationships， betrayal and missed opportunities 。。。more
Leslie
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"LA Times，" February 6， 2022 "LA Times，" February 6， 2022 。。。more
Jessie Fussell
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Tessa Hadley is so skilled at portraying the chaotic desires threatening the comfortable lives of the upper middle classes。 While that description makes her books sound like a terrible cliche， what moves me about them is that she lets her characters be flawed， irritating， and contradictory; they *want* things and move toward self-understanding in pursuing them。 And so， regardless of how mystified and annoyed I am by her characters， their privilege， and their actions （Phyllis， our heroine in this Tessa Hadley is so skilled at portraying the chaotic desires threatening the comfortable lives of the upper middle classes。 While that description makes her books sound like a terrible cliche， what moves me about them is that she lets her characters be flawed， irritating， and contradictory; they *want* things and move toward self-understanding in pursuing them。 And so， regardless of how mystified and annoyed I am by her characters， their privilege， and their actions （Phyllis， our heroine in this novel， is especially cringey）， I can’t help but sympathize with how they are left to deal with the consequences of their decisions。 Hadley relays the changed world with such clear eyes and her prose is always exquisite。 。。。more
Anu
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Read an NPR review in which Tessa Hadley came highly recommended。 Her writing is rich， detailed and evocative， recreating a 60s feel pretty well。 Well developed characters， lively if banal plot and a poignant ending。 I’d forgotten how reading a fiction novel can feel…like devouring a sugary treat accompanied by an immediate glycemic spike and crash。 You aren’t stopping to think or reflect; you’re immersed in the story， hurrying along the slow bits， shocked at the plot twists and realising the bo Read an NPR review in which Tessa Hadley came highly recommended。 Her writing is rich， detailed and evocative， recreating a 60s feel pretty well。 Well developed characters， lively if banal plot and a poignant ending。 I’d forgotten how reading a fiction novel can feel…like devouring a sugary treat accompanied by an immediate glycemic spike and crash。 You aren’t stopping to think or reflect; you’re immersed in the story， hurrying along the slow bits， shocked at the plot twists and realising the book was over sooner than you thought it would be。 。。。more
Ron Charles
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Tessa Hadley’s new novel， “Free Love，” is smartly situated within the fusion of defiance and regret， liberation and attachment。 Along the way， Hadley alludes to Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” and Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique，” but her story cuts its own path。 In fact， “Free Love” begins with a domestic scene that’s almost farcical。The heroine is Phyllis Fischer， a pretty 40-year-old woman enchanted by her idyllic suburban life。 Her thoughtful husband， Roger， is a respected member of the Fore Tessa Hadley’s new novel， “Free Love，” is smartly situated within the fusion of defiance and regret， liberation and attachment。 Along the way， Hadley alludes to Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” and Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique，” but her story cuts its own path。 In fact， “Free Love” begins with a domestic scene that’s almost farcical。The heroine is Phyllis Fischer， a pretty 40-year-old woman enchanted by her idyllic suburban life。 Her thoughtful husband， Roger， is a respected member of the Foreign Office， her two children are a source of great joy， and she regards her Arts and Crafts home “with a protective tenderness。” The year is 1967， but the revolutionary forces tearing apart the rest of the world are just troubling images on the television。 Phyllis is “an easy person， easily made happy， glad to make others happy，” Hadley writes。 “She was pleased with her life。”To be clear: She is no Bertha Rochester raging away in the attic; she is not peeling wallpaper off her bedroom wall at night; she will not walk into the sea with Edna Pontellier。And yet something must be missing from Phyllis’s life， a deficiency of some trace mineral that’s easy to overlook but essential to emotional health。 Hadley， as always so attentive to such subtleties， notes that when Phyllis and Roger “were naked they couldn’t quite。 。 。 。To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/books/。。。 。。。more
Lani
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I tried， y'all。 When did it become okay for dialogue to be in dashes instead of quotations？ Also， I'm drowning in unnecessary details。 DNF @ 35% I tried， y'all。 When did it become okay for dialogue to be in dashes instead of quotations？ Also， I'm drowning in unnecessary details。 DNF @ 35% 。。。more
Mackenzie RM
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I am at a loss as to how to begin this review。 FREE LOVE is my first Tessa Hadley novel。 The synopsis sounds promising。 My experience was not。It is a story set in London in the 1960s with Phyllis， a homemaker experiencing a sexual awakening， as the narrator。 I had trouble connecting with the story due to the writing style。 It is not a style I’m used to I suppose。 The story feels old-fashioned and with a lot of filler。 It is flat without any pizzazz to drive the plot。 I found myself skimming more I am at a loss as to how to begin this review。 FREE LOVE is my first Tessa Hadley novel。 The synopsis sounds promising。 My experience was not。It is a story set in London in the 1960s with Phyllis， a homemaker experiencing a sexual awakening， as the narrator。 I had trouble connecting with the story due to the writing style。 It is not a style I’m used to I suppose。 The story feels old-fashioned and with a lot of filler。 It is flat without any pizzazz to drive the plot。 I found myself skimming more times than not， just to get to the good part。 Lo and behold， I never found it。The dialogue between characters is hard to follow as it is a series of dashes with no indication of who is speaking nor to whom。 The characters never felt authentic to me; they were bland and lackluster。 Alas FREE LOVE is not my cup of tea！I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review！ All opinions expressed are my own。 Upon publishing of this novel， I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada。 。。。more
Libby
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This was a DNF for me。 The writing did not grab me。 It was too wordy and that is always something that turns me off。 I read about 75 pages and then skipped to the end。 This is the first time I have ever done that with a book， but I’ve promised myself to only spend time on books that I am enjoying。
Evelyn Brown
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*Thank you to Netgallery and Rosanna Boscawen from Penguin Random House for this arc* Admittedly， when I read the premise for this I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not， so I did begin the book with mild trepidation， but this was soon expelled in favour of a desperate need to turn each page and read more。 This was a super interesting read， and since I studied the 1960s last year – or ‘the long decade’ – I was looking forward to experiencing a book set just in this time。 It was a good book， no *Thank you to Netgallery and Rosanna Boscawen from Penguin Random House for this arc* Admittedly， when I read the premise for this I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not， so I did begin the book with mild trepidation， but this was soon expelled in favour of a desperate need to turn each page and read more。 This was a super interesting read， and since I studied the 1960s last year – or ‘the long decade’ – I was looking forward to experiencing a book set just in this time。 It was a good book， not brilliant， nor my favourite， but it was compelling。This is very much a character-driven rather than plot-driven story， so if that’s not your kind of thing it won’t be for you。 However， the characters are fascinating， and they just grow more intriguing as the book carries on and we learn more about them， their lives and their beliefs。 The main character， Phyllis， is who we spend most of our time with and she’s a character even now I think a lot of women will recognised and sympathise with， whilst the way she she represents womanhood and the role of women in society has been done countless times before， it didn’t feel boring or stale。 Her journey is unsurprising in the beginning， however I still enjoyed it， and as the book goes on she grows beyond this。 Yet， I should note Phyllis can get a little old a little too fast， towards halfway through Free Love I was starting to grow a bit fed up with her an emotional whims – she’s forty， she should know better。However， as the book progresses the narrative switches to a different character instead of Phyllis， who begins to slowly fade into the background， and we spent time with arguably my favourite character out of all of them， Phyllis’ daughter Collette。 She’s a teenager living through the 1960s and discovering what it means to grow into a women without her mum by her side， and the conflicts you see rise in her， the confusion especially， expertly mirrors the way a lot of young woman feel。 I particularly enjoyed her fumbling intellectual journey paralleled with her growth into a woman， it felt authentic and her attraction to certain new modes of life made sense， the only thing I didn’t like was her ending but it was still believable。The secondary characters in this also helped to serve the book in brilliant ways， from Roger， Phyllis’ estranged husband， to her son Hugh where the exploration of the effect of the ‘old ways’ in children truly takes place。 The characters we also meet in London are all curious， and I enjoyed the scenes where we got to see them all interact with each other， and how their different lives intersected but were also formed through their beliefs。 The only secondary character I grew to have any issue with was Nikki， who at first was exciting as he is the character who truly introduces the action of the book， and the conflict of beliefs that runs through it， but who the character he grew into was one I found hard to engage with and ultimately hoped I would not see again。An integral aspect of this book is the beliefs tied to it and it’s characters。 Free Love is very much not only about exploring family dynamics and womanhood （for white women） in 1960s Britain， but also about Britain’s cultural and political beliefs at the time。 Each character is assigned a different cultural and political standpoint whether it’s Roger who is the old， stiff-upper lip British colonialist， to Nikki’s new anti-capitalist， anti-colonial stance; or to someone like Phyllis who is drawn to the new debates with a desire to learn and discover。 It makes for interesting storytelling， and conversation， but there were times I found myself getting lost as the narrative waded too deeply into this debate and losing sight of the characters。Hadley is also able to create a very believable 1960s British setting within the book， at no time did I forget where we are， and it was clear she knew what feeling and atmosphere she intended to capture。 I particularly enjoyed London at this time， and reading about the streets and the life contained within it as it always seemed so vibrant。I would note， that this doesn’t do anything new or revolutionary with the ideas contained within it， everything is a trope I have seen before， or a conflict that is being rehashed for this book。 As well as this， you should be aware this really does focus on the experience of white， middle-class British people and little else at this time; Hadley does attempt to include conversations through secondary characters to encompass more than just the white experience， but they are small and ultimately not the focus。 Yet， even though it doesn’t do anything I would label as new， it is still well-written and nicely explores these themes。Overall， it’s a great book， and I’m glad this is my first Hadley book as I’m now intrigued to see what else she has written and discover what else she has to say。 It’s definitely one to pick up if you enjoy historical fiction and politics， if not this will be a miss for you。Copy of review on my blog here: https://moonlit-books。com/2022/02/06/。。。 。。。more
Samantha
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I've heard so many people talking about this book and both the cover and synopsis really intrigued me！Set in the sixties， we follow 40-year-old housewife Phyllis who is living a normal but unfulfilling life。 After meeting a younger family friend， she experiences a sexual awakening that is set to change her life drastically。 Throughout the book not only do we get a deep understand of Phyllis and her frustrations and desires， but also her husband and children who have to cope with the upheaval to I've heard so many people talking about this book and both the cover and synopsis really intrigued me！Set in the sixties， we follow 40-year-old housewife Phyllis who is living a normal but unfulfilling life。 After meeting a younger family friend， she experiences a sexual awakening that is set to change her life drastically。 Throughout the book not only do we get a deep understand of Phyllis and her frustrations and desires， but also her husband and children who have to cope with the upheaval to their family life。This is my first time reading one of Tessa Hadley's novels and I'd definitely consider picking up more of her work。 The writing was excellent and each of the characters were really well developed and explored。 I think you could easily love or hate Phyllis because of her attitude and actions， but I admired the way she decided that her life wasn't yet finished， and that there was still plenty of time for more adventures。Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brittany Nisbett
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I am so very sorry to say that I could not get through this book。 I tried many many times through the last few weeks to get into it， but I just couldn’t。 It isn’t often I DNF a book but sadly this is one of those moments。 I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the setting the author created， how she pulled the reader in to the home of the main family and thier life。 I also felt the author did a great job of creating the characters and giving us a really good in-depth look and understanding of t I am so very sorry to say that I could not get through this book。 I tried many many times through the last few weeks to get into it， but I just couldn’t。 It isn’t often I DNF a book but sadly this is one of those moments。 I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the setting the author created， how she pulled the reader in to the home of the main family and thier life。 I also felt the author did a great job of creating the characters and giving us a really good in-depth look and understanding of them。 The different view points throughout first few chapters was excellent as it helped the reader really understand who these characters were。 I had hope that would be enough to capture me。 However I think I had difficulty because it all felt very cliché to me。 I could tell you what was about to happen in the entire rest of the book by only getting 12% into it。 I think the main reason I had difficulties with this book was because to show someone was speaking the author chose to use a dash， as opposed to quotations， so it was difficult for me to follow the conversation between characters。There were also many moments of stream of consciousness thoughts and I think that’s where this book fully lost me。 I believe it is this writing style that is just not for me。 I do want to thank Random House Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mrs Housewine Hillesdon
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is the first Tessa Hadley book I have read and I could not put it down。 It puts me in mind of some other favourite writers who's realism themes have me gripped from start to finish。Phyl the main character whilst making shocking decision typifies many women in late 60s UK Married to a relatively successful but rather dull husband who expects nothing more of her than to keep a nice house （ with help） in suburbia 。 Raising 2 rather unremarkable children she has little stimulation in her life a This is the first Tessa Hadley book I have read and I could not put it down。 It puts me in mind of some other favourite writers who's realism themes have me gripped from start to finish。Phyl the main character whilst making shocking decision typifies many women in late 60s UK Married to a relatively successful but rather dull husband who expects nothing more of her than to keep a nice house （ with help） in suburbia 。 Raising 2 rather unremarkable children she has little stimulation in her life and falls for a totally unsuitable and wholly unlikeable character which is where the story really takes off。I actually loved Phyl and her strength of character and restrain despite quite twist there is happiness at least。I would love to see a sequel。 。。。more
Afterwards
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Precise and effortless writing but the key thing for me is how funny it is with humour that feels very English， dry and understated。 The structure of this novel is excellent， creating suspense and never falters in its intent。 An enjoyable read， perhaps the story itself is a bit too familiar， scores of novelists in the sixties took on the same theme and storyline but still worth the effort and more compelling than a lot of other things supposedly more original。
Lynn
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Thanks to Random House Canada and NetGalley for a free Arc of this book in exchange for a review。This is my first time reading this author and I went in with zero expectations。 Tess Hadley does an excellent job writing full characters and allowing the reader to really get to know them however in this book I had a difficult time finding any empathy or identifying with any of them。 Tess Hadley really shines at bringing the 60's back to life and evoking the feeling of the summer of love。 The reader Thanks to Random House Canada and NetGalley for a free Arc of this book in exchange for a review。This is my first time reading this author and I went in with zero expectations。 Tess Hadley does an excellent job writing full characters and allowing the reader to really get to know them however in this book I had a difficult time finding any empathy or identifying with any of them。 Tess Hadley really shines at bringing the 60's back to life and evoking the feeling of the summer of love。 The reader gets a real sense of what London was like during the late 1960's and how women， in particular were changing， especially told through the voice of the mother and daughter of this novel。 At times I found the writing a little over the top for more taste。 Too many adjectives and descriptions。 It just got tedious for me。Overall it's a quick read but I don't know if I will be grabbing another one of her books again。 I would recommend reading this if someone is willing to lend it to you or grabbing it from your library。 。。。more
Diana
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I was super into this as I read it， but I suspect I might forget it fairly soon？ It tells the not-unusual story of a love affair， a 40-ish upper class housewife whose affair with a 25-ish counterculture-adjacent man upends her life。 A lot of women realized in the 60s and 70s that they'd been smashed into these domestic roles they never even truly chose， and divorces exploded across the western world。 I think this novel did an especially good job of talking about the terrible effect the patriarch I was super into this as I read it， but I suspect I might forget it fairly soon？ It tells the not-unusual story of a love affair， a 40-ish upper class housewife whose affair with a 25-ish counterculture-adjacent man upends her life。 A lot of women realized in the 60s and 70s that they'd been smashed into these domestic roles they never even truly chose， and divorces exploded across the western world。 I think this novel did an especially good job of talking about the terrible effect the patriarchy has both on men and women。 The teenage daughter， whose family is torn apart by this， was an especially good character， crabby and questioning of all the gender bullshit the world was trying to force on her。 And the son， who was maybe 10？ Is sent to the crushing epicenter of patriarchy， an English boarding school， which kind of broke my heart。 。。。more
Jane
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I am only half way through ， the writing just flows it is a joy to read although the subject matter is quite sad。 Let s see how it ends。 Oh but wait ！ There is a twist to it that I did not see coming！I have down graded to a four star still not bad eh ？ The ending didn t really do it for me。
Sasha
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As always with Tessa Hadley， this is a beautiful and elegant novel of the inner lives of ordinary women and families。
Deborah
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This is my first book by Tessa Hadley， I really wanted to like it， but sadly it fell a tad flat for me。 It started it several times because it could not keep my attention。 I do not know if this is her usual style， but I am not a fan of her writing at times it was overly descriptive and other times bland。 I found her use of multiple third-person narrative perspectives a bit disturbing。 The plot is not ground-breaking: sex， drugs， rock & roll in the sixties。 Thank you #netgalley for an advanced co This is my first book by Tessa Hadley， I really wanted to like it， but sadly it fell a tad flat for me。 It started it several times because it could not keep my attention。 I do not know if this is her usual style， but I am not a fan of her writing at times it was overly descriptive and other times bland。 I found her use of multiple third-person narrative perspectives a bit disturbing。 The plot is not ground-breaking: sex， drugs， rock & roll in the sixties。 Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Barbara Hall
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In 1960s London， an attractive married woman in her 40s with 2 children， unexpectedly discovers a hidden passionate side as she embarks on an affair with the 20-something son of longtime family friends。 What first appears to be an often written about story， becomes much more nuanced as the 2 lovers and their family members are affected by the discovery of the affair。 Thought provoking， heartbreaking and written with a non sentimental grace and honesty in the character portrayals。
Terri （BooklyMatters）
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*** four and a half stars ***Gorgeous， complex and tragic in its sweeping reach， this is a book about love， and ironically， （considering the title） its cost。 Set in 1967， in swinging volatile London， the world was changing and each of our protagonists cannot help but be affected。Phyllis Fischer - a forty year old mother of two still sporting an “expected， animated prettiness” is not ready to face the inevitable decline of aging， the loss of her sexual appeal， and more immediately， the looming de *** four and a half stars ***Gorgeous， complex and tragic in its sweeping reach， this is a book about love， and ironically， （considering the title） its cost。 Set in 1967， in swinging volatile London， the world was changing and each of our protagonists cannot help but be affected。Phyllis Fischer - a forty year old mother of two still sporting an “expected， animated prettiness” is not ready to face the inevitable decline of aging， the loss of her sexual appeal， and more immediately， the looming departure of her beautiful boy - her youngest son， Hugh， - to boarding school。 Roger Fischer， her husband， is an academic， a senior civil servant， a tidy and jowly man， striking in appearance， who projects an image of calm and steady contentedness with his life - an image that may or may not be somewhat contrived。Colette Fischer， their daughter， is fifteen years old; a lonely tortured intellectual， plump and plain， who finds herself seething， as she hovers on the cusp of adulthood， with all the angst and bitterness that comes with finding no room for herself in the “slippery labyrinth of her mother’s mind”。As tensions mount， an escalation occurs， and a perfect storm is cast into motion by time and place and the swirling hormones encapsulating the Fischer family。Without giving the plot away （no spoilers here， you will have to read the book）， the author’s lens is mesmerizing and unflinching - capturing the inescapable and unpredictable pull of love， between generations and across decades， freely and furtively given - and the inevitable， and sometimes catastrophic， emotional devastation left floundering in its trail。 A brilliant book， all-embracing in scope （and context…）， with no easy answers for those caught up in the power of love - and those who find themselves left behind。 A great big thank you to NetGalley， the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book。 All thoughts presented are my own。 。。。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