A VILLAGE AFFAIR (Joanna Trollope)

When Alice Meadows meets Martin Jordan's family she falls hopelessly in love.  She and Martin marry and live a pleasant life with their 3 children until they purchase Grey House, a beautiful old village home in rural England.  Suffering from postpartum depression after the birth of her youngest child, Charlie, Alice believes that the move will be good for their marriage and family, that becoming immersed in the activities and eccentricities of village life will give her a new purpose and, perhaps, restore happiness to her increasing stressful relationships.  When exotic, unpredictable Clodagh Unwin returns to Pitcombe after a broken love affair in New York and befriends the Jordan family, life suddenly takes on a new luster and excitement.  Alice, the children, and Martin soon accept Clodagh as part of their family, causing speculation and questions among the villagers.  When details of Clodagh's relationship with Alice are revealed, Alice and Martin's lives are changed forever, their definitions of happiness are transformed, and their future is redefined.  As usual, Trollope delves into the heart and psyche of English life.  Published in 1989, this novel remains fresh and readable today.