Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #705208 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-02
• Binding: Paperback
• 322 pages

Book Jacket
Looking for Love follows the fortunes of Dan and Doris Archer's children and grandchildren as they search for fulfilment in the changing world of the seventies and early eighties.

Jennifer, struggling as an unmarried mother, thinks that marriage to the handsome Roger will be the answer to her prayers. It isn't, but Jennifer gets another chance.

Lilian tragically loses her first husband, Nick, after only a few months of marriage. Recovering, she finds happiness with local squire Ralph Bellamy, only to find that his health is failing.

Tony's ill-matched engagement to Mary is broken off just in time for him to meet and marry Pat who, as well as helping to run the farm, manages to cope with their three children--and Tony himself!

Christine has spent years trying to save her marriage. But when her husband Paul's latest business venture hits trouble and he flees to Germany, she realises that she's finally had enough.

Shula's choice of boyfriend often left her parents in despair. Even when she meets the eminently suitable Mark Hebden, it is years before she finally realises he is the only man for her.

The course of true love is not set to run smoothly for the next generation of the Archers. Looking for Love, the second volume in this trilogy of novels published to celebrate the forthcoming 50th anniversary of The Archers, continues the story of BBC Radio 4's most famous farming family.

"Joanna Toye is doing a marvellous job of reviving memories for those of us for whom The Archers is part of the national way of life." --Humphrey Carpenter

"As compulsive on the page as it is on the radio." --Colin Dexter

Synopsis
In 1951 Dan Archer, with his wife Doris, looked over the farm and their grown up children, Jack, Philip and Christine with hope for the future. The farm would be the least of his worries over the years as he watched his children make their way in the world. Phil, finally married Grace, daughter of the local landowner, George Fairbrother - but the marriage was destined to end in tragedy Christine had no trouble attracting men, but finding the right one was another matter. And when she finally married would she ever be able to have the child she so desperately wanted? Jack, married to Londoner Peggy, had two daughters, Jennifer and Lillan, and a son, Tony. But Jack's chosen career of running The Bull would prove a disaster for a man with a weakness for drink. And young Jennifer's pregnancy by a father she refused to name would shock the whole family. "The Archers: Family Ties" introduces us to the events which started the longest running soap opera in the world and created a national institution.

Customer Reviews

A potted history of life in Ambridge (1987-2000)
As an occasional listener to the answers (if I'm in the car I hear it) I have caught bits and pieces over the years and built up enough of an understanding of the series and its characters that when I saw this book in the offload section of W H Smith I bought it to fill in some of my missing background. Immediately helpful was the family tree at the start of the book and this explained the relationship between the various characters. Joanna Toye (one of the writers for the radio series) has done a good job with the narrative, abridging it smartly such that the thirteen plus years are covered swiftly and concisely but without rushing the reader through the story. I found myself drawn into the lives and loves of Ambridge and was surprised at how many episodes I remembered from the radio (and over how long a period of time). I would describe this book as of great value to the occasional listener and no doubt of interest to the Archers fan, though presumably they've heard it all before!

Great for new Archers fans!
This was an excellent introduction to the family history of The Archers as I have only been listening 'full-time' for a couple years. I will be buying the next two to really get up to date as it has already enhanced my enjoyment of listening to current broadcasts as I now have the background story to relate it to. In addition this is a wonderful piece of storytelling in its own right - Miriam reads it beautifully and allows the listener into the characters and their world.

Great book for late comers into the Archers seen
This book is great for people like me who only came into the Archers seen in the last five years. It describes in great detail the events leading up to Phil marrying Grace, and her death, and even more interestingly, Phil and Jill's courtship and marrage. I think this book is essencial for people who want to know what happened before they cam onto the Archers seen, as when references are made to the past in the soap you know what they are on about!