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Joanna Trollope, Bestselling Chronicler of British Family Life, Dies at 82

Her daughters said she died peacefully at her Oxfordshire home on December 11.

Overview

  • Trollope published more than 30 novels over four decades, starting with historical romances as Caroline Harvey before turning to contemporary fiction in the mid-1980s.
  • Her breakthrough came with The Rector's Wife in 1991, followed by widely read titles such as A Village Affair, Marrying the Mistress, Daughters in Law and Mum & Dad, several of which were adapted for television.
  • Often labeled the 'Queen of the Aga saga,' she rejected the tag as patronising, a term credited to writer Terence Blacker that she said misrepresented the seriousness of her themes.
  • She received an OBE in 1996 for services to charity and a CBE in 2019 for services to literature, and she judged major literary prizes and supported literacy and prison charities.
  • Tributes from her agent James Gill and publisher Pan Macmillan praised her insightful, empathetic storytelling; she is survived by her daughters and grandchildren.