Such strong writing from Hadley. I felt like this was very well crafted, though I did have some trouble connecting to the characters. I felt like some of their motivations were difficult for me to understand and therefore connect to. But that is why we read fiction, yes? To expand our horizons and learn about people experiencing different situations to us.

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.

*** 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.

*I received a free ARC on NetGalley of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Overall, this was an extremely competently written novel.. The author executed her intention with preciseness, nuance, and a scathing eye. The setting was incredibly well done, and the author captured the era perfectly

But the whole novel felt familiar. I felt like I had read this before; middle-aged woman unhappy with her marriage, falls uncontrollably in love with someone inappropriate as a way to act out against her bland marriage. Collette had her time to shine later, but again everything felt bland and familiar. I enjoyed this book, and there is certainly something to be said for familiarity, but I never felt like I was engrossed in it.

I give this a solid 3 stars, it was middle-of-the-road for me but overall well done.

I unfortunately DNF this around 10% of the way in, I just wasn't invested at all and couldn't pick the book up. The premise was super interesting, the writing was well done I just found it fell flat. I may try again at a later time.

Thank you to netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

House wife Phyllis has an affair with a much younger man who is the son of some old friends. After they share a kiss at dinner, she decides to leave her husband and two children. We read about the fall out of her decision, her sexual exploration and what it means to be a free woman in the 60s.

For me, this book fell kind of flat. Although I like the premise, it felt slow and like it dragged. I also didn’t like Phyllis, I found her to be quite annoying. That being said, it was an easy read and I can see if others really enjoy this one.

An interesting story about the 1960’s movement to sexual exploration and changes in political and social views. Phyllis who paints the picture of a perfect housewife decides after having a young houseguest to dinner and an impromptu kiss to leave her family and life style to become his lover. The story follows the struggle of her children, her much younger lover, her husband, his past discretions and a change in the world through the 60’s sexual revolution.
I found the story to be over descriptive at times and dragging at points …….I was pleasantly surprised with the twist . Overall it was a good read just not for me a great read. That being said I would still recommend it to a friend or book club. It would be a great book to discuss.
I received a free copy from NetGalley, all opinions are my own

It’s 1967 in a genteel suburb of London and the camera pans to the ideal nuclear family: Father had a “good war” and is a respected Arabist with the Foreign Office; Mother, at forty, is about ten years younger than her husband, an attractive, sociable housewife; older daughter, at fifteen, is respectably studious (if a bit heavy and serious); and the nine year old son is golden and mischievous. Into this scene is introduced a bomb in the form of a twenty-something radical; the unfamiliar son of old friends — a young man trying to disavow his own bourgeois upbringing who resents the social obligation of this dinner — and as he tries to unbalance his host with Marxist provocations, he is met with unexpected good humour and intellectual curiosity. Even so, as Free Love unspools, this Nicky’s presence at the Fischer table will unleash a series of disruptive events that will mirror the change and tumult happening in the world beyond this leafy ‘burb. In relatable and highly readable prose, author Tessa Hadley captures something true about the times, but to be honest, it doesn’t feel like I learned anything new. Hadley skips primarily through the POVs of four main characters — the older couple (Roger and Phyllis) and the younger pair (Nicky and the daughter Colette) — and this is done seamlessly; I really appreciated that we saw both actions and reactions across the sexes and the generations, and especially as these were more nuanced than I expected. But still, the narrative lacked the power and energy of immediacy: I can think of novels from the Sixties that better capture the times and I don’t know if, seventy-some years later, Hadley adds anything of note (beyond a nice read) with this.

Was happy to include it in my January Novel Encounters column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction. In Zoomer magazine’s Zed Book Club section.

I am a total sucker for anything Tessa Hadley writes. She often writes about the time surrounding an affair and yet each time it is a brand new look at the characters and emotions involved. This novel is set in London in 1967 and the main character is finding a life beyond furniture polish and child rearing, the main couple are a stand in for what is happening in society at large.

There's no doubt Tessa Hadley is a talented writer. The characters in this book were well drawn, and I enjoyed the plot twist/complication. Unfortunately, overall, I just wasn't drawn in and propelled along by the plot -- and on top of that, I often found the main character annoying.
It's possible I was just in the wrong headspace to read Free Love. I wouldn't be surprised if there others who thoroughly enjoy this exploration of love, gender/social roles, and what it means to be free.