It’s been announced that best-selling novelist Joanna Trollope has died at the age of 82 at her Oxfordshire home.
Born in 1943 to the family of Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope (she was his fifth-generation niece), writing was clearly in her blood and, after a short stint working at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, she began penning historical romances under the pseudonym of Caroline Harvey.
In 1987 she published The Choir, switching to contemporary fiction for the first time with hugely successful results and was a fixture in the best-seller charts for the rest of her hugely-productive writing career.
Read more: Joanna Trollope: Best-selling author and 'queen of the Aga saga' Joanna Trollope dies aged 82
Aside from selling millions of copies a number of her books have also been adapted for film and television, including The Rector's Wife, The Choir, A Village Affair and Other People's Children.
With so many books to choose from, it’s hard for a Joanna Trollope beginner to know where to start.
To help out, we’ve had a look at how the millions of readers of book website Goodreads have rated her books.
Here are the top 10.
Make sure you don't miss a moment of breaking news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.
5. The Best of Friends (1995)
The Best of Friends, published in 1995, completes the top five Joanna Trollope according to readers, with an average rating of 3.70 from 2,502 reviews. "Gina and Laurence have been the best of friends ever since they were teenagers. Love has never been a factor. Now, Gina is married to the exquisitely tasteful Fergus and lives in stylish perfection in a huge house; Laurence is married to down-to-earth Hilary and lives in the Bee House, a home and hotel. When, with elegant disdain, Fergus announces that he is leaving Gina and their teenage daughter, Gina's misery ricochets through the two homes and she turns for emotional support to Laurence, her dearest friend. And as Laurence gives comfort, so his own marriage and the stability of his children edges towards destruction..." | Contributed
6. A Village Affair (1989)
A Village Affair, published in 1989 has an average rating of 3.69 from 2,335 reviews. "The Grey House is the final piece in the jigsaw of Alice Jordan's perfect life. It seems to be the ultimate achievement of her outwardly happy marriage - a loyal, if dull husband, three children, two cars and now the house. So why does she feel as if something is missing? As Alice and her family settle themselves into village life, the something missing becomes something huge and then breaks, scandalizing the village and opening up old wounds. But because of it, Alice begins to feel that there is hope and humour and understanding and compassion in the new life she must build for herself." | Contributed
7. Mum & Dad (2020)
Seventh spot goes to 2020's Mum & Dad, with an average rating of 3.67 from 4,959 reviews. "What happens when family roles are reversed and the children must look after mum and dad? It’s been twenty-five years since Gus and Monica left England to start a new life in Spain, building a wine business from the ground up. However, when Gus suffers a stroke and their idyllic Mediterranean life is thrown into upheaval, it’s left to their three grown-up children in London to step in. As the children descend on the vineyard, it becomes clear that each has their own idea of how best to handle their mum and dad, as well as the family business. But as long-simmering resentments rise to the surface and tensions reach breaking point, will the family finally fall apart?" | Mum & Dad (2020)
8. Daughters-in-Law (2011)
Next up, with an average rating of 3.67 from 5,183 reviews is 2011's Daughters-in-Law. "Rachel loves being at the centre of her large family. She has devoted herself fiercely to bringing up her three sons, but at their childhood home on the wide, bird-haunted coast of Suffolk, Rachel finds that her control begins to slip away. Other women - her daughters-in-law - are usurping her position. They have become more important to her boys than she is. A crisis brings these subtle rifts to the surface." | Contributed