YOUNG, free and single. It sounds idyllic. All that plus an interesting job, good friends and the glamour of living in London and here you see the generation that has it all.

All that is except commitment, family life and the security of marriage. For Joanna Trollope has assembled a cast from the Bridget Jones generation for her latest novel, out this week.

Set partly in South Carolina and partly in London, the book follows the fortunes of a group of 30-ish singletons. Henry and Tilly have been living together for ten years but can't commit to marriage. There's their flatmate William who really ought to be getting a place of his own by now. And Gillon, the girl from South Carolina, who can't settle to anything and moves to London desperately seeking something.

All are portrayed as sympathetic characters - indeed Trollope researched her subject with several people of the same age and was struck by how nice everyone was.

Since abandoning Aga sagas for city life, Trollope has tackled contemporary family issues head-on. Although Girl From The South doesn't have the authentic immediacy of Bridget Jones's Diary - Trollope is after all a generation older - it is elegantly written by an author at the height of her powers.

And you can't help feeling sorry for the thirty-somethings so spoiled for choice they can't commit to anything. Bridget Jones? More like Cold Feet.

Updated: 09:42 Wednesday, February 06, 2002