Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

My Favorite Barsetshire novel thus far . . .
Loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found it moved much more quickly for me than the previous books in the Barsetshire series. I've enjoyed them all, but this one seemed much more engaging - I think it was the pacing and movement between all of the story lines, between the Small House and the Dale ladies and the Squire on one hand, and the "racier" and more far-flung adventures of Johnny Eames and Adolphus Crosbie on the other. Although Trollope's charming, funny characters and gentle humor were as enjoyable as ever, it felt sharper, especially when it came to Crosbie getting his comeuppance for being a fickle jilt and dumping poor Lily (although I think if I were her mother or sister I would have slapped her after a while - it got to be too much!) Devotion is one thing, but she was rather nauseating (when she uttered something about wishing she could be "the godmother to their first child" I thought UGH!!!) Ah, well, I look forward to tackling "The Last Chronicle" to catch up on the further adventures of the Allington residents and the rest of the large cast and tie up the loose ends of this delicious series (and then onto the Palliser novels - Plantagenet seems like such an adorable geek, part policy wonk, part Don Quixote - who could resist?)

"The claims of friendship are very strong, but those of love are paramount."
(4.5 stars) A witty and incisive look at love, money, and marriage, this 1864 novel is the fifth of Anthony Trollope's six Barsetshire novels, with some of his best characters.Lily Dale, somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen's women, lives with her widowed mother and sister Bell in the Small House on her uncle's estate.Both girls are of marriageable age, though they have no fortunes, and as the novel develops, the reader sees the extent to which marriage in Victorian England is often a business transaction, negotiated by families to ensure their daughters' welfare and continuing standard of living.Because Lily and Bell have no fortunes, their courtships become the primary vehicle through which Trollope examines the contrasts between marriages for love and marriages for convenience.

When Lily falls hopelessly in love with Adolphus Crosbie, a young friend of her cousin Bernard, he returns her affection.Thinking that her uncle will give her a substantial dowry, Crosbie then proposes, and she accepts.When he discovers there will be no dowry, Crosbie suddenly wonders how he will support Lily in the manner to which he would like to become accustomed.One week after the betrothal, he has left Allington and become engaged to the wealthy, but cold, Lady Alexandrina De Courcy.Though the heartbroken Lily believes that she can never love another, the way she has loved Adolphus, she resolves (somewhat priggishly) to lead a good life and do good works.Her sister Bell refuses marriage to a cousin who had expected to to collect the dowry from their uncle.

Other subplots continue this money/marriage theme.Johnny Eames, a young London clerk, loves Lily to the same degree that she loves Adolphus Crosbie, but he has made a rash promise to marry Amelia Roper, the daughter of his boarding house owner.Marriage to Johnny would greatly improve Amelia's way of life.As the fates of Lily, Bell, Adolphus Crosbie, Lady Alexandrina, Johnny Eames, Amelia Roper, and their parents and friends intertwine, Trollope depicts a cross-section of society, their attitudes toward love and marriage, and the economic impact of marriage.Minor characters reveal their attitudes toward work and their employers, and Trollope uses these to show sly parallels between marriage and work.

Trollope, who comments on writing throughout the novel, has more in common with the social realism of George Eliot than with the melodrama of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens.His use of Mrs. Roper, Amelia's mother, as a character with financial troubles is realistic without being maudlin, and Adolphus Crosbie, the bounder, is also realistic in his naive assumptions and his regrets.Filled with fascinating reflections on all levels of society, this novel also includes references to the Pallisers and to a few characters from previous Barsetshire novels.Outstanding, and thoroughly enjoyable. nMary Whipple

The Warden, #1 in the Barset series
Barchester Towers (Penguin Classics), #2
Doctor Thorne (Penguin Classics), #3
Framley Parsonage (Penguin English Library), #4
The Last Chronicle of Barset (Penguin Classics), #6

Don't buy the Nonsuch Edition
Like all of the Barsetshire novels, The Small House at Allington is a delight to read.

Less delightful is the Nonsuch Classics edition.This is the second Nonsuch title I have read, and both have been absolutely riddled with typos. I am not exaggerating when I write that there is some error (a strangely placed comma or an odd word substitution ["me" for "he" or "my" for "by"]) on virtually every page.It's very distracting and aggravating.

I would recommend the book very highly, but would strongly advise any reader to seek out another edition.

Money, money, money
Money was terribly important to Anthony Trollope who never quit his day job at the British Post Office but laboured industriously both at his novels and at his career in the British civil service.

A typical Victorian civil servant in London worked from 10 to 4 for a little over a hundred pounds a year, wages with which a gentleman could pursue a comfortable life occupying a room in the city while dining at clubs, but wages at which he might not marry and raise a family without abandoning this high life. Having both required a much higher revenue, say a thousand a year. A family required a house not rooms, a carriage, not cabs, a housemaid for the wife not chores for the housewife. And there you know all you need to know of Adolphus Crowley, the man who jilts the novel's heroine, Lily Dale, when he learns she comes with no dowry.

A hundred pounds a year also amounted to the wages of Doctor Crofts, a young country doctor with only poor patients. He feels it's not quite enough to allow him to pursue Bell, Lily's older sister. It was also the fantastic sum promised the wards of Hiram's Hospital in the earlier Barsetshire novel, the Warden. Johnny Eames, Lily Dale's other suitor, also belongs to the civil service but at somewhat under a hundred a year and lives in a boarding house in rather unpleasant company.

And yet, money can't be everything. Lily Dale lives rent free with Bell and their widowed mother Mary in the small house of the title, while her bachelor uncle, the Squire of Allington whose land brings in some four thousand pounds a year, lives in the larger house. But when the childless uncle hints that their living there gives him some fatherly authority, the women refuse to recognize this and move out. On principle. We easily recognize Trollope in this careful working out of what actions are right and wrong, of how higher principles translate into practical everyday decisions.

Trollope does paint his characters with more contrast here than in his other Barsetshire novels, making his villain a little more villainous than Sowerby in Framley Parsonage and his heroine Lily Dale purer than Mary Thorne in Doctor Thorne. But I can't say I liked Lily very much. I certainly sympathized with her plight and admired her fortitude, but I think Trollope idealized her too much and turned fortitude to stubborness. Fortunately, other characters make up for a priggish Lily.

Since Trollope is Trollope, we end up sympathizing a little with the villain as he finds no solace in the woman for whom he left Lily. Uncle Christopher Dale relents somewhat in his position and acknowledges he loves his nieces, regardless of whatever duty he might or might not owe them. Johnny Eames, apparently more a more than slightly autobiographical character, grows up achieving something resembling manhood.

And we meet Plantagenet Palliser, the hero of Trollope's other great series, the Palliser novels, who appears scandalously often with the young Lady Dumbello. What will we make of that, now?

Vincent Poirier, Dublin

The Small Houseat Allington shows Trollope at the pinnacle of his game!
The Small House at Allington (1864) is a nearly 800 page Victorian three decker novel by Anthony Trollope (1815-1882. The former postal employee wrote 47 novels and is one of Britain's greatest authors. The Small House at Allington is the favorite novel of former Conservative Prime Minister John Major. You don't have to be a politician or pundit to enjoy this excellent book.
Lily Dale lives in the Small House with her mother and sisters. She becomes engaged to the London playboy/cad Adolphus Crosbie. The office clerk John Eames is also in love with Lily. When Crosbie jilts Lily to wed Lady Alexandrine De Courcy a rich ninny the plot thickens. Will John win Lily or will she remain true to Crosbie her first love depsite the impossiblity of ever marrying him?
Trollope is very good in his realistic dialogue and situations. We see the British middle and upper classes at home, the club, in London and in the country. We encounter two major love triangles and see how these romances work themselves out in the class conscious world of high Victorian society. Unusual for Trollope is no mention of a fox hunt!
The novel is very long and was published serially in the Cornhill magazine over a number of months. I found it and Barchester Towers to be the most interesting of the Barsetshire novels set in and around the mythical town of Barset.
Trollope lacks the broad and comic vision of Dickens; the intelligent psychological insight of George Eliot and the satirical verve of Thackery but is still a novelist of the highest caliber. Read him and enjoy hours of reading pleasure. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark Robarts is a clergyman with ambitions beyond his small country parish of Framley. In a naive attempt to mix in influential circles, he agrees to guarantee a bill for a large sum of money for the disreputable local Member of Parliament, while being helped in his career in the Church by the same hand. But the unscrupulous politician reneges on his financial obligations, and Mark must face the consequences this debt may bring to his family. One of Trollope's most enduringly popular novels since it appeared in 1860, Framley Parsonage is an evocative depiction of country life in nineteenth-century England, told with great compassion and acute insight into human nature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

One of my favorites
I have just finished reading all six novels which comprise the "Chronicles of Barsetshire," and this (the fourth in the series) is one of my favorites. I loved them all, and although I found the pace a little slow at first, I soon learned to slow down and thoroughly enjoy reading about this fictional part of the English countryside and its inhabitants. I would encourage anyone who enjoys Victorian literature to try these novels, and to persevere beyond The Warden (the first in the series), which was my least favorite (although I realize some people like that one the best). Framley Parsonage is a wonderful read, and has a strong dose of happy ending (common to all of these novels, but especially strong in this one). So happy to have discovered Trollope - how excellent to discover a prolific writer whose work you really enjoy!

Tale of timeless struggle, told with warmth and insight. . .
I'm (slowly) making my way through Trollope's Barsetshire series - I find I have to be in the mood. I read somewhere that a contemporary of Trollope's said they hoped the serialized "Framley Parsonage" would never end, as they loved it because nothing ever happened! That's a bit harsh, but the novel really is about what I consider the timeless struggles and intimate details of life, relationships, property, and responsibility. The main character is country parson Mark Robarts, who has pretty much always had things handed to him by one patron or another; his head is turned by the desire to keep up socially (and financially) with the local aristocracy.

Along with the main plot of Robarts' struggle against temptation and eventual redemption, we meet Trollope's usual assortment of county families, aristocrats great and small, and clerical characters with their attendant charms and foibles. One of my favorite plot lines throughout this series is the ongoing, vicious (and rather un-Christian) social and political warfare waged by the rightly-named Mrs. Proudie and pretty much every other clerical wife or fond mama she runs across. The account of Mrs. Proudie's "conversazione" is priceless, and Miss Dunstable serves as a fine foil for her pompous piety and hypocrisy. Trollope manages to portray the flaws and humanity of his characters with insight and gentle yet sometimes sharp humor, but he's never snarky or malicious; that's why I love his novels and will continue to slowly but surely work my way through them.

Worse than Pay Day Lenders
As part of the Barchester series, it is unsurprising to learn that the two church parties are represented in this novel.On the High Church side are Lady Lufton and Mark Robarts, the vicar, the living at Framley having been the gift of the Lufton family.The other side, Low Church, consists of the Childicotes set of Mrs. Proudie and the bishop.Mark Robarts finds the rule of Lady Lufton lighter than that of Mrs. Proudie.

When Mark's sister Lucy visits the vicarage, Lady Lufton becomes fearful that Lucy will become too close to Lady Lufton's son Ludovic.Fanny Robarts, Mark's wife, is stalwart in support of her sister-in-law.She ridicules Lady Lufton's concerns.

Mr. Crawley is the rector at Hogglestock.Mr. Arabin arranges for Mr. Hogglestock's curacy at Hogglestock.The two men men have been school fellows.Lady Lufton wants Griselda Grantly, the daughter of the archdeacon and the grandchild of Mr. Harding and the niece of Mrs. Arabin,for Ludovic.Lord Lufton contrarily likes Lucy Robarts.

Trollope uses irony to put across his points.Frequently he resorts to classical allusions.Suffice to say that everything does not turn out as Lady Lufton desires at the beginning of the tale.There is richness to the story combined with much good sense.Trollope hits his stride in this volume of the Barset group.

Endless Optimism
About three-quarters of the way through "Framley Parsonage," the fourth in Anthony Trollope's remarkably entertaining Barchester Chronicles, two of the characters find themselves an unlikely couple, much to their surprise and mutual pleasure.And it suddenly occurred to me why I love this author's works as much as I do: it's the endless optimism.Yes, things always work out for the best in Austen and Dickens (for example), but in Trollope, when a character is caught off guard and overwhelmed by his/her emotions, so am I.The sense that unexpected, marvelous life changes are always a possibility, connects me to Trollope in a very strong way.Which is not to say that there's no edge to his writing, or no psychological complexity; far from it.In "Framley Parsonage," bad things happen to good people; but Trollope doesn't shy away from the idea that sometimes good people make bad choices...and must pay the consequences.In this way, Trollope's moral landscape seems to me more complex than Austen's and Dickens', less black and white.(Lizzie Eustace, the heroine of "The Eustace Diamonds" is a perfect example of this: she's an underhanded liar and thief, but we find ourselves rooting for her.)

Trollope introduces us to some new characters here, and brings back old ones, much to our delight; Mrs, Proudie is particularly welcome, in all her sanctimonious glory.If I have an objection to the plot of "Framley Parsonage," it's that the dilemma the lovers face too closely mirrors that of the ones in its immediate predecessor, "Doctor Thorne.".That said, my heart couldn't help but respond when the lovely Lucy Robarts suddenly found her dream of love coming true.I knew it was coming (even if she didn't), and yet the simplicity and honesty with which Trollope expressed her astonishment, disbelief and inexpressible joy brought tears to my eyes.Perhaps I'm just an old softie...but perhaps Trollope is just that good.

A Classic Series But a Great Writer
Dickens and Austen get all the 19th Century buzz and attention from modern American readers (and who can complain about that since they are always dancing on the heights of the novel) but American readers should spend a little time with the more pragmatic and never dull Trollope. Every one of his novels is filled with a world of detail and character that brings 19th century England to life (albeit in a fictional setting of Barsetshire in this case). No writer seemed to have as artful and practical a grasp on the importance of money, status and power and the ramifications of striving for these things on the individual and his society. Trollope's biting humor, endlessly wonderful characters and moral dilemas envelop the reader in his world. One can make a lifetime of going back to Trollope and his seemingly endless stream of novels and you will always be rewarded. Here in Framley Parsonage he continues the Barsetshire Chronicles in top fashion. This volume does not have as much biting humor as Barchester Towers (which I think remains his masterpiece, perhaps along with The Way We Live Now) but you will be richly rewarded for spending a little time with Mr. Trollope of whom Nathaniel Hawthorne stated that his work was "solid, substantial, written on the strength of beef." Trollope's Framley Parsonage seems as appropriate for our time as Trollope's with its themes of unscrupulous politicians and lending. This novel and the series it is a part of will reward. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Humorous; Fiction / Literary; Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

The Eustace Diamonds
The Eustace Diamonds is a social commentary on man, and man's condition with and without money. It was an introspective look into the character of all humans, particularly when money becomes the root of their focus.

Because I had no prior knowledge of this book, nor author, I had no expectations for reading this piece.I truly enjoyed the book and the style in which it was written.Particularly interesting was the author's interaction with the reader throughout the text.Trollope's interruptions and conversations about the characters and progression of the story were enjoyable and interesting.Whereas this is something I've often wished for while reading certain books, it was delightful to actually encounter an author who fulfilled such a personal wish.

Initially, I was confused by the beginning of the book, as Trollope introduced the characters, giving such a deep perspective into each one (I admit, I abhor reading prologues, author`s notes and introductions.)This was such an interesting approach to a text, yet it allowed the reader to immediately become immersed into the text and know the characters with greater intimacy.At times, that the saga of the diamonds became monotonous, and found myself wanting a resolution (I don't know if this is a result of being raised within the American culture).However, after finishing the book, I can't imagine any parts of the story being omitted, as each event was significant to the story and to further revelation of the character's true moral makeup.

It was interesting to learn that, during the 1800's, despite a man's intellectual strength and significant career placement, he could still be poor.This resulted in reliance upon a financial marriage, sacrificing true love, to ensure societal placement, thus completing his social framework.(Reminds me of sports figures, here in the US, who's sudden wealth is meant to distance themselves from poverty, uplift their families and subsequent gold-digging females who surround them.)Also interesting, although I think I somewhat knew it, was the role of women during this time.With wealth, a woman was virtually a pawn and/or stepping stone for a gentleman's societal growth.Without wealth, a woman was reduced to dependency, and sometimes mistreatment, upon those of a wealthier class.Interestingly enough, with the decline of the middle class in America, I question whether these same ideals exist today?In truth, wealth or lack thereof, put all persons on a level playing field ... dependence upon others.This situation directly fed into the character development of a person.Money, in the case of Trollope's characters, was truly the root of all evil.

Trollope created a world of opposite relationships and mirror images within the text.Lucy Morris and Lady Fawn versus Mrs. Carbuncle and Miss Roanoke is an example of this craft.Lady Fawn counseled Lucy Morris on her engagement to Frank Greystock, seemingly out of motherly concern, but with social overtures.Lady Fawn had grown to love Lucy and dealt with her, as though she were one of her daughters, though to a certain point.When Lucy does become engaged to Mr. Greystock, Lady Fawn responds favorably, although reminding Lucy of the societal implications which she'd face.Mrs. Carbuncle on the other hand, forced her niece Lucinda, into a marriage for her own selfish gain.Despite Lucinda's blatant revulsion and abuse of Sir Griffin Tewett (what a worm to never stand up for himself!), Mrs. Carbuncle crushed Lucinda's zest for life and independence, and doggedly determined the course of her life.Lucinda, a vibrant, energetic and beautiful young woman, is finally reduced to insanity.While Lucinda gets her way and doesn't marry Tewett, she is all but discarded by her aunt, who uses her wedding presents to fulfill her personal need for material gratification.

Trollope's femme fatal, Lizzie Eustace, was a morally corrupt woman.I hated her!Lizzie's desire for wealth manipulated every fiber of her being, as well as every aspect of her life.(This was despite the fact Lizzie clung to the diamonds, refusing to give them up, yet repeatedly stating that she should like to throw them into the sea, whenever troubles arose.)She sought to destroy people, like Lucy Morris and her love for Frank.Lizzie was the epitome of selfishness!She believed her own lies (the diamonds were hers), lied to everyone (Frank, her cousin), stole from her in-laws (their family heirloom), and attempted to manipulate everyone around her (Lucy, Frank, Lord Bruce, etc), until she managed to saddle herself with Mrs. Carbuncle, her mirror image (the only sense of justice I found for Lizzie).It disgusted me that Lucy would consider situations, then purposefully consider how she should dress, act and place herself in her sitting room or bed, in order to give the illusion of ill-used widow!Furthermore, she completely abandoned her own child to seek a Corsair of some sort!When she was engaged to Lord Fawn, he had never even met the child!Ugh ... that such a woman should be blessed with a child!

Lucy Morris was one of the more redeeming characters of the story.Being the polar opposite of Lizzie Eustace (a nice tactic used by Trollope throughout the novel), Lucy balanced and refreshed the oppressive moral decay of most other characters.Lucy was the embodiment of goodness and I was happy to see her win in the end.Her moral fortitude served to enable Frank Greystock to find redemption in himself, those around her and with this reader.Lucy's morality also revealed the truth of the scripture, "Love never fails."Lucy, endured her year long stay with Lady Linlithgow, with graciousness, and gained a positive response from Lady Linlithgow.

Frank Greystock was a man still seeking himself.While he was temporarily led astray by the temptation of Lizzie`s beauty and the possibility of wealth, Frank finally grew into a man of true character.In hindsight, Frank's dedication to his cousin Lizzie, was a sign of him being a man of his word (I didn't see this as I was reading the book).He consistently gave his word to Lizzie and followed through.In the same way, he had asked Lucy to become his wife, and in the end, he did stay true to his commitment.Despite his lengthy ignoring and desertion of Lucy, Frank had experienced pure love.Sensibly enough, he allowed this pure emotion to lead him in the right direction -marrying Lucy Morris, forsaking immediate wealth and the opinions of others - and allowed him to be true to himself and find real happiness.

Lord George de Bruce Carruthers surprised me!While it was questionable as to how he afforded his lifestyle and the company he chose to keep, Lord George proved to be a very observant and intuitive character.I appreciated how he withstood the allegations of aiding in the theft of the Eustace Diamonds, despite the attack upon his character (he could have easily run away).Furthermore, Lord George was able to maintain relationships with people, despite their obvious character flaws, as revealed in his final conversation with Lizzie.I'm still not sure how I feel about his lifestyle - seeming to live off the means of others.

A peasant may marry whom he pleases
Anthony Trollope's variation on Wilkie Collins' Moonstone story was a public success, but the critics ignored it. It was too much of the same old, the man had been around for so long, and he stuck to his guns, essentially, with his leisurely style of relaxed communications with the reader, with his technique of suspense by concealed consequences, though in a way, this novel is unusually fast paced. It was number 3 in the Palliser sextet and is good fun.

We have two heroines.
a) Lizzie Greystock becomes Lady Eustace and soon a rich widow. She is a beauty and smart and greedy and deeply ignorant (`she was quick as a lizard in turning hither and thither, but knew almost nothing'), who is not clear about the legal implications of her inheritance and has no friends with the practical knowledge to advise her against the legal forces that her in-laws activate against her. This is a typical Trollope woman: we understand her problems, but are not expected to like her.
b) Lucy Morris is a poor governess with a personality, with charming manners, and with a rational mind. She loves a man of whom she knows that he needs a rich wife, hence she expects little. Trollope talks down to her with a kind of patronizing respect. She is a typical Trollope woman: we like her but can't quite see the way out for her.

The man is Frank Greystock, Lizzie's cousin, a young barrister and Member of Parliament, who could well use his cousin's money. He is a bit of an opportunist, but not an entirely bad character at all. Unfortunately he is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character. His Jekyll version does all the right things and behaves decently, but when Hyde comes over him, all rules are off.
Frank represents the conservatives in the house, though he has no convictions to speak of. A barrister doesn't need any.
(This gives Trollope a reason to muse about conservatives in general, and his comments are quite amusing. He had run for parliament himself, as a `radical', meaning a candidate for the Liberal Party, and had lost badly. He calls himself a `conservative liberal'.)

There is another suitor for Lizzie, Lord Fawn, who can give her a peerage, but he is miserably poor for an aristocrat and politician, and he needs her money as badly as Greystock. His family hates Lizzie as much as her first set of in-laws. The woman is marvelously good ad attracting dislike.

The main theme of the plot is a legal entanglement and dispute: who is the rightful owner of the diamonds that the Eustace family considers part of the family property and that Lizzie considers a gift from her husband. That may look like an easy issue, but if you think so, you must have forgotten all that you know of the English legal system of the time from Dickens and others. (Not sure if it has changed since.)
Lizzie is stubborn and will not give up the diamonds, which endangers her engagement with Lord Fawn and her cousin's friendship with the Fawn family. The issue becomes a favorite subject of rumors and false claims in London society.
Lord Fawn is neither rich nor important, but he is an Under-Secretary in the Whig government, serving the India Secretary, while Lizzie's champion is a rising star of the Tories. Hence there is a political dimension to the dispute.
And don't forget the India angle! Like the Moonstone in Collins, the Eustace diamonds have their exotic originals as well! And of course the underworld learns about the stones and has special interests devoted to them.
What an entertaining mess!

150 years and still a fascinating read
One of Anthony Trollope's most entralling stories and well worth grabbing a copy and it is very hard to put down.His characterisation of Lady Eustace is thoroughly up to date ..very 2010!

This is why I bought the Kindle!
This set of novels is (nearly) worth the price of the Kindle itself.Anthony Trollope has been a favorite author of mine since college.His books deal with political and social themes which we are still struggling with today (seems like this year more than ever!)He also writes with a sense of humor that I enjoy and it is hard to believe that he was a contemporary of Dickens and not a modern-day writer.He also writes so descriptively that you feel like you are part of the 18th century British Aristocracy.

However, Trollope was paid by the word so his books tend to be BIG and LONG.If you tried to keep the whole collection in one place, it would take up an entire shelf -- never mind trying to carry them with you.

This set is very well formatted (I'm very picky about my formatting) and is actually better in terms of quality than most books that cost a lot more.The collection of novels has been organized so that it is easy to jump from one book to another and also within the book itself -- again a must given the length of the books.

For the price of the set and the quality, you can't go wrong.

If you aren't familiar with Anthony Trollope, all of these books build on one another and are best enjoyed if read as a series.However, if you want to get a taste of Trollope without investing in an entire series, probably one of his best books is a stand-alone novel called Orley Farm.The free Kindle Edition of Orley Farm was also very well done.I just wish all publishers put this much effort into formatting and editing their Kindle editions and certainly appreciate the folks that have done so with the Trollope novels.

[NCJAR]

The Best
A wonerful introduction to the marvelous work of Trollope. I could barely put itdown - though at its great length, I had to! Amazing how Trollope could develop this tale of greed and vanity with such charm and so many riveting,but plausible,twists in the story ... Read more

Product Description
The second of Trollope's Palliser novels tells of the career of a hot-blooded middle-class politician whose sexual energies bring him much success with women. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Nothing was wrong in the country
This is possibly Trollope's most political novel (admittedly I have read only about 10% of his output). It deals with the mechanisms of British parliament in the 1860s: elections, rival parties, instable governments, cabinets, coalitions, whips, jockeying for places on the bench... And Reform!
And yet, this is a surprisingly un-political world insofar as most processes are people-oriented, not issue-oriented. The parties fight bitter feuds over nearly nothing, their basic positions are nearly identical, their leaders and speakers attack each other in deeply personal ways, but they fraternize privately. (It is not so in the US, says Trollope. There the leaders of parties really mean what they say when they abuse each other.)

Despite all the muddling through, and the lack of vision and material differences, some things did get done in the time: the Reform Bill, which is the key topic of the novel, did pass after all, enlarging the electorate. However the opposition might have passed just about the identical bill...
It had a sub-item, or rather it didn't include the popularly demanded `ballot', a rule which would have prescribed secret voting in parliament. This issue was hot enough to cause demonstrations and arrests. That's as heated as Trollopian politics have become in my reading experience. Dickens for sure was less shy about mixing with the masses.

We follow the parliamentary career of a naïve young MP from Ireland. Phineas Finn is one of the main characters of the Palliser novels, which follow British politics over the 1860s and 70s. Real life leaders seem to be recognizable under pseudonyms (like Gladstone or Disraeli), but most politicians are `characters'.
Finn has career aims as well as romantic ambitions. His problem is: he has no money. Also, he is honest, which reduces access routes. His strengths: looks, charm, a nice personality, an oratory gift... Finn is setting his sight on some unreachable amorous targets and has to admit defeat, but career wise, he succeeds better than expected. His mind is rather split about things. What comes easily can't be of much value. When he is at home in Ireland, he is quite a different person than among his mentors and foes in London. His career, which seemed on a safe trajectory, stalls when personal issues interfere with matters of political protection and alliance. He turns Irish again (to be resurrected from the Irish bogs in a later Palliser novel).

A group of strong upper class women provide a background of suffragette talk. Despite all the grand talk though, the dominating subject of personal interest is `who marries whom?' Upper class women marry reasonably. That's the ultimate situation; in the meantime, as one of the ladies says: danger and dangerous men are always more attractive than safety and safe men. In the end, reason generally dominates. Money makes the world go round, even among rich people. However happiness is not guaranteed.The danger loving lady settles for decency and money, and learns to regrets it.

What makes Trollope worth reading today? He knew his world and his people. He was a sharp observer of vanities and ambitions. Though institutions and social mores have changed over these nearly 150 years, basic psychology has not. For me his books are amusing and informative. His politics are rather tame and his existential concerns are not given to high drama.
His political world is oddly insular. References to places outside the UK are minimal. A young playboy had adventures in Paris, as it should be. The queen still asks her husband's teacher for advice, in Germany, years after Albert's death. A military supply scandal is investigated; it involves potted peas from Holstein. A populist leader is admiring whatever is done in the US (odd, in 1866?). Phineas becomes Undersecretary for the colonies and works on a Canadian railways project.
Not much internationalism, is it? Civil War in America, power struggles in Central Europe between Prussia and Austria, an upcoming war between France and Prussia, the mutiny in India just 10 years past... These don't signify, as Trollope likes to express it.
At least one of the smart young rich ladies knows: the real issue of the decade, and one that the politicians don't even talk about, is the need to furnish the navy with iron ships.

Don't Buy This Edition
This edition was described as the entire book "Phineas Finn".It is not.It begins on page 335.I wouldn't trust anything from this publisher.

Become a Trollopian and curl up with Phineas Finn the second novel in the Palliser politcal novels by Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope (1815-82)wrote two famous series during his long career of a novelist in which he wrote over 50 long Victorian novels. Phineas Finn is the second novel in the Palliser series of political novels. The other hefty three-decker novels in this series include: Can You Forgive Her?; The Eustace Diamonds; Phineas Redux; The Prime Minister and The Duke's Children.
Phineas Finn is one of the best books in the series. It deals with the parliamentary career and loves of handsome Phineas Finn an Irishmen who becomes elected to the British parliament at the young age of 25. This is a good novel to learn how politics was played by skilled players in the Victorian age. Trollope wanted to be elected to parliament but was defeated in his one bid for office. His Palliser series is popular even today with politicians such as former British Prime Minister John Major.
Some readers will find the political chapters boring. The best part of the book is the examination of Finn's romantic entanglements. There are four women characters of importance:
1. Mary Flood Jones-The Irish lass smitten with the dashing and amiable Finn who waits for him during his five year tenure in the halls of Westminster. She is a virgin, lovely and a good friend of Phineas' sister Barbara. Mary comes across as naive and no match in the mental department for such erudite and worldy ladies as Laura Kennedy and Marie Goesler.
2. Lady Laura Standish Kennedy-One of Trollope's most well drawn and complicated women. Laura loves Phineas but rejects him due to her family's need for money. She weds Frank Kennedy who is colder than an Artic cucumber and as stiff as a board. She later divorces Kennedy and flees to Dresden. Laura supports Finn in his political career carrying a torch for the Irish lad throughout the book's many pages.
3. Violet Effingham is loved by Lord Chilton the brother of Laura Kennedy. Chilton is a man with a tawdry past of gambling, drinking and carousing. Violet is attracted to him as well as Phineas. The two men fight a duel over her love. Whom will she choose?
4. Madame Max Goesler is an Austrian widow who is wealthy and wise. She counsels Phineas on his life and career while also being madly in love with him. Trollope loved his heroines and relishes the dark beauty of this Austrian lady.
Who will Finn marry? What will be his fate in politics? Many of these questions are answered in this 700 tome while others are not resolved until Phineas Redux in which Finn returns from Ireland to resume his political career in London.
Phineas Finn published in 1868 is worth rereading and will provide countless hours of entertainment and wisdom for diligently patient readers.

Didn't arrive.
I notified the seller and he issued a credit.Probably got lost in the mail.

Phineas Quam Primum
This is one of Trollope's more politically minded novels, but one that's no less enthralling for that focus.As others have noted, it revolves around the rapid ascendency of Phineas Finn, an Irish country doctor's son whose life is transformed when he wins a seat in Parliament.How Phineas deals with his sudden change in circumstances (or doesn't quite), and whether or not his moral fiber will begin to unravel accounts for the bulk of the story.Some wonderful new characters are introduced, including Madame Max Goesler, a charming widow of dubious provenance, and the Kennedys, a rather passionate, unbalanced couple with distinctly different opinions of our hero.It's all presented with tremendous style, humor and insight (this is Trollope, after all), and makes for delightful reading.Most importantly, it's a set-up for "Phineas Redux," which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest literary entertainments ever produced.So, by all means, dig in.If you haven't read Trollope before, this is the perfect place to start; if you have, and enjoy his writing, you won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description
This story is set mainly in Ireland, although much of the novel takes place at Scroope Manor in Dorsetshire, the ancestral home of the ageing Earl of Scroope. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

All of the Anthony Trollip booksI
I bought the Anthony Trollip books for my husband who is a
big fan. Whatever he writes my husband loves and sits for
hours just reading

Overlooked, for a reason
I love Trollope, but this one is in a different, much lower, league from the Barsetshire or Palliser novels. It has a skeleton of a plot, with no subplots or secondary characters of interest.

An Eye for an Eye
I disagree with one of the other reviewers that this book is a "light read." It is assuredly not in the comic vein of most of Trollope's novels and it is, if anything, "heavy" indeed! It is cast in the mold of a classical tragedy with the hero conflicted between his duty to his family and his duty to the woman he loves. Trollope dearly loves to place his characters in such a bind, but this time it doesn't have a happy ending as is so often the case. It is thus atypical of Trollope's novels,though it does reveal the author's romantic preference for love over duty. In many ways this may be his most powerful statement for that preference as love does not win out in the end. I strongly recommend it, but as with one of the other reviewers, not as a first taste of Trollope. The book is quite different from most of his many other novels.

The Perils of Fecklessness
Normally, I would recommend that a new Trollope reader would start with one of the longer novels like BARCHESTER TOWERS or THE WAY WE LIVE NOW. Although it is atypical for a Trollope novel, AN EYE FOR AN EYE is short, rather elegantly written, and a good book to read if you have no intentions of tackling the entire 47-novel Trollope canon.

The aging Earl of Scroope finds it necessary to adopt a young relative by the name of Fred Neville as his heir. Because the bane of his family has been heirs marrying beneath them, he makes the young lieutenant swear to wed someone worthy of carrying on the Scroope line "sans reproche" (without reproach), which is the family motto.

On a visit back to his barracks in Ireland, Neville decides to hire a boat and go shooting seals and seagulls. On the shore, atop the stunning Cliffs of Moher, he meets an attractive Irish widow and her beautiful daughter Kate. Naturally, he falls in love with the daughter despite rumors of an inappropriate father who was supposed to be dead.

The action swings like a pendulum between Scroope Manor and the Cliffs of Moher. At one location, the Earl and his wife make him promised to find a suitable mate; at the other, Kate and her mother -- with the help of the old local priest Father Marty -- work on joining Fred and Katie in Holy Matrimony.

Fred never can entirely make up his find. The final solution is some sort of bogus affair, in which Kate does not become Lady Scroope, involving perhaps a hushed-up marriage abroad. Naturally, this pleases no one.

Without divulging the ending, we find Fred paying the price for his wishy-washiness. A classical tragedy in the mold of his earlier LINDA TRESSEL, AN EYE FOR AN EYE is well worth reading under any circumstances. It tends to stand sui generis, so don't expect it to resemble his most famous works.

Quick, interesting read
Eye for an Eye has an immature young man making rather a mess of his first entree into adult opportunities.The book is a jaunty, interesting run to a conclusion--a reminder that immature behavior by a young adult can have unforeseen consequences.Many of the devices of Trollope's comic novels are here, but they subserve a plot which resolves in a decidedly non-comic fashion.A light read, an interesting commentary, and a social frankness that does not seem at all old fashioned.Trollope was not always an ardent critic of his own social order, but he understood the problems, as this book shows in a non-preachy way. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of La Vend¿e by Anthony Trollope was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT¿, SAT¿, AP¿ (Advanced Placement¿), GRE¿, LSAT¿, GMAT¿ or similar examinations.
PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

La Vendée
Trollope is one of the most prolific writers who ever set pen to paper, surely. For that reason, perhaps, he is underrated. His novels are always lively and understated: he has his sights on a target much harder to hit than mere entertainment. And for readers who want to read well-written stories and, at the same time, be asked to think about serious social issues, Trollope is a must. This novel may be his best.
La Vendée is an historical novel that focuses on the peasant revolt after the French revolution, and, as usual, Trollope works romance into his theme. But his "take" on the revolt, and on war itself, is truly profound. He forces the reader to consider the possibility that war in inherently wrong and that nothing is really accomplished in even the most seemingly justified of wars. He clearly sides with the royalists, though he can see both sides of the complicated political situation. And he wonders aloud, and with increasingly disturbing insights, whether all the death and carnage accomplished anything worthwhile. This is an outstanding novel. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 1; Original Publisher: Dodd, MeadAmazon.com Review
This 1857 sequel to The Warden wrylychronicles the struggle for control of the English diocese ofBarchester. The evangelical but not particularly competent new bishopis Dr. Proudie, who with his awful wife and oily curate, Slope,maneuver for power. The Warden and Barchester Towers arepart of Trollope's Barsetshire series, in which some of the samecharacters recur. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Annoying number of typos makes this "deal" a throw-away
Do not waste your money on this supposed "deal" from General Books in Memphis. Instead, find a used copy from a reputable publisher. I purchased this book not knowing (because it is not obvious from the website) that it is an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanned copy; I had assumed it was a used book that had been typeset and printed in the normal manner. There are so many typos in this OCR copy from General Books, it's annoying to read and I'm giving up after two chapters. I'm going to throw the book away; I wouldn't give it to anyone else to endure. Do not waste your money on this supposed "deal," find a used copy from a reputable publisher.

superior edition
This is a very good edition, for a paperback.It has many helpful features--chronology, notes, character guide, map, biography of author.I recommend it highly.

Should be required reading if your an Episcopalian or Anglican
I became hooked on this Victorian Brit writer after reading The Way We Live Now- excellent read. I laughed my behind off reading Barchester Towers. If your churched Anglican in any way you'll enjoy this novel.

Grace and Favor
Subsequent to his father's death, the archdeacon is not made bishop.Dr. Proudie receives the appointment to that office.Another change in Barchester from the circumstances portrayed in THE WARDEN is the status of Mr. Harding's daughter, Eleanor Bold.She is a widow.Eight months after the death of John Bold, another John Bold is born.

Dr. Grantly and Mr. Harding find themselves disliking the bishop's chaplain, Mr. Slope, and his wife, Mrs. Proudie.If Mr. Proudie is to return to his former position of warden, Mr. Slope claims he must embrace certain conditions.Under the circumstances, Mr. Harding refuses.The position is given to Mr. Quiverful, Mrs. Proudie's candidate.

Dr. Proudie raises the issue of absent clergy, and Dr. Vesey Stanhope returns to England after having resided in Italy for twelve years.Mr. Arabin, the new man recruited by the archdeacon for the living at St. Ewold, has been on the side of the Tractarians at Oxford.(Schism has the advantage of calling attention to religion.)Arabin has become tired of his Oxford room and college life.He is forty.

Mr. Slope and Mrs. Proudie are in a contest to be puppet master to the bishop.In the book's plot,Eleanor Bold, one of the more engaging characters, shoulders an immense burden through a misunderstanding.An added interest is the jockeying of the High Church group, the archdeacon and Mr. Arabin and Mr. Harding,and the Low Church enclave, the bishop, Mrs. Proudie and Mr. Slope, for power.

That said, the larger part of the reading experience is an enounter with comedy, rather than tragedy.Thecharacters are delightful.

A Literary Comic Masterpiece
In 1855, Anthony Trollope came out with his fourth novel, "The Warden," an amusing, but slight piece of social commentary.In 1857, he produced its sequel, "Barchester Towers."What a difference two short years can make to the growth and confidence of a writer!Reading this masterpiece, one can almost feel Trollope finding his voice, allowing his talents to breathe, relax and take glorious shape; the book is a near perfect balance of humor, drama and romance.Obviously, the modest success of "The Warden" gave Trollope the self-assurance to tell a richer, more complicated story, less concerned with ideas, more reliant on plot and character.And what characters!There's the sanctimonious Mrs. Proudie, the unctuous Obadiah Slope, the dangerously flirtatious Signorina Neroni, the pompous and exasperated Archdeacon Grantly...to have them all in one novel is truly an embarrassment of riches.Simply put, "Barchester Towers" is not only Trollope at his best, but a piece of comic brilliance rarely equaled by anyone else in English literature. ... Read more

Product Description
This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. Political Application is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by John Victor Peterson is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of John Victor Peterson then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Ralph the Heir is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Anthony Trollope is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Anthony Trollope then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Late Trollop
The laws on entail prevent Squire Newton from leaving his estate to hisillegitimate son Ralph. The rightful heir is the squire's nephew, also Ralph, a charming but callous young man whose only talent is accumulating debt. Can the squire circumvent the law and leave the property to Ralph the noble rather than to Ralph the wastrel? This is late Trollope and contains some of his best writing.The secondary characters are superb, especially Ontario Moggs, Friend of the Working Class, and Mr. Neefit, who is determined at almost any cost to see his daughter Polly a "lady". The political chapters are among Trollope's best writing, far superior to the politics described in his earlier Palliser novels.Much of the novel is a convincing portrait of empty-headed, time-wasting Ralph, who as Trollope points out is a rather odd choice for "hero".There is also a fascinating gallery of rogues with whom Ralphs hangs out. The problem with this novel is that the good, genteel heroines -- Patience, Clarissa, Mary-- are lifeless and boring. As Trollope says, men may act but women must "sit and wait".Unfortunately noble women sitting and thinking noble thoughts and waiting for something good to happen, makes for less than exciting reading.By contrast, Polly Neefit shows considerable good sense, courage, pluck, but she is a tradesman's daughter, not a lady and therefore need not be genteel. A great read, but move quickly through the dry patches.

Trollope Fan
It took several years, but I have read ALL of the novels by Anthony Trollope (plus two biographies).Some books were from the library and some were purchased.After Jane Austen, Trollope is my favorite author.

Trollope shines as portraitist, moralist, amiable cynic
Ralph The Heir, written late in Antony Trollope's life, is not as wellknown as his Palliser or Barchester novels, and this is a great shame.Tomy mind his talents are on display here in all their mature glory; hispenetrating observation of human motive and weakness, combined with araucous, convaluted storyline and a wicked sense of humor.Trollope knowspeople through and through, and it is no small thing that he refuses hereto make even his villain a monster.In true Trollope form, Ralph whois the heir (there are two Ralphs and two heirs) is in embarrasedcircumstances.Having spent a rather idle life waiting for his uncle todie so that he might inherit (and with the old squire hale at sixty, thiswill not likely happen soon), Ralph finds himself in debt up to hiseyeballs...or perhaps his hand-tooled hunting boots.With a stable ofhunters and a fierce riding breeches habit, Ralph must do something, butwhat?Just what Ralph does, and how it touches the whole pantheonwithin his circle (and a few decidedly outside it!) gently underlinesTrollope's deep concerns for his time: just what is a gentleman? What,indeed, is nobility in man and woman?And how are we so often willfullyblinkered by love, loyalty, ambition, and hate?There are severalstorylines in Ralph The Heir, and the author does not disappoint those whodelight in watching him tie all these delicious tales together in almostSeinfeldian fashion.Parliament figures prominently and the election (orrather the attempt at an election) of a principal character is somarvelously portrayed, so wicked, it alone is worth the price of the book. Trollope is a gem.Gentle, kindly in his characters, he truly lovespeople and when he laughs at them, I rather think he is laughing also athimself.Enjoy this; it's one of Trollope's best. ... Read more

Product Description
'No-one probably, ever felt himself to be more alone in the world than our old friend, the Duke of Omnium, when the Duchess died.' Her death leaves to the Duke the care of his three wilful children and to the children the continuing social education of their father. The eldest, Lord Silverbridge, has been sent down from Oxford; Lord Gerald Palliser is doing indifferently well at Cambridge; and Lady Mary Palliser, the only daughter, is set on what seems to her father an unsuitable marriage. While the Duke must learn to accept that 'nothing will ever be quite what it used to be', his heir must acquire, his father hopes, a respect for justice, self-sacrifice, and honour, and a suitable wife. The rival claims of Lady Mabel Grex and Isabel Boncassen, the American granddaughter of a dock-worker, are emblematic of the claims on the Palliser family: tradition against progress, duty against natural feelings. The Duke's Children is the sixth and last of the Palliser novels (1864-80), which together provide an exceptionally rich exposé of the British way of life during its most prestigious period. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The last of a great series of novels.
The Duke's Children was the last of the great Palliser novels of Anthony Trollope - Can You Forgive Her (1864), Phineas Finn (1869) , The Eustace Diamonds (1873),Phineas Redux (1874), The Prime Minister (1876), and, as mentioned, The Duke's Children (1879).Trollope hoped that his public would read all six novels, although he doubted this was likely to happen given the many years separating the first novel of the series and the last.

I have read all six novels in order and recommend them highly.The Duke's Children is one of my favorites for several reasons.First, it has the least amount of Parliamentary baggage attached to it, unlike several other Palliser novels.Lord Silverbridge, the Duke's first son, is elected to Parliament, but spends little time and energy on this business.Instead he first falls in love with Lady Mabel Grex, the Duke's choice for his bride, and then a beautiful American girl, Isabel Boncassen.Lady Mabel is an extraordinary woman; Trollope gives her some of the greatest love scenes in Victorian literature.In the Palliser series of novels, he never wrote better or more convincingly than in describing Lady Mabel's conversations with Lord Silverbridge, or her first love, Frank Tregear.

Tregear and Lady Mabel decide to separate; Tregear then forms an alliance and later proposes to Lady Mary Palliser, the Duke's daughter.The Duke immediately rejects Tregear, a commoner, and the resolution of this romance forms an ongoing and important part of the novel.The Duke enlists the help of family and friends, but in the end, as the reader suspects from the beginning, the iron will of Lady Mary prevails.

Trollope loves his Duke, who is the one constant in all six novels.He is a nobleman in every sense of the word and recognized as such by all who meet him.In this last novel, his patience is sorely tried by his three children - the last, Gerald, is not much involved in the story, but when he is it is usually unpleasant for the Duke.For the first time in the six novels, we meet the Duke not primarily in Parliament, where he would prefer to be, but at home with his children; he is not altogether comfortable in this setting, but appears to soften toward his family as the novel and series finally come to an end.

Anthony Trollope is, in my opinion, the finest English novelist of manners.Few can match him when it comes to creating a world that comes alive and becomes as real for the reader as life itself. He is so skillful a writer that we feel included in the story he has created for us.When we put down his book at the end of an evening's reading, we take some of our involvement with the plot with us to think about in our own life; we are much the better for our association with Trollope.When the series concludes with the Duke finally at peace with his children, we experience a sense of satisfaction seldom experienced in reading great literature.The Duke's Children may be read as the first introduction to Anthony Trollope, but I recommend taking Trollope's advice and reading all the Palliser series of novels in order for one of the greatest and most lasting experiences found in literature.

No one had deputed authority anymore
Deprived of his wife, the Duchess, by death, the Duke of Omnium is deprived of the one person to whom he can show his feelings.Glencoralinked him to the world.Now his daughter, Lady Mary, wants to marry inappropriately, his older son wants to run for Parliament as a member of the Conservative Party, and the Duke's heart is broken.

The Duke arranges for Lady Mary to leave Matching to visit Lady Cantrip.(The inappropriate romance reminds the Duke of Glencora and Burgo Fitsgerald.)Lord Gerald, the Duke's second son, is expelled from Cambridge, (Lord Silverbridge, the first, had been sent down from Oxford).

Next the Duke of St. Bungay writes to the Duke of Omnium about the formation of another Liberal ministry.The Duke of St. Bungay raises the points of capacity and duty with the Duke of Omnium.Lord Silverbridge's great desire is to do things to please the Duke of Omnium.Lord Silverbridge keeps endeavoring to propose to Lady Mabel Grex but circumstances always frustrate him.(Proposing to Lady Mabel may please his father.)

Grex, the building, was erected during the days of James I.It is the country seat of Earl Grex, and Lady Mabel loves it.Frank Tregear visits Grex and is charged by Lady Mabel for being false to her and their love because he is pursuing Lady Mary who has more advantages.Lord Silverbridge arranges to go to Scotland for a shooting party because the location puts him in the vicinity of Grex.

Lord Silverbridge and Lady Mabel see each other, but they are at cross purposes.In the meantime, Mrs. Montacute Jones throws Lord Silverbridge into the company of Isabel Boncassen, an American.After Silverbridge asks Isabel to be his wife, he is told to come see her after three months.

The Duke's relationship with his children is fraught.They encounter obstacles of class, hunting, gambling, racing, politics, and even honor that bewilder him.The author stresses and portrays admirably the Duke's kindness.This is Trollope's mature work and is both more ample and pithier, (more focused), than some of the others.

The Duke has meant to protect Lady Mary, now motherless, by means of installing female chaperones, (friends of the family).In his stiff way he speaks to one of them of her power and she exclaims in response that no one has deputed authority anymore.

A Dull Lot
Much as I hate to admit it, this last of the hugely entertaining Palliser Chronicles, is a dud.It's Trollope, of course, so it's beautifully written, with all of his usual political and psychological instincts intact.But he hasn't given himself much to work with.The Duke's children are a dull, uninteresting trio, and their troubles not particularly involving.Trollope explored the notion of love between the classes many times before, as well as the pitfalls of debt (Mark Robarts in "Framley Parsonage" and Felix Carbury in "The Way We Live Now" come to mind)...and in each instance did so with far more humor, energy and insight.And the loss of Glencora early on (the book's first sentence, actually!) leaves a hole from which Trollope never quite digs himself out.All in all, a necessary read for those who want to find out how it all ends, but not one they're likely to enjoy as much as previous volumes.

the duke's children
THE DUKE'S CHILDREN by Anthony Trollope is yet another gem, this one being a kind of finale for the Pallisers.
Poor Duke! a distracted father at best, he is left, after Glencora's death, with three almost-grown children-- each of whom, in his and her way, rebels against expectations that have long been a part of Platangenet's very being.
We return to Mrs. Finn and meet new characters, some American.
What a wonderful read from one of the literary geniuses of his time!

miranda de kay ... Read more

Product Description
The first novel of Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire series, this work introduces the fictional cathedral town of Barchester and many of its clerical inhabitants. Originally published in 1855, the story centers on Mr. Septimus Harding who has been granted the comfortable wardenship of Hiram's Hospital, an almshouse from a medieval charity of the diocese. Mr. Harding, a fundamentally good man and an excellent musician, conscientiously fulfills his duties to the twelve elderly occupants of the hospital. He also cares for his younger daughter Eleanor, who is in love with a young doctor named John Bold. The misfortunes of Harding begin when Bold becomes an enthusiastic reformer and endeavors to expose the great disparity in the allotment of Hiram's antiquated charity funds. This leads to a sequence of events that he becomes powerless to stop, from the editorials of Tom Towers in 'The Jupiter' to the legal interference of Archdeacon Grantly. The novel is a thoughtful description of clerical life infused with the romance of a young couple, which combines to form a novel with a melancholy conclusion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Barset at the beginning
Septimus Harding, a clergyman, lives at Barchester.His daughter Susan has married the son of the bishop, an archdecon, Theophilus Grantly.Harding is made precentor of the cathedral.He is also warden of the almshouse.

The retreat is called Hiram's Hospital after the benefactor.There are twelve old men.The men sign a petition claiming they are not receiving what they are entitled to under Hiram's estate.John Bold is chided by his sister Mary because he loves Eleanor Harding, Susan's younger sister, but is willing to stir up a protest to the detriment of Mr. Harding's position.When John Bold does not appear at a party, Mr. Harding is faced with having to tell Eleanor about the petition that John Bold has encouraged the twelve old men to sign.

Dr. Grantly, the archdeacon, seeks to support his father-in-law in the matter.Next, legal opinion is received that the case as it stands presently will probably be nonsuited.In the meantime the warden has come to believe that the absence of work for holding the postion of warden has brought him the tribulations.

Eleanor urges Mr. Harding to give up the position, which is his desire.She says that she is able to be happy with much less.John Bold is persuaded by Eleanor to abandon the cause.

Trollope, a contemporary of Dickens, gives the book many Dickens-like touches, sanctum sanctorum being just one example.Bold attempts but fails to stop the stories in the JUPITER.Press accounts have been particularly damaging to Mr. Harding's psyche.

This is a gripping tale of conscience versus preferment.The politics of the matter are intriguing.

A Necessary Start
The series of twelve novels that Anthony Trollope wrote about the fictional county of Barchester, England and its inhabitants (I'm including the Palliser books in that calculation) are among the greatest, most entertaining achievements of English literature. And here's where it all begins: "The Warden," a short, sweet tale of a clergyman's burgeoning social conscience, and the uproar that causes in a small, rural community. Perhaps this makes "The Warden" sound more dry than it is; it's actually an amusing, warm-hearted read. Be forewarned that it's not Trollope's best (he's still feeling his way both as a writer and a social critic) , but it's the novel that brought him to public attention, and it's essential reading for those starting the series. In particular, it sets up conflicts and personal dynamics that are key to the novel's immediate successor, the brilliant and hilarious "Barchester Towers." Were "The Warden" to exist on its own, it could be dismissed as a slight, second-rate work; as a prelude to what follows, it's important and indispensable.

Oh what a tangled web they weave
Like his contemporary, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope endured poverty as a child. Dickens found his zeal for social reform in his personal wounds; Trollope, who was spared the debtor's prison but knew well the role of social outcast, goes for the case of the individual in "The Warden," one of his early and most topical novels in a prolific career.

The ingrown aristocratic politics of the Church of England and calls for reform in the mid-19th century brew the action of "The Warden," a satire that is often very funny, and which makes high use of the conventions of English comic literature, including mock classical style, Jane Austen's parties and courtships, the country soul adrift in the city and irony seeping everywhere.The text of the novel and the critical notes in the Penguin edition will explain the complexities of the church's hierarchy and subdivisions.Let it suffice to say that the clergyman of the title, Septimus Harding, has a plum of a job ministering to the inhabitants of a home for aged working class men.He is very happy and devoted to his work, as he is to playing his cello. He does not want much, but he happens to hold down a high income he never asked for, that the archdeacon, his son-in-law and son of the bishop, creatively cut out of an endowment that was supposed to have gone to the hospital's patients.When the hospital's young doctor learns about the money withheld from the old men, he goes to a prosecutor and the press.The archdeacon and a high-priced legal team swing back with a "might is right" offense and the battle lines are drawn. It does not take long for everything to grow very messy and the original issue to get lost in ambitions.

This is a highly satisfying book that reads swiftly.Gilmour's critical introduction like most critical introductions contains spoilers so it is best read as an afterward.It does a good job of putting Trollope and his story in historical context.What it does not do is discuss the artistic achievement of the novel, which deploys voice, perspective, symbolism, character, timing and literary devices to great effect.There is a priceless satiric riff on both Carlyle and Dickens.

The Warden: The First Chronicle of Barset is the shortest and one of the best in the series
Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English chap working as a postal inspector in Ireland when he wrote this novel in 1855. It was the first of the Barsetshire novels dealing with life amid the rural clergy in a mythical town in the west of England. The novels are: "The Warden"; "Barsetshire Towers"; "Dr Thorne" "The Small House at Alliington" and the longest and best of the series: "The Last Chronicle of Barset." Completing this series the affable and industrious Trollope went on to the Palliser politcal series and countless other works. In all he wrote 47 novels and short stories. While not on the creative level of a Dickens or the Brontes he is, nevertheless, a great novelist who deserves to be more widely read and studied in our English courses in university.
The Warden tells the story of old Septimus Harding who is the warden of a small almshouse for retired workers. There are 12 of the old men who live here. Harding receives a salary of 800 pounds; serves as precenter in the Barsetshire Cathedral and enjoys his violincello, reading, gardening and sharing life with his unmarried daughter Eleanor. His oldest daughter Susan is wed to the proud conservative Dr. Grantley who is the son of the senior citizen Bishop. All is well is this Eden world until a young Doctor John Bold causes a ruckus!
Bold proclaims in the newspapers that Harding is being paid too much and his job is a sincecure while the old men of the almshouse deserve a higher yearly stipend. The novel was written during a time of church reform in the Church of England. The book was inspired by disputes about church governance throughout the land.
Bold is also in love with Eleanor Harding. All ends fairly well as Mr. Harding resigns. He is a man of high Christian values and his conscience is the monitor of his action. He resigns even though Bold had withdrawn his attack in an effort to win Eleanor as his bride. The two marry. Harding is given a smaller residence but retains the esteem of the church powers. The series is well launched.
The Warden is the first of the series and will best be enjoyed if it is read prior to Barchester Towers and the other fine books in the series. Trollpe was better than Jan Karon and is well worth spending time with. His books can be slow but he knew human nature and the Victorian society of which he knew so much about.

A prescient Victorian novel
Anthony Trollope's novel _The Warden_, though one-hundred and fifty years old this year, is just as readable and just a politically relevent today as it was in Victorian England. Mr. Trolllope offers a wonderful perspective on the fallout that occurs in highly polarized political settings - in this case Victorian England.

Septimus Harding is a middle-aged Anglican cleric who earns 800 pounds a year looking after and caring for the residents of an almshouse. His patients are elderly and disabled peasants; the almshouse the result of the will of one John Hiram, four-hundred years dead, who declared that his land in Barsetshire, the couny where the novel is set, should be rented out and the revenue used to fund a hospital for ailing tradesmen, and that each tradesman should receive a small allowance. Four hundred years later, the value, and the rents on the land have increased four fold, and along with the increase in revenue, the salaries of the warden, who looks after the patients, and the steward, who cares for the buildings, have increased, but the allowances for the patients have not.

Mr. Harding has a young friend, Mr. Bold, a man so bent on reform that he would reform his own household, given the chance, even if nothing were wrong with it. Mr. Bold gets his hands on old Hiram's will,a dn here the action begins. Mr. Bold and his attorney come to the conclusion that the Barchester cathedral, the executer of Hiram's will, has not been following the will properly, by not increasing the allowances of the patients of the hospital, and over-inflating the salaries of the warden and the steward. He brings a law-suit against the warden and the steward.

But there are other problems brewing in Barchester. Dr. Grantly, the archdeacon of the church and Mr. HArdings son in law, is a staunch defender of the rights of sthe Church of England to conduct business as it sees fit, and therefore stands in direct opposition to the reforms of Mr. Bold. Mr. Bold is in love with Mr.Harding's unmarried daughter, Eleanor, and this brings him trouble when he files a lawsuit against her father. And Mr. Harding is beginning to doubt whether or not he deserves his salary, which is worrying to both Mr. Bold, because with out Mr. Harding he has no case against the church, and Dr. Grantly, who sees Mr. Harding's questioning of the validiity of his salary as threatening to the church.

Spetimus Harding is a truly honest, valiant man in the middle of a war of ideology. Add that to Trollope's scathing reviews of the press (and a writer he calls Mr. Popular Sentiment, a satirization of Charles Dickens) and you have a tale that is just as relevent in America in 2005 as it was in England in 1855. ... Read more

Product Description
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. He also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues, and on other topical conflicts of his day. Doctor Thorne is the third novel in Anthony Trollope's series the "Chronicles of Barsetshire". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Too many errors
I love this book, but there were numerous errors in the text which made it almost illegible. I had to buy a different version.

Blood or money
John Newbold Gresham is the Member from Barsetshire, a Tory.When he dies, his son, Francis Gresham, is chosen in his place.He has married Lady Arabella DeCourcy, a Whig family, and so after the dissolution of Parliament, he fails to maintain his seat.

There are many children, mostly girls, except for the eldest, another Frank.By 1854 the son has been educated at Harrow and is attending Cambridge.Dr. Thorne lives at Greshamsbury with his niece, Mary Thorne.Mary is educated with Lady Arabella's daughters, Augusta and Beatrice Gresham.She studies French, German, and music.The squire of Greshamsbury struggles with debt and poverty.Dr. Thorne arranges his loans for him with Sir Roger Scratcherd.

Augusta accepts Mr. Moffat's offer of marriage.(This later comes to nothing.)Mary makes the DeCourcy cousins angry with her as Augusta's wedding is planned.Lady Amelia, his aunt, declares that Frank must marry money, (to save his patrimony).Nearly simultaneously Mary Thorne learns enough of her dubious beginnings to understand that she is duty-bound to discourage Frank's romantic leanings in her direction.

As things develop, Mary is banned from visiting Gresham family members, and her uncle, in sympathy, decides to limit his involvement with the family to professional matters.Much of the plot is in the nature of a Cinderella or Romeo and Juliet story.I do not mean that Trollope needed models for his plots, just that in cases of matrimony, the issues of money and blood arose often.

This is a smashing book.

A month in the country...
...which is what this lovely, gentle book feels like.Smaller in scope than its predecessor (the sprawling, boisterous "Barchester Towers"), "Doctor Thorne" is more of a character study; the story of a simple man facing difficult decisions.Not that it's in any way devoid of Trollope's incisive social insights or intuitive humor.If you're a fan of this particular writer, or the English comedy of manners in general, this will be an enjoyable read.

Dr. Thorne has the prescription for hours of reading pleasure
Doctor Thorne is the third novel in the six set Barsetshire Novels. These delightful fictional masterpieces deal with life in the clerical world of Barset. Trollope completed this work on the way home from a postal inspection tour of Egypt in 1858. This novel is a little over 500 pages making it one of the "shorter" works of the series.
The plot is simple. Doctor Thorne is the guardian of the beautiful Mary who is the illegitimate daughter of his deceased brother Henry. Mary is in love with Frank Gresham who comes from a local gentry family. Frank's family has fallen on hard times so his parents demand he marry a rich woman. The Greshams are related to the super rich De Courcey family who reside on an estate in Barsetshire. This side of the family is also against Frank's marrying Mary Thorne. Frank is tempted to fall in love with the wealthy and eccentric Miss Dunstable. She will, however, marry Dr. Thorne in a later novel in the series.
As in all Trollope novels there are other characters. Mr. Oriel weds Beatrice who is one of Frank's sisters. Oriel is a clergyman and the couple are happy.Roger Scatchard is the man who killed Henry Thorne. Henry had fathered a child with Roger's sister named Mary. Mary's mothermarries a man and moves to the United States. She never returns home to England. Scatcherd served six months in prison for the violent crime but then became a wealthy engineer. He dies an alcoholic as does his son Louis Phillipe Scatcherd. Trollope probably based the character of Roger Scatcherd on that of builder Sir Morton Peto or of railway millionaire George King.
Mary inherits the Scatcherd fortune with Louis Phillipe dies of alcoholism. When Frank's mother learn of this she gives her approval to his wedding of the now affluent Mary. All ends well for the Greshams.
The first name of Dr. Thorne is Thomas. This may be a reference to Trollope's brother Thomas who suggested the plot of the story to his novelist writing brother.
Humorous scenes abound in the descriptions of the money loving De Courceys, a rural election and the rivalry existing between Dr. Thorne and local doctors such as the immortal Dr. Fillgrave.
Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) is less heralded in America than his fellow Victorians Dickens, Thackery or Eliot but his characters are a realistic portrait of how real men and women of the middle and upper classes lived in Victorian Great Britain.
I discovered the wonders of Trollope over forty years ago and have found him to be a wise, witty and wonderful companion throughout life. Dr. Thorne is a good first Trollope novel for readers not familiar with his voluminous work. Excellent and recommended!

Trollope literature
I've enjoyed the Phineas series and am enjoying this one, also. I liked the cover of the book. Though, if I had a preference it would be for a book with the notes inbedded to illuminate some words or phrases that I was not familiar with. ... Read more

Product Description
At first savagely reviewed, The Way We Live Now (1875) has since emerged as Trollope's masterpiece and the most admired of his works. When Trollope returned to England from the colonies in 1872 he was horrified by the immorality and dishonesty he found. In a fever of indignation he sat down to write The Way We Live Now, his longest novel. Nothing escaped the satirist's whip: politics, finance, the aristocracy, the literary world, gambling, sex, and much else. In this world of bribes and vendettas, swindling and suicide, in which heiresses are won like gambling stakes, Trollope's characters embody all the vices: Lady Carbury, a 43-year-old coquette, 'false from head to foot'; her son Felix, with the 'instincts of a horse, not approaching the higher sympathies of a dog'; and Melmotte, the colossal figure who dominates the book, a 'horrid, big, rich scoundrel ... a bloated swindler ... a vile city ruffian'. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Novel for the Way WE Live Now
Despite 135 years of "progress," Trollope's novel remains as topical today as it was then.Stock scams, public relations manipulations, social climbing,successful scoundrels, MacMansions...you name it and you will find it in the pages of this acid-dipped tour through the worst of English upper-crust life so mirrored by the recent real estate bubble of our own.As often in Trollope, the "good guys" may be just too good for words, but the bad guys are simply fabulous!Put aside an hour a day for about a month, and you will be well rewarded.

One of my favorite books, ever!!! Read this!!!
This is one of Trollope's best books, it involves several storylines, and they are each very interesting and kept my interest all the way through--it has so much to say about life and society that is still true today, and is full of wonderfully believable characters--I can't say enough about this book, except to hope more people will read it and discover Anthony Trollope--I can't see why he wasn't more highly regarded, he is so much better than Dickens in my opinion--in fact I can hardly read Dickens!!

The Way We Live Now
Hard going with many despicable characters, and a few upright characters - but worth following through to the end.Values in the making.

"You need a special kind of man who understands the way we live now to lead you into that new world of peace and prosperity."
Often considered Trollope's greatest novel, this satire of British life, written in 1875, leaves no aspect of society unexamined. Through his large cast of characters, who represent many levels of society, Trollope examines the hypocrisies of class, at the same time that he often develops sympathy for these characters who are sometimes caught in crises not of their own making. Filling the novel with realistic details and providing vivid pictures of the various settings in which the characters find themselves, Trollope also creates a series of exceptionally vibrant characters who give life to this long and sometimes cynical portrait of those who move the country.

Lady Carbury, her innocent daughter Henrietta (Hetta), and her attractive but irresponsible son Felix are the family around which much of the action rotates. They are always in need of money and Lady Carbury writes pap novels to support the family (and Felix's drinking and gambling). In contrast to the Carburys, and just as important to the plot, are the Melmottes. Augustus Melmotte, who has come from Vienna under a cloud of financial suspicions, has acquired a huge estate for himself, his foreign wife, and his marriageable daughter. Boorish, but determined to become a leader of society, Melmotte provides moments of humor for the reader, though he is scorned by an aristocracy which is nevertheless beholden to him for his investments.

When Melmotte becomes the major investor in a plan to build a railway from California to Mexico, Paul Montague, a handsome engineer who has been working in America, arrives in town. A ward of Roger Carbury, cousin of Felix and Hetta, he soon finds himself in love with Hetta--and in competition with Roger for her hand. Felix courts the Melmottes' daughter for her fortune, and she falls in love with him while he dallies with a local domestic worker. Investors dash to buy shares in the Mexican railway, with their investments ending in the sticky hands of Melmotte, who has bigger plans.

Often addressing the reader directly, Trollope fills the novel with action and subplots which illustrate a wide variety of themes, often depicting his characters satirically to illustrate the social, political, and financial ills of the day. Ahead of his time for his depiction of the lively, intelligent woman whose role is defined (and limited) by her social and financial position, Trollope creates a number of resourceful women--and a number who are willing to do almost anything to marry a wealthy man. As is customary in Victorian novels, the good are rewarded here, and the evil are punished, but Trollope's characters, unlike those by Dickens, for example, usually control their own destinies. Broad in scope, thoughtful in construction, complete in its depiction of 1870s' England, filled with wonderful characters, and absolutely engrossing to read, The Way We Live Now is one of the great novels of the nineteenth century.Mary Whipple

The Warden, #1, Barsetshire Chronicles
Barchester Towers, #2, Barsetshire Chronicles
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels), #3
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels), #4
The Small House at Allington, #5
The Last Chronicle of Barset (Penguin Classics), #6, Barsetshire Chronicles


... Read more

Product Description
The book centers on the character of Mr. Harding, a clergyman of great personal integrity, whose charitable income far exceeds the purpose for which it was intended. Young John Bold turns his reforming zeal to exposing what he considers to be an abuse of privilege, despite being in love with Mr. Harding's daughter Eleanor. The novel was highly topical as a case regarding the misapplication of church funds was the scandalous subject of contemporary debate. But Trollope uses this specific case to explore and illuminate the universal complexities of human motivation and social morality. This edition includes an introduction and notes by David Skilton and illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. ... Read more

Product Description
Anthony Trollope was a masterful satirist with an unerring eye for the most intrinsic details of human behavior and an imaginative grasp of the preoccupations of nineteenth-century English novels. In The Last Chronicle of Barset, Mr. Crawley, curate of Hogglestock, falls deeply into debt, bringing suffering to himself and his family. To make matters worse, he is accused of theft, can't remember where he got the counterfeit check he is alleged to have stolen, and must stand trial. Trollope's powerful portrait of this complex man-gloomy, brooding, and proud, moving relentlessly from one humiliation to another-achieves tragic dimensions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

enter the world of Anthony Trollope
There is no better way to immerse yourself in 19th century England than the works of Anthony Trollope.About every 10 years I re-read the "Barsetshire Novels" and each time re-discover what a engaging storyteller he was, what a perceptive creator of character, what an acute chronicler of his times.The Barsetshire novels are all lengthy (except for the slim prequel, "The Warden"), and "Last Chronicle" is the longest of all, but by the time you get to it you're glad it's so mammoth because you don't want to leave Trollope's world.His plots are simple: who will marry who, who will inherit what, who will rise in the Victorian world and who will fall.But his characters are so endearing, so engaging, and - some of them - so enraging.I can't recommend Trollope highly enough for anyone who wants to understand the 19th century.His books are more rural in focus than Dickens, quieter in tone and more realistic of plot.Just finishing up "Last Chronicle of Barset" and I practically want to start the whole thing over again.

Pride
The introduction notes that Trollope wrote the first novel sequences, the Barsetshire and the Palliser novels, in English.The Barsetshire books were written over a twelve year period.Mr. Crawley, perpetual curate at Hogglestock, is accused of stealing a cheque for twenty pounds.Grace Crawley, his daughter, nineteen years old, is a teacher.Dean Arabin has undertaken to finance the studies of Bob Crawley, currently in school at Marlborough, and headed for Cambridge.The son of Archdeacon Grantly, Major Grantly, is interested in Grace Crawley.Griselda Grantly, daughter of the archdeacon, is now Marchioness of Hartletop.

Mr. Crawley's role in the twenty pound cheque matter is a muddle, notwithstanding his innate honestly and his superior intellect and academic achievement.Grace Crawley and Lily Dale of Allington are friends.For Crawley's hearing, the board of magistrates includes Lord Lufton, a member of the DeCourcy family, and Dr. Thorne.Mr. Robarts advises Mrs. Crawley that he will arrange bail, should it be necessary.

The case is bound over to be heard by the Assizes in April and Mr. Crawley is released on bail, (he had refused to be represented by a lawyer).Bitterness is produced by poverty in the poor gentry.The Crawley family is in such circumstances.Behind Mr. Crawley's humility there is crushing pride.Later when Mr. Robarts tries to persuade him to accept the services of an attorney, Crawley reponds that he doesn't want to obstruct justice and is reluctant to mislead a jury.

Grace's mother seeks to shield her from the trouble and she is sent to visit Lily Dale.Mrs. Proudie worries about the souls at Hogglestock and tries to have Crawley removed from his curacy.At the preliminary stage it is not really within the bishop's power to act against Mr. Crawley.John Eames, Grace's cousin, undertakes a journey to uncover the truth in Crawley's case.

Trollope is particularly good on pecuniary matters, changes of fortune.He writes movingly, also, of honor.The portrait of Mr. Crawley, of stiff-necked pride, is a wonder.The novel is a highly satisfactory end to the Barset sextet.

What a wonderful read!
The best way to spend a winter's night? Curling up with Anthony Trollope in front of a woodstove- Heaven! And The Last Chronicle of Barset is wonderful- It's one of those books that you're actually thankful for its length. Amazing characters- wonderful details- and what's even better? there are 46 other Trollope novels left to devour- One per winter!

The Last Chronicle of Barset is the final and best of the excellent Barset Series of Novels
The Last Chronicle of Barset is the final, longest (862 pages) and best of the Barset novels of Anthony Trollope (1815-1882). The novels comprising the clerical series are: The Warden; Barchester Towers; Doctor Thorne; Framley Parsonage; The Small House at Allington and The Last Chronicle of Barset. This novel was written and published serially in 1866-1867. It is a massive three decker in the Victorian style. The prolific Trollope authored over 40 novels, short-stories and travel accounts in his storied career. The Last Chronicle of Barset has several characters and stories any one of which could have made a full fledged novel in itself! The main players are:
Josiah Crawley-The eccentric pastor of the poor Hogglestock bricklayer parish is accused of stealing a check for 20 pounds. Lawyer Mr. Toogood, the Grantleys and Lady Lufton seek to win him acquittal. We see this gloomy man put his wife Mary and daughters Grace and Jane through the purgatory of suffering and dread as his case is due to be brought up before the assizes. Crawley is one of the most interesting characters in all of Trollope's voluminous writing.
Several love stories are reported:
a. Johnny Eames still loves Lily Dale. Lily jilted him for the rake Adolphus Cosbie seven years previous to the opening of the novel. Johnny has a good job in London but Lily still says no. Will she marry Johnny or will she wed Adolphus? Or will she write two letters after her name "OM" for Old Maid? Read the novel and see!
b. Major Henry Grantley is the son of archdeacon Grantley. He is widowed with a small daughter. Henry falls in love with the intelligent and beautiful Grace Crawley daughter of the accused thief the Rev. Josiah Crawley. Will true love conquer?
c. The London artist Conway Dalrymple is torn between a married woman
and Miss Van Siever. Whom will he choose as his life's companion? This story has little to do with the action in Barsetshire and was added by Trollope to fulfill his contract for so many pages per month to a periodical.
In addition to the mystery regarding the theft of the check and the usual Trollopian love stories there are two key deaths of major characters in the Barset series:
a. The Rev. Septimus Harding-the aged fathere of Eleanor Arabin the dean's wife and Susan Harding the spouse of the archedeacon of Barset.
Mr. Harding is one of the kindest men seen in the pages of English fiction.
b. Mrs. Proudie-the busybody, interfering, harridan who has made her husband her uxorious tool dies of a heart attack in this final volume. She is one of the best comical characters in fiction.
There is also a suicide of a minor character Mr. Broughton.
I have read these Barset novels for many years and they are eminently worthy of rereading! Countless hours of pleasure and profitable wisdom await those who have the time and patience to devote to a huge Victorian novel. I was touched by Trollope's final paragraphs in which he bids adieu to Barset and the characters he so lovingly created with his genius pen.

Why be stubborn?
Trollope ends his Barsetshire cycle of novels with the longest one of the series, but the one with the weakest plot and with a most unsatisfying resolution. But that's OK and it is usual with Trollope. He is not writing a mystery novel or a complex spy thriller. His plots may well be flat and uninteresting, but his characters gain all the more.

After all, real life seldom offers us complicated situations. Whether fortune smiles or frowns on us, we understand our lot pretty well, even if we often fail to act as we should. If our lives and situations are simple, we are not. Trollope offers us brilliantly recreated complex people from which even casual readers may draw insight into their own lives.

As usual, there are no white hats and black hats. The main character, Josiah Crawley, is an unimpeachable, principled man accused of theft. He could not have done it, but looks guilty. He stubbornly refuses all charity and comes off as dour. He wears his tattered pauper's cassock with sinful pride. But he suffers greatly and so we sympathize, empathize even as we dislike him.

Lily Dale stubbornly resists her suitor Johnny Eames. One could think of her as an early feminist if she simply stated that a woman's happiness does not necessarily require sharing her life with a man. But no: she turns down Eames because she refuses to get over a previous heartbreak.

Johnny Eames is continually refused by a Lily Dale who only offers him the "F" word (i.e. friendship), so he flirts with other women but stubbornly refuses committing to any one else because of his devotion to Lily.

Archdeacon Grantly stubbornly refuses to accept that his son may marry whomever he wishes. His son, Major Grantly, stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that his father has a right to at least have feelings about his choice of a mate.

In the end, some relent some do not; material or matrimonial happiness comes to some of the characters but not to others. But true happiness comes only to those who trust and hope whether or not they realize their temporal desires.

Indeed my favorite line in the novel is spoken by Mr. Harding, the hero of the first Barset novel and a man who sees the good even in his foes. "Why should anyone weep for those who go away full of years - and full of hope?" Happiness is to trust and to hope.

Vincent Poirier, Dublin ... Read more

Product Description
Anthony Trollope is most famous for his portrait of the professional and landed classes of Victorian England, especially in his Palliser and Barsetshire novels. But he was also the author of one of the most fascinating autobiographies of the nineteenth century. Trollope was born in 1815, the son of a formidable mother and a tragically unsuccessful father. Poor, ill-dressed, awkward, and sullen, he was the victim of vicious bullying at Harrow and Winchester. But he managed later to carve out a successful career in the General Post Office while devoting every spare moment (except in hunting season) to writing. How he paid his groom to wake him every morning at 5.30 a.m. and disciplined himself to write 250 words every quarter of an hour has become part of literary legend. His efforts resulted in over sixty books, fortune, and fame, and in An Autobiography Trollope looks back on his life with some satisfaction. The facts he reveals and the opinions he records - about Dickens and George Eliot, politics and the civil service - are as revealing as the judgments he passes on his own character. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Author
Trollope recites how the farm at Harrow on which he grew up was the grave of his father's hopes.Michael Sadlier's introduction points out that Trollope's AUTOBIOGRAPHY impaired his popularity.The business of being an author held no mystique for him.At nineteen Trollope was a hobbledehoy.He had no aspirations for his future life. His mother's best novels were written when she was nursing ill family members while living in Belgium.Trollope began to keep a journal at age fifteen and continued the practice until he destroyed his journal in 1870.

The first seven years of his postal career were spent in London.Anthony experienced some of the woes he imposed on his characters.A woman appeared at the post office asking in a loud voice why he wouldn't marry her daughter.A tailor's bill compunded until it was a substantial amount.During that early period Anthony did learn to read French and Latin.After seven years Anthony Trollope volunteered to go to a position in Ireland.He was to live at Banagher on the Shannon.He discovered there one of the joys of his life, riding to the hounds.His new life was opulent in comparison to his old one.

When Trollope married he feels a better life was commenced.Visiting Salisbury for the post office, (he had been transferred back to England), he conceived the story of THE WARDEN.Starting with BARCHESTER TOWERS he did much of his writing in railway coaches.Trollope found George Lewes to be the acutest critic known to him.In 1861 the author became a member of the Garrick Club.In 1864 he was elected to the Athenaeum.Trollope revered Thackeray and George Eliot as English novelists.He notes, though, that George Eliot lacked ease.The book continues on and gives the author's view of politics and a description of his attempt to be elected to the House of Commons.To his dismay his Palliser novel, THE PRIME MINISTER, was not a popular and critical success.

This posthumous work is a success, I believe. ... Read more

Product Description
Widely acknowledged to be the masterpiece of Trollope's prolific Victorian career, "The Way We Live Now" is the scathing satire he wrote upon returning to England after traveling abroad. In seeking to discuss the deceit and dissipation he found, Trollope spared no iniquitous aspect he perceived in business, politics, social classes, literature, and various vice-related activities. The result of his efforts is an impressive array of characters, such as the old coquette Lady Carbury, her dissolute son Sir Felix, a spoiled and treacherously lovely heiress Marie, and her colossal figure of a father Augustus Melmotte, the great financier whose deceptive plots dupe countless wealthy individuals. Through the swindling, bribery, feuding, and shameless self-promotion of these characters, Trollope writes a sweeping panorama of vice for the sake of monetary greed that will cause readers to reflect on the morality of our own time.Amazon.com Review
Trollope's 1875 tale of a great financier's fraudulentmachinations in the railway business, and his daughter's ill-use atthe hands of a grasping lover (for whom she steals funds in order toelope) is a classic in the literature of money and a ripping good readas well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

A surprisingly good read
I confess that I did not have very high expectations for this book. I tried it based on a Newsweek recommendation. It starts rather slowly for a modern reader. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I was drawn into and hooked onto the story and the characters. There are some unpleasant stereotypes, particularly of the main Jewish character, but, at the same time, on of the most reasonable characters is also a Jew. The emptiness of life for the rich in Victorian England is well described. It was a fascinating window into the past, made more valuable being written by someone living at the time.

Newsweek was right... a novel for our corrupt age
Read this novel on Newsweek's suggestion for the top 50 books to read over the summer. I didn't realize it was over 1,000 pages. It took awhile, but it was worth it, mostly. I managed to get through a Master's in English without reading Trollope, and while he is no Dickens or Austen, he definitely captures the Zeitgeist of the gilded 1870s of get-rich-quick Madoff-like pyramid schemes, parents who enable their children to be irresponsible losers, cads or player's who only want a good-time girl, phony literary posers, and those who seek fame without talent. Newsweek was right. The novel could have been ripped from The New York Times. It lacks character development, though. And 300 pages could have been deleted without losing any meat. It was a page turner with interwoven tales and intersecting narratives. It was not only a decent satire of London in the 1870s but also of two stereotypical American characters - a wild west woman who supposedly killed her husband and a ruthless speculator from San Francisco.

Hard to read
I started this book but the type was so small, the book so long and slow moving I gave up for now.I may come back to the book later since I could see potential for a good read.

An Interesting View of the Victorian Mindset
The conviction that the world is going to the dogs is a long-standing one, a proposition borne out by Anthony Trollope's novel about the intersection of high finance and society in 1870's London.Other than to entertain his readers, Trollope's evident chief purpose in writing this novel was to satirize and castigate the materialism and obsession with conspicuous consumption that was so much on disply as Victorian England approached its high summer of prosperity and power.

Needless to say, Trollope was one of the 19th-Century master novelists and the book accordingly has many strengths.His insight into character was keen and he carefully details a number of character studies, some of whom are quite fascinating figures.Chief of these is Augustus Melmotte, the mysterious parvenu financier who causes much mischief and ruin to the lives of other characters in the book until he brings about his own destruction through arrogance, cupidity, and vaunting ambition.Other characters are also well drawn though some, like Roger Carbury, are such goody two-shoes as to be rather insufferable.

This leads me to one of the chief problems that I had with the novel, the fact that I'm reading the work across such a gulf of time and outlook from the writer's viewpoint that many of the novel's underlying assumptions strike me as ridiculous if not distasteful.Like any other creative work, it is a product of its time and place and reflects the values and mores of its era.A number of elements in the book struck me as either really unpleasant or the result of a very dated, hopelessly obsolete sensibility.

This is particularly true with respect to the portrait of Jews in the novel.It is suggested that Melmotte, a thorough scoundrel (although with admitted heroic qualities, like the Miltonic Satan), might be Jewish.Another Jew, Cohenlupe is a fraud and an embezzler.One sympathetic Jewish character, Brehgert, while characterized as honest, is also depicted as a fairly ridiculous figure. I also found the novel's extreme "Englishness" to be rather trying at times.In particular, I found the romance between Paul Montague and Hetta Carbury rather insipid and couldn't understand how any man in his right mind would prefer a colorless and tame character like Hetta to a woman of passion, spirit, and real guts like the American Mrs. Hurtle.This probably only reflects, however, my own crude American nature.

I recommend this book as a good read (summer or beach) for Anglophiles, fans of 19th Century literature, and to anyone interested in British social, political, and economic history in the late 19th century.

A masterpiece of character development
As with so many other classic novels, a summary of the plot devices of Trollope's "The Way We Live Now" is a sure way to undersell the book's quality.The story involves the romantic/marital/financial (all of which spheres are inextricably linked) maneuvers of several figures in Victorian society.At the center of this activity is Augustus Melmotte, the propriety of whose professional conduct is best left for the reader to discover.

Most remarkable about this work is the consistent depth and credibility of its character development.I typically feel a fairly thick barrier preventing my total belief in a fictional character, especially if that character was imagined during a prior century.

I found Trollope's work, by contrast, to be one of the finest, if not the finest, example of character development that I've read.Not just one, but most of the inhabitants of his novel are so vivid as to enable the reader to feel their emotions and moral dilemmas, even where their interests conflict with one another.There is no single protagonist in this novel but several, at least insofar as reader identification is concerned.

Trollope somehow achieves all of this without a Proustian surfeit of sensory detail; like Edith Wharton, he works by precisely detailing the trains of thought of his characters.Unlike Wharton, however, he achieves this effect with a multitude of characters rather than a small circle of central ones.

Trollope's characters seem willfully designed to run the gamut of the spectrum of moral rectitude.For me, the most relatable character was Paul Montague, who is essentially upright and sympathetic but who occasionally commits errors of judgment with which I could readily relate.

The character whose company I enjoyed the most, however, was Roger Carbury, who consistently demanded the very highest standard of conduct -- from others, but most of all from himself.Carbury's virtue ultimately prevents him from acting to further his most impassioned desires.He is one of two moral centers in the book; there is another who proves equal to him in moral courage but who cannot be identified here without spoiling some of the plot.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are out-and-out rogues - the rascally Felix Carbury, and the unscrupulous Melmotte.Again, I will leave it to the reader to discover just where (if anywhere) are the limits of their skullduggery.It's clear from the novel's beginning that Melmotte takes some liberties in financial affairs; one cannot help but notice, for the first few hundred pages, that any time he is involved in a transaction, cash flows in his direction whereas only railway stock flows the other way.But not for some time is the reader able to judge where his legerdemain stops.

Between the moral poles of Roger Carbury on the one end, and Melmotte and Sir Felix on the other, are a whole gallery of other characters - the decent but occasionally weak Paul Montague, the irresponsible but not criminal Dolly Longestaffe (a male), the calculating Lady Carbury, the beautiful, misused Mrs. Hurtle with her dark past, the plucky but naively trusting Marie Melmotte, the fearless and iconoclastic attorney Squercum, the rustic, crude but upright John Crumb, and many others.

Testimony to the quality of Trollope's writing is the way he is even able to weave some empathy for a villain. Late in the story, when the pressures of exposure and societal judgment are closing in on one ne'er-do-well, we experience his wretched unraveling.Most of us learn, early in life, the terrible strain of being slowly entangled by our own falsehood; this learning experience enables us to live more honest lives in adulthood.To see a character relentlessly done in by the pressure of his own lies, however justified, is vividly agonizing in Trollope's skillful hands.

Also striking about the novel is its cinematic nature.It seems tailor-made to be translated into film, and indeed several of the episodes in the book seem somehow to have been constructed with forethought of the medium.The reader reflexively visualizes the action playing out - even to the extent of imaging the camera lingering foreshadowingly on certain elements of each scene.

So deeply did I care about the various characters that, toward the novel's end, I began to hope against hope that two unlucky but virtuous characters could be brought together somehow.This would have required an absurdly unrealistic surmounting of barriers erected earlier by those same characters, and thus the satisfaction of this urge would have robbed the novel of its realism. But caring about the characters as much as I did, I couldn't help but hope.

Without giving away the ending, I can't help but remark that, while Trollope concludes the affairs of many of his characters in happy matrimony, the two who prove the novel's moral exemplars are disappointed in all of their self-interested hopes.Is Trollope saying by this that we must choose between being as good as we can, and being as happy as we can?

In any event, readers who are looking for timeless characters - characters who will vividly haunt, across the expanse of time, the imagination of the 21st-century reader - need look no further than Trollope's masterwork.
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Product Description
George Western is morbidly obsessed with his wife's past. Before her marriage to Western, Cecilia was engaged to the spiteful, conceited Sir Francis Geraldine. Unable to confide this to her husband, Western discovers her past from Geraldine and in a fit of temper deserts his young wife. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A fun, easy-to-read Trollope
Not as much politics as in most Trollope books, so an easy, fast read, and immensely entertaining and satisfying.

Kept in the Dark (Kindle edition)
Kept in the Dark by Anthony Trollope. Published by MobileReference (mobi).

Trollope uses this novel to show that honesty and integrity are not just virtues - they are essentials. Trollope's characters come to the end of this short novel stronger, more true, and still married. And those who are untrue are exposed along the way.

Secrets and the strength of love
One of Trollope's later and shorter novels, this tells the story of a woman who keeps secret from her husband a previous engagement to another man; when he finally finds out about it he leaves her. What happens is this: Cecilia Holt decides to break off her engagement to the neglectful Sir Francis Geraldine. Later she meets and falls in love with George Western, who has also been jilted; he tells her about his past, but she doesn't reveal hers to him, and then they marry. But Sir Francis writes to Western and spills the beans; appalled by Cecilia's silence and soon suspicious of her motives, leaves her. By the end all is made right by Western's sister Lady Grant.

The central episode that drives the novel seems like a mountain made out of a molehill today, but Cecilia Holt is an excellently drawn character - strong and determined (maybe too much so). She refuses Western's money after he leaves her and expects him to apologize to her when he returns. Trollope's realism is in full control when at the end Cecilia has romantic notions regarding Western's return, but Trollope will have none of it; Western's stoicism is something Cecilia is just going to have to accept. Some of the secondary scenes, especially those involving Sir Francis and Miss Altifiorla, are quite humorous. This novel doesn't rank with Trollope's very best work, but it's still entertaining and interesting in its own way.

Best Kept in the Dark
I am an avid fan of Trollope, but even so, I was unwilling to work through this difficult-to-read double-column format wrapped in a garish cover. I presume the original was in a 19th century magazine and this is merely photo-offset, but the product is clumsy and wearisome to the eye.

an affirmation of marriage
An editorial review mentioned that this is a story about the near-destruction of a marriage.I see it, rather, as the affirmation of true marriage.Both the hero and heroine--having been misled about thecharacter of previous betrothal connections must overcome feelings ofdistrust and personal pride to come to a true understanding . . . Trollopeuses this novel to show that honesty and integrity are not just virtues;they are essentials. In a time when so many best-sellers end in divorce,Trollope's characters come to the end of this short novel stronger and moretrue--and still married.And those who are untrue are exposed along theway. ... Read more