A Trollope Novel to Grasp Quickly

This novel is an engrossing, mature Anthony Trollope, published whilst in the midst of writing his Palliser novels and other works. It is modest in length compared to his Palliser novels, at about a third their length; some two hundred and fifty pages or so in hard copy. The novel is self-explanatory in terms of the issues and dilemmas that Trollope explores with a high and fine degree of understanding and sensitivity. Trollope amply displays his ability to get into the minds of his characters and takes the listener (or reader) there too. Some may find issues of high birth and its continuity, and a Victorian sense of a daughter’s duty a bit of a chore, but Trollope’s depiction of the agonies that characters undergo so believable. The listener is quickly lured and captured, wanting to know the path that the characters will follow and any resolution. Trollope manages a surprise that will cause listeners and readers to do a double take and subsequently to throw out a raft of questions, all of which centre around what the listener or reader really thinks about the issues explored. Trollope may be a little guilty in his treatment of some characters. The audio-book is read with exceptional skill and sensitivity by Tony Britton. His voice characterisations are impeccable and he manages to employ his actor’s to point things for listeners. Audible is to be thanked for making this audio-book part of their members’ Plus Catalogue. Listen and enjoy.

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Not Trollope's best

Possibly his most irritating heroine ever! Pull yourself together dear and get over it. Clearly the author wanted to tell the story of a particular kind of love and a particular kind of woman who might experience that love. To his contemporaries it might have sounded noble and self sacrificing but to modern ears (mine at least!) it sounded maudlin and selfish. However, Trollope tells the story well, as always, and the narrator brings it to life very nicely.

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How things are.

We’re so used to Trollope’s wry humour & the satisfying ending to his stories, this pulls you up a bit short.
Nevertheless less I really enjoyed this book. The character narration was excellent apart from interpretation of the money lenders voice.
I think Anthony Trollope needed to tell things how they often are.

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The first Anthony Trollope to disappoint.

I love everything I have read by Anthony Trollope, but not this one. The narration was like the curate's egg, good in parts. The depiction of the female protagonist was poor, an affected female voice which irritated. It was not helped by the poor plot which could have been told in half the pages.

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Trollope

I enjoy these stories for the intrigue suspense and elegant language. I often come back to Trollope and it never disappoints.

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Brilliant

Fantastically read
Great story with a twist
Will read it again in the future, enjoyable

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So Powerful

We loved it. Quite tragic but humane. An amazing understanding of human nature. Truly worth hearing or reading!

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Not a Simple Tale of Star Crossed Lovers

Trollope is very good when it comes to morality and the human intellect. He is forensic in analysing behaviour, exposing humbug, and his protagonists tend to show basic human kindness rather than religious diktats. Where he fails, in this book, is in characterisation. The characters are all stereotypes, the old gentry, the young wastrel, the faithful maiden and, as a result it's hard to really care about any of them. It's worth reading for Trollope's understanding of the human psyche and for the absurdity of the English class and inheritance system but it fails to come up to his usual high standard.

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Oh those characters....!

To begin with, the book is exceptionally read.

The author chose to describe certain characters, situations, social topics and era. He did a good job in my opinion.

But those characters.... it was mind-blowing for me to suffer the main protagonist's dull stupidity, ignorance a blindness to anything she does not want to accept. I'm sorry, I can't call it otherwise but this somewhat harshly. We all have done and after stupidly while in love. But dear lord, she is a different level... I have left her with her idiotic rainbows and unicorns to her destiny in a middle of story already.

Hands down to the author for the colorful picturing of her disgusting suitor, traumatised parents and so many other people who didn't mind getting dirty while making the marriage scheme work.

It really rarely happens that I explode over a fictive character. Well done here dear author, you have earned my respect.

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Insight into Victorian social milieu

I needed to persevere initially as the novel was wordy and a little agonising ! However it improves in pace and is an insight into Victorian social milieu with a number of the usual stereotypes and predictable anti semitic tropes. The plot however becomes almost magnetic and I was compelled to finish. There is good character development and only in the denouement are the fates’ of their tragic flaws revealed.

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