Books
by Anthony Trollope
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Framley Parsonage & The Last Chronicle of Barset |
I fell on these two ancient paper-backs as antidotes to a direly banal Nick Hornby novel I'd just read, and was hooked. I had completely forgotten what fun Trollope is. Each book has a central, cliff-hanging story which is spun out throughout the book while his large cast of Barsetshire figures rotate round it, creating their own sub-plots, each character a masterpiece of psychological veracity. Outrageous Mrs Proudie the Bishop's wife, self-satisfied Archdeacon Grantly with his wise wife, grande dame Lady Lufton . . . Unlike his contemporary Dickens' caricature figures, Trollope's are real people. I never (well, rarely!) had to suspend my disbelief because the whole Barsetshire world is utterly believable. Wonderful stuff!
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 77 Summer 2015) |
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Mr Scarborough's Family |
A flawed father, two flawed sons, an inheritance - all the ingredients for a classic Trollope easy read with its good plot and clear-eyed cynical appreciation of the importance of money, status and reputation to the middle and upper classes. Yes, there's his world's underlying anti-semitism but here this is popular cliché rather than malice and it's balanced by his sympathetic understanding of the constraints on women. Add a comical sub-plot and you have something which helps hours of confinement slip by.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 96 Spring 2017) |
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Orley Farm |
No better time to start rereading Trollope, and this fictional account of a case of forgery with its insightful combination of realism and emotion, was felt by the author to be the best he had ever done and comes to the reader as fresh as when it was published. A discussion of morality and practice in an English court of law, where the sympathetic central character, although guilty, is acquitted, it offers deep insights into marriage and relationships in general.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 100 Spring 2021) |
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Phineas Finn |
Story of an Irish MP which paints a convincing and sophisticated picture of Parliamentary politics in the mid 19th century and weaves into it the MP's romantic adventures. If that sounds unexciting, Trollope is a great storyteller who makes you keep turning the pages. Never heavy and a good free download standby for the kindle when the weather drives you indoors.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
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The Way we Live Now |
A great financier rises above a dodgy background, his enormous wealth getting him the patronage of politicians, City fathers and the aristocracy. All cluster round his wealth but there is a catch. His empire is sustained by - to put it politely - sleight of hand and, if confidence weakens . . . reputation, ruin and love are all at issue. There is more to it than this in a devastating portrait of a society in thrall to money. Sound at all familiar? A very good read.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 82 Autumn 2016) |
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