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THE CHRONICLES OF BARSETSHIRE (Complete Collection): The Warden, Barchester Towers, Doctor Thorne, Framley Parsonage, The Small House at Allington & The Last Chronicle of Barset
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The Chronicles of Barsetshire (or Barchester Chronicles) is a series of six novels by the English author Anthony Trollope, set in the fictitious English county of Barsetshire (located approximately where the real Dorset lies) and its cathedral town of Barchester. The novels concern the dealings of the clergy and the gentry, and the political, amatory, and social manœuvrings that go on among and between them.
The novels in the series are:
The Warden (1855)
Barchester Towers (1857)
Doctor Thorne (1858)
Framley Parsonage (1861)
The Small House at Allington (1864)
The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867)
Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) 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 perceptive novels on political, social, and gender issues, and on other topical matters.
The Chronicles of Barsetshire (or Barchester Chronicles) is a series of six novels by the English author Anthony Trollope, set in the fictitious English county of Barsetshire (located approximately where the real Dorset lies) and its cathedral town of Barchester. The novels concern the dealings of the clergy and the gentry, and the political, amatory, and social manœuvrings that go on among and between them.
The novels in the series are:
The Warden (1855)
Barchester Towers (1857)
Doctor Thorne (1858)
Framley Parsonage (1861)
The Small House at Allington (1864)
The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867)
Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) 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 perceptive novels on political, social, and gender issues, and on other topical matters.
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Published August 7, 2017
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About the author
Anthony Trollope
2,291 books1,760 followersAnthony Trollope became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works, 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 conflicts of his day.
Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans have included Sir Alec Guinness (who never travelled without a Trollope novel), former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, American novelists Sue Grafton and Dominick Dunne and soap opera writer Harding Lemay. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he regained the esteem of critics by the mid-twentieth century.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_...
Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans have included Sir Alec Guinness (who never travelled without a Trollope novel), former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, American novelists Sue Grafton and Dominick Dunne and soap opera writer Harding Lemay. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he regained the esteem of critics by the mid-twentieth century.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 20, 2014
I am definitely hooked on Anthony Trollop. I said in other reviews of his books that the only reason he is not as popular as Dickens or Austen is that his novels are too long and most readers don’t want to tackle that much. For someone who pumped out 47 novels I think he might have wanted to pare them down a little so he could write more. But I can tell he fell in love with his characters and wanted every inch of them revealed and then he couldn’t bear to give them up. This was never so evident as it was in The Last Chronicles of Barchester, the winding up of his Barchester series that included The Warden, Barchester Towers, Framley Parsonage, The Small House at Allington and The Last Chronicle of Barset. He finished this last book musing about his fictional town of Barset: “But to me Barset has been a real county, and its city a real city, and the spires and towers have been before my eyes, and the voices of the people are known to my ears, and the pavement of the city ways are familiar to my footsteps. That I have been induced to wander among them too long by my love of old friendships, and by the sweetness of old faces, is a fault for which I may perhaps be more readily forgiven….”
Having read each of these novels with joy I understand his feelings. Each novel stands alone except the last chronicle. In this book all the characters from the series are brought back, linking their lives more closely. He introduced a few new people and a small sub plot that detracted, in my opinion…not sure why he did it.
If you read reviews of Trollop’s books on Goodreads or Amazon you will find that they are adored by many, who admit to reading a good chunk of his 47 books. I might end up being one of them. If you love Victorian English literature, he satisfies. He has a keen understanding of human nature, and I might say women in particular. None of his villains are all evil. He always points out their redeeming qualities. And all of his heroes have some character flaws. Most of his characters have happy endings but not all end up as you might want or think they should. Each book has many subplots going on at the same time with lives intertwining. Trollop likes to tell you who the hero and heroine are so you can pay close attention to their story. And sometime he can’t resist doing a little story spoiler, before necessary.
May 7, 2020
The Warden
Mr. Harding is the warden of what is called a hospital, although more like what we would call an assisted living center here in America. In the 15th century, the Will of one John Hiram bequeathed certain property to care for aged men of the parish no longer able to work and a stipend for a warden to oversee them. Hiram designated a certain sum for the men’s daily needs. Over the years, the property has grown much more valuable and the rents are vastly more than the sum Hiram named for the men’s needs, with all the excess being added to the warden’s salary.
A young surgeon in town, John Bold, keen on social reform, raises questions as to whether Hiram’s will is being followed. He hires an attorney to look into it; the attorney talks to the old men and implies they should be receiving the £100 per year instead of the warden getting a salary of £800, and a lawsuit is filed accordingly. Further, John Bold talks to a newspaperman who is well known as a social reformer, and the newspaper runs some articles greatly disparaging not just the Church corporately, but Mr. Harding individually. Mr. Harding reads the article and his conscience is smitten.
Even though John Bold later repents and withdraws the lawsuit, the damage to Mr. Harding’s reputation and conscience has been done. It only remains for Mr. Harding to do what he feels necessary to satisfy his conscience, which leaves everyone the poorer than in the beginning.
Well written, with interesting, well-drawn characters.
Barchester Towers
Barchester Towers begins about a year after the end of The Warden. John Bold has died, leaving Eleanor as a widow with an infant son. Mr. Harding is still the vicar of St. Cuthbert’s; Dr. Grantly is still the archdeacon, but his father, the bishop has also died. The big question is, of course, who will be the new bishop. Later, the dean of the Cathedral dies as well, so church politics and maneuvering is the order of the day.
In addition, there are at least 3 gentlemen who have aspirations to become the new husband of Mrs. Bold; or rather, two gentlemen have aspirations to the £1200 per year that John Bold left to her. Is the third suitor for her hand motivated by a higher ambition?
These novels, being so heavily involved with 19th-century Church of England matters, would surely not be the taste of many 21st-century readers, but Trollope is an excellent writer and a master at creating fully-fleshed, complex characters. With the exception of Mr. Harding (who is as near a saint as possible and reminds me greatly of Miss Read’s Charles Henstock and of Jan Karon’s Father Tim), no character is all good or all bad: the good guys have real, human flaws, and those who play the role of villains have admirable qualities that (mostly) redeem them. Mrs. Proudie is an exception - as Trollope puts it:
Doctor Thorne
This is a true country village novel, not having much to do with episcopal matters as in the 2 previous books. The plot of Doctor Thorne is rather akin to Jane Austen’s work, being primarily about money and marriage among the country gentry: young heir to debt-ridden local squire falls in love with the impoverished niece of local doctor; squire’s family disapproves and insists heir must “marry money;” the young lady in question inherits a fortune; heir’s family delighted with his marriage to heiress in spite of her low birth; the happy couple weds and live happily ever after.
Trollope is such an excellent writer. His characterizations are second to none; I feel as if I have been personally acquainted with all his characters for years. Indeed, I feel I have been an inhabitant of Greshamsbury village all my life.
Trollope apparently was quite scornful of authors of suspense, feeling it was sort of cheating to keep a reader interested solely to find out what happens to the characters. Instead he often includes spoilers on what is going to happen several chapters later. In contrast to writers such as Thomas Hardy who torture their characters with bad decisions and equally bad consequences, Trollope treats his characters gently, rewarding his heroes and redeeming most of his villains who are never so villainous as they might be.
Framley Parsonage
Book 4 of the Barsetshire Chronicles. I found it a bit slower to start with and after the first 1/2, thought I didn’t like it as much as the previous books. There was too much Church and Government politics — not that the series hasn’t had an abundance of politics, but in Framley Parsonage, there was rather more politics and less character involvement, if you know what I mean. However, the second half of the book was wonderful and I ended up enjoying it immensely!
The principal character is Mark Robarts, the vicar of the titular parish. Mark was a lifelong friend of the Lord Lufton. Lord Lufton’s mother, Lady Lufton, is to Mark Robarts what Lady Catherine de Bourgh is to Mr. Collins, but Mark is less unctuous and more assertive, albeit in a tactful way, than Mr. Collins. Mark dares to exert his independence and indulge his own tastes and make his own friends irrespective of Lady Lufton’s preferences — to Mark’s own hurt, as it turns out.
Mark’s father dies, leaving 4 children. One of his sisters, Lucy, comes to live with Mark and his family. Mark’s wife, Fanny, whom I haven’t yet mentioned, is a very sweet woman, altogether agreeable, and she becomes very close to Lucy. Lord Lufton and Lucy fall in love against Lady Lufton’s wishes, and one of the points of suspense is whether or not Lady Lufton can be won over to accept Lucy as the new Lady Lufton.
Our old friends from Greshamsbury also appear here and I was SO HAPPY that , mostly due to the efforts of Mary Bold, now Mrs. Frank Gresham.
In Chapter XXIX, Miss Dunstable at Home, Trollope relates of a meeting between two opposing leaders of society. The Duke of Omnium is the leader of a set considered to be wicked, powerful and, as Trollope puts it, the ... representative of Satanic agency. On the other side is Lady Lufton, described as “modest virtue and feminine weakness.” The two come face to face at Miss Dunstable’s party: the Duke says, “I beg your pardon” to Lady Lufton, who makes no verbal response, but merely “curtsied low and slowly, and with a haughty arrangement of her drapery . . . “ and looks the Duke in the eyes, then turns her eyes to the ground with “an ineffable amount of scorn expressed in the lines of her mouth.” Meanwhile, the Duke gives a “slight smile of derision,” but is acknowledged by all the witnesses of the encounter to have been decidedly bested by Lady Lufton. This 3-4 page passage is a masterpiece of description.
Referring back to the first paragraph which I wrote whilst reading the first part of the book, I now tender my sincerest and deepest apologies to Lady Lufton, who is no more like Lady Catherine than Mr. Darcy is to Mr. Collins. Lady Lufton has her faults, and her attitudes about class and patronage are certainly of her own time, but she has a good heart and is genuinely motivated by love. It’s true that she is most motivated by love for her son, but then who of us cannot help but admit that we love our own better than a stranger? And eventually she accepts her son’s choice and even comes to love her dearly.
The Small House at Allington
The inhabitants — at least, the young lady inhabitants — of the Small House are the nucleus about which the story and the rest of the community revolve. These young ladies are Bell and Lily Dale, nieces of Mr. Dale, the local squire. Their father is dead and their mother has only a small income. The squire allows them to live in Small House, a cottage sitting in the grounds of the Great House, as the squire’s residence is called. The squire has no children, and his nephew, Captain Bernard Dale, is his heir. Bernard has been a close playmate and friend of the Dale sisters.
Bernard is visiting his uncle and brought with him a friend from London, Adolphus Crosbie. Lily falls in love with Mr. Crosbie, who does propose, assuming Mr. Dale will provide a dowry for her. When the squire refuses to do so, Mr. Crosbie jilts Lily and becomes engaged to one of the de Courcy daughters whom we met in Doctor Thorne.
A young man from the nearby village of Guestwick, John Eames, has been in love with Lily for years, since he was a mere boy. However, he is very young in truth if not in years, and has much growing up to do before he can be a proper husband to anyone. He certainly has his merits: he doesn’t lack courage, and he saves Earl De Guest from a mad bull at the risk of his own life. This turns out to be a fortuitous event: the Earl takes a liking to John and having no children himself, takes John under his wing and settles some money on him.
Meanwhile, the Squire wants Bernard to marry Bell. Bernard is willing if somewhat half-hearted, but Bell refuses. It soon becomes obvious Bell is in love with the local doctor, Dr. Crofts.
I thought this book was a bit slow at the beginning, but in the end I was on pins and needles wondering how it would end. Although Lily did not get her HEA by the end, I’m pretty sure all will be wrapped up in the final book of the set, aptly named The Last Chronicle of Barset.
The Last Chronicle of Barset
In this final book, Trollope picks up all the various threads from the previous novels and nearly all the characters make at least a cameo appearance. The main conflict concerns Mr. Crawley, the curate of a very poor living at a hamlet called Hogglestock, which is near Framley. Indeed, we became acquainted with the Crawleys in Framley Parsonage. Mr. Crawley is a melancholy man; today he would likely be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He is very intelligent and was an excellent student - he went to school with the Mr. Arabin, Dean at Barchester (who married Eleanor Harding Bold), but years of poverty have made him rather bitter. He does, however, have a genuine love and Christian regard for his parishioner, particularly those who are even poorer than himself.
Anyway, Mr. Crawley is accused of stealing a cheque for £20 (the equivalent of about £2,500 in today’s value) and due to his mental state, he cannot explain how he acquired possession of the cheque. The bishop’s wife, Mrs. Proudie, hates anyone connected with the Grantlys or Arabins, and she pushes the bishop to remove Mr. Crawley from his position.
Meanwhile, Dr. Grantly’s second son, Henry, has met and fallen in love with the Crawley’s eldest daughter, Grace. We also see a great deal of John Eames and his quest to win Lily Dale as his wife.
Mr. Harding, from the first book, the father of Mrs. Grantly and Mrs. Arabin, is now nearly 80. He has been the vicar of St. Ewold’s parish and the precentor of the Barchester Cathedral for many years, but he has grown quite infirm. He has moved into the deanery with his daughter and son-in-law, and their youngest daughter, whom he calls Posy, is his special joy. Mr. Harding is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read, and I admit I cried when he died.
This review would be too long if I discussed every character, but I must mention Dr. Grantly, rector at Plumstead and archdeacon of the Cathedral. He is such a nuanced character: he is worldly and ambitious, fonder of money than a clergyman should perhaps be; he is a staunch partisan on the side of High Church practices, and is vehemently opposed in principle and in practice against the Bishop of Barchester, and particularly the Bishop’s wife, the aforementioned Mrs. Proudie. And yet to the archdeacon’s credit, he recognizes his own flaws and is truly repentant when he speaks harshly or behaves in an unbecoming way. The scene where he first meets Grace Crawley was so sweetly written one could forgive the archdeacon for many sins.
You can tell that I absolutely loved this series, and I will definitely read more of Trollope’s work. In fact, I’m tempted to immediately return to The Warden and read it all over again from the beginning!
Mr. Harding is the warden of what is called a hospital, although more like what we would call an assisted living center here in America. In the 15th century, the Will of one John Hiram bequeathed certain property to care for aged men of the parish no longer able to work and a stipend for a warden to oversee them. Hiram designated a certain sum for the men’s daily needs. Over the years, the property has grown much more valuable and the rents are vastly more than the sum Hiram named for the men’s needs, with all the excess being added to the warden’s salary.
A young surgeon in town, John Bold, keen on social reform, raises questions as to whether Hiram’s will is being followed. He hires an attorney to look into it; the attorney talks to the old men and implies they should be receiving the £100 per year instead of the warden getting a salary of £800, and a lawsuit is filed accordingly. Further, John Bold talks to a newspaperman who is well known as a social reformer, and the newspaper runs some articles greatly disparaging not just the Church corporately, but Mr. Harding individually. Mr. Harding reads the article and his conscience is smitten.
Even though John Bold later repents and withdraws the lawsuit, the damage to Mr. Harding’s reputation and conscience has been done. It only remains for Mr. Harding to do what he feels necessary to satisfy his conscience, which leaves everyone the poorer than in the beginning.
Well written, with interesting, well-drawn characters.
Barchester Towers
Barchester Towers begins about a year after the end of The Warden. John Bold has died, leaving Eleanor as a widow with an infant son. Mr. Harding is still the vicar of St. Cuthbert’s; Dr. Grantly is still the archdeacon, but his father, the bishop has also died. The big question is, of course, who will be the new bishop. Later, the dean of the Cathedral dies as well, so church politics and maneuvering is the order of the day.
In addition, there are at least 3 gentlemen who have aspirations to become the new husband of Mrs. Bold; or rather, two gentlemen have aspirations to the £1200 per year that John Bold left to her. Is the third suitor for her hand motivated by a higher ambition?
These novels, being so heavily involved with 19th-century Church of England matters, would surely not be the taste of many 21st-century readers, but Trollope is an excellent writer and a master at creating fully-fleshed, complex characters. With the exception of Mr. Harding (who is as near a saint as possible and reminds me greatly of Miss Read’s Charles Henstock and of Jan Karon’s Father Tim), no character is all good or all bad: the good guys have real, human flaws, and those who play the role of villains have admirable qualities that (mostly) redeem them. Mrs. Proudie is an exception - as Trollope puts it:
It cannot be said that she was a bad woman, though she has in her time done an indescribable amount of evil.
and
She had meant to be a good Christian; but she had so exercised her Christianity that not a soul in the world loved her, or would endure her presence if it could be avoided!
Doctor Thorne
This is a true country village novel, not having much to do with episcopal matters as in the 2 previous books. The plot of Doctor Thorne is rather akin to Jane Austen’s work, being primarily about money and marriage among the country gentry: young heir to debt-ridden local squire falls in love with the impoverished niece of local doctor; squire’s family disapproves and insists heir must “marry money;” the young lady in question inherits a fortune; heir’s family delighted with his marriage to heiress in spite of her low birth; the happy couple weds and live happily ever after.
Trollope is such an excellent writer. His characterizations are second to none; I feel as if I have been personally acquainted with all his characters for years. Indeed, I feel I have been an inhabitant of Greshamsbury village all my life.
Trollope apparently was quite scornful of authors of suspense, feeling it was sort of cheating to keep a reader interested solely to find out what happens to the characters. Instead he often includes spoilers on what is going to happen several chapters later. In contrast to writers such as Thomas Hardy who torture their characters with bad decisions and equally bad consequences, Trollope treats his characters gently, rewarding his heroes and redeeming most of his villains who are never so villainous as they might be.
Framley Parsonage
Book 4 of the Barsetshire Chronicles. I found it a bit slower to start with and after the first 1/2, thought I didn’t like it as much as the previous books. There was too much Church and Government politics — not that the series hasn’t had an abundance of politics, but in Framley Parsonage, there was rather more politics and less character involvement, if you know what I mean. However, the second half of the book was wonderful and I ended up enjoying it immensely!
The principal character is Mark Robarts, the vicar of the titular parish. Mark was a lifelong friend of the Lord Lufton. Lord Lufton’s mother, Lady Lufton, is to Mark Robarts what Lady Catherine de Bourgh is to Mr. Collins, but Mark is less unctuous and more assertive, albeit in a tactful way, than Mr. Collins. Mark dares to exert his independence and indulge his own tastes and make his own friends irrespective of Lady Lufton’s preferences — to Mark’s own hurt, as it turns out.
Mark’s father dies, leaving 4 children. One of his sisters, Lucy, comes to live with Mark and his family. Mark’s wife, Fanny, whom I haven’t yet mentioned, is a very sweet woman, altogether agreeable, and she becomes very close to Lucy. Lord Lufton and Lucy fall in love against Lady Lufton’s wishes, and one of the points of suspense is whether or not Lady Lufton can be won over to accept Lucy as the new Lady Lufton.
Our old friends from Greshamsbury also appear here and I was SO HAPPY that , mostly due to the efforts of Mary Bold, now Mrs. Frank Gresham.
In Chapter XXIX, Miss Dunstable at Home, Trollope relates of a meeting between two opposing leaders of society. The Duke of Omnium is the leader of a set considered to be wicked, powerful and, as Trollope puts it, the ... representative of Satanic agency. On the other side is Lady Lufton, described as “modest virtue and feminine weakness.” The two come face to face at Miss Dunstable’s party: the Duke says, “I beg your pardon” to Lady Lufton, who makes no verbal response, but merely “curtsied low and slowly, and with a haughty arrangement of her drapery . . . “ and looks the Duke in the eyes, then turns her eyes to the ground with “an ineffable amount of scorn expressed in the lines of her mouth.” Meanwhile, the Duke gives a “slight smile of derision,” but is acknowledged by all the witnesses of the encounter to have been decidedly bested by Lady Lufton. This 3-4 page passage is a masterpiece of description.
Referring back to the first paragraph which I wrote whilst reading the first part of the book, I now tender my sincerest and deepest apologies to Lady Lufton, who is no more like Lady Catherine than Mr. Darcy is to Mr. Collins. Lady Lufton has her faults, and her attitudes about class and patronage are certainly of her own time, but she has a good heart and is genuinely motivated by love. It’s true that she is most motivated by love for her son, but then who of us cannot help but admit that we love our own better than a stranger? And eventually she accepts her son’s choice and even comes to love her dearly.
The Small House at Allington
The inhabitants — at least, the young lady inhabitants — of the Small House are the nucleus about which the story and the rest of the community revolve. These young ladies are Bell and Lily Dale, nieces of Mr. Dale, the local squire. Their father is dead and their mother has only a small income. The squire allows them to live in Small House, a cottage sitting in the grounds of the Great House, as the squire’s residence is called. The squire has no children, and his nephew, Captain Bernard Dale, is his heir. Bernard has been a close playmate and friend of the Dale sisters.
Bernard is visiting his uncle and brought with him a friend from London, Adolphus Crosbie. Lily falls in love with Mr. Crosbie, who does propose, assuming Mr. Dale will provide a dowry for her. When the squire refuses to do so, Mr. Crosbie jilts Lily and becomes engaged to one of the de Courcy daughters whom we met in Doctor Thorne.
A young man from the nearby village of Guestwick, John Eames, has been in love with Lily for years, since he was a mere boy. However, he is very young in truth if not in years, and has much growing up to do before he can be a proper husband to anyone. He certainly has his merits: he doesn’t lack courage, and he saves Earl De Guest from a mad bull at the risk of his own life. This turns out to be a fortuitous event: the Earl takes a liking to John and having no children himself, takes John under his wing and settles some money on him.
Meanwhile, the Squire wants Bernard to marry Bell. Bernard is willing if somewhat half-hearted, but Bell refuses. It soon becomes obvious Bell is in love with the local doctor, Dr. Crofts.
I thought this book was a bit slow at the beginning, but in the end I was on pins and needles wondering how it would end. Although Lily did not get her HEA by the end, I’m pretty sure all will be wrapped up in the final book of the set, aptly named The Last Chronicle of Barset.
The Last Chronicle of Barset
In this final book, Trollope picks up all the various threads from the previous novels and nearly all the characters make at least a cameo appearance. The main conflict concerns Mr. Crawley, the curate of a very poor living at a hamlet called Hogglestock, which is near Framley. Indeed, we became acquainted with the Crawleys in Framley Parsonage. Mr. Crawley is a melancholy man; today he would likely be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He is very intelligent and was an excellent student - he went to school with the Mr. Arabin, Dean at Barchester (who married Eleanor Harding Bold), but years of poverty have made him rather bitter. He does, however, have a genuine love and Christian regard for his parishioner, particularly those who are even poorer than himself.
Anyway, Mr. Crawley is accused of stealing a cheque for £20 (the equivalent of about £2,500 in today’s value) and due to his mental state, he cannot explain how he acquired possession of the cheque. The bishop’s wife, Mrs. Proudie, hates anyone connected with the Grantlys or Arabins, and she pushes the bishop to remove Mr. Crawley from his position.
Meanwhile, Dr. Grantly’s second son, Henry, has met and fallen in love with the Crawley’s eldest daughter, Grace. We also see a great deal of John Eames and his quest to win Lily Dale as his wife.
Mr. Harding, from the first book, the father of Mrs. Grantly and Mrs. Arabin, is now nearly 80. He has been the vicar of St. Ewold’s parish and the precentor of the Barchester Cathedral for many years, but he has grown quite infirm. He has moved into the deanery with his daughter and son-in-law, and their youngest daughter, whom he calls Posy, is his special joy. Mr. Harding is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read, and I admit I cried when he died.
This review would be too long if I discussed every character, but I must mention Dr. Grantly, rector at Plumstead and archdeacon of the Cathedral. He is such a nuanced character: he is worldly and ambitious, fonder of money than a clergyman should perhaps be; he is a staunch partisan on the side of High Church practices, and is vehemently opposed in principle and in practice against the Bishop of Barchester, and particularly the Bishop’s wife, the aforementioned Mrs. Proudie. And yet to the archdeacon’s credit, he recognizes his own flaws and is truly repentant when he speaks harshly or behaves in an unbecoming way. The scene where he first meets Grace Crawley was so sweetly written one could forgive the archdeacon for many sins.
You can tell that I absolutely loved this series, and I will definitely read more of Trollope’s work. In fact, I’m tempted to immediately return to The Warden and read it all over again from the beginning!
July 5, 2021
From TIA:
One runs out of superlatives to describe this flawless representation of Trollope's masterpieces of ecclesiastical fiction. Against the sumptuous background of Peterborough Cathedral and its environs, one is carried into Trollope's world of the intriguing machinations of the clerical establishment of Barchester. Backed by the authenticity of the period detail, the portrayal of all the characters accurately conveys the whole range of human emotions within the stories,without a weak link amongst the members of the cast. In would be invidious to name particular names as meriting special attention, when even the smallest cameo stands comparison with the principals, but I would select Geraldine McEwen, Alan Rickman and Nigel Hawthorne for special commendation - their performances being of the type where the actors disappear and the characters come to life! I was particularly impressed by the clarity of diction and the beautiful,expressive language in this film. A 'must see' not only for lovers of Trollope, but anyone interested in seeing character acting at its very best !
https://archive.org/details/the_barch...
One runs out of superlatives to describe this flawless representation of Trollope's masterpieces of ecclesiastical fiction. Against the sumptuous background of Peterborough Cathedral and its environs, one is carried into Trollope's world of the intriguing machinations of the clerical establishment of Barchester. Backed by the authenticity of the period detail, the portrayal of all the characters accurately conveys the whole range of human emotions within the stories,without a weak link amongst the members of the cast. In would be invidious to name particular names as meriting special attention, when even the smallest cameo stands comparison with the principals, but I would select Geraldine McEwen, Alan Rickman and Nigel Hawthorne for special commendation - their performances being of the type where the actors disappear and the characters come to life! I was particularly impressed by the clarity of diction and the beautiful,expressive language in this film. A 'must see' not only for lovers of Trollope, but anyone interested in seeing character acting at its very best !
https://archive.org/details/the_barch...
December 22, 2018
Have read this entire series twice now. Once from 2000-2002 and again in 2018. I loved it both times but think I appreciated it even more this second time. Trollope is a master novelist. I am on now to his Palliser Chronicles. There is a natural story progression, although the setting is different. As for characters, Plantagenet Palliser, the main focus of the Palliser Chronicles, was already introduced as a minor character in the Barchester Chronicles and the Duke of Omnium from the BC will continue into the PC. There are a few others as well, but mostly the stories are about altogether new people. When you leave Barsetshire here, you say farewell to most of your friends for good... Unless you return!
June 13, 2010
I will NOT be reviewing the Kindle edition--but they didn't give an option in actual paper.
When I finish the series, I hope to write a complete review detailing the series and why they are important to today's reader.
When I finish the series, I hope to write a complete review detailing the series and why they are important to today's reader.
May 25, 2018
Excellent writing
This complete set of the Chronicles of Barsetshire has been a joy to read. From our introduction to Septimus Harding in the beginning, to the close of his life at the end Trollope weaves the tales of the people of Barchester together masterfully. Always with an eye on the role of the country parson as they interact with those around them, Trollope shows how character matters in the life of clergymen.
This complete set of the Chronicles of Barsetshire has been a joy to read. From our introduction to Septimus Harding in the beginning, to the close of his life at the end Trollope weaves the tales of the people of Barchester together masterfully. Always with an eye on the role of the country parson as they interact with those around them, Trollope shows how character matters in the life of clergymen.
April 29, 2017
Why wouldn't I expect this book to be dated? A friend used to rave about Trollope. I resisted at the time though I've always been a fan of Dickens, Austen, etc. This audio version is dramatized with a cast of actors and musical chapter breaks. But it's not enough to win me over from the misogyny, the plot redundancies, and the class intolerance. I found no relevance to make Barchester worth my time.
January 24, 2016
I totally enjoy anything by Anthony Trollope. I had first watched the Barchester Chronicles in the video version, which I highly recommend. Simon Raven wrote the script; he's a brilliant screen writer and novelist.
December 22, 2009
Trollope has his typical long-winded writing style that could use a good editor, but his story lines are always intriguing and draw you through the muddle of his explanations. Dissapointing that the main character's fate is told before the circumstances occur. Enjoyable, yet felt like "work" reading this.
October 17, 2009
I spent the winter of 2002 in a very isolated mountain town where it snowed every day for five months (at least it seemed like it). I read this whole series and not only did it keep me sane, I enjoyed every moment. If you are a Jane Austen lover, you will love these.
January 15, 2013
My absolute favorite series of books ever. The Warden is a little slow to start, but once you're in, you're in for good. Bucolic, ecclesiastical, gloves and fans, what else could one want.
September 21, 2014
So sad to say goodbye to all these marvelous characters.
May 6, 2018
Overall I found this to be entertaining. The performances were excellent and really brought the story to life and gave the characters great depth.
I did find certain parts annoying, the continuing politicking of the church although I can see that this might be more factual than fiction. Also the lack of resolve to one of the stories, which although often doesn't annoy me, has in this case.
Not one of my favourite of this genre but a good sort of background piece.
I did find certain parts annoying, the continuing politicking of the church although I can see that this might be more factual than fiction. Also the lack of resolve to one of the stories, which although often doesn't annoy me, has in this case.
Not one of my favourite of this genre but a good sort of background piece.
February 24, 2016
Very enjoyable series. I'm now a big fan of Trollope. His style is more comfortable than that of Austen or Dickens. These books may not have reached the best by those authors but they are worth spending time with.
January 12, 2012
Am still loving Trollope. Am almost done with Barchester . . .
June 18, 2023
Hard to leave these chronicles
I completed the last in this series just recently but started it some time ago. It had been too long since I had read The Warden, so I went back to it. I don’t know what it is that makes the lives of these provincial characters so fascinating, but no one does characterization better than Trollope. Call him archaic; call him predictable; but give him his due: his characters are universal. Like Jane Austen, these stories still appeal because the characterizations are always engaging and fascinating. Can’t wait to read the Palliser novels now.
I completed the last in this series just recently but started it some time ago. It had been too long since I had read The Warden, so I went back to it. I don’t know what it is that makes the lives of these provincial characters so fascinating, but no one does characterization better than Trollope. Call him archaic; call him predictable; but give him his due: his characters are universal. Like Jane Austen, these stories still appeal because the characterizations are always engaging and fascinating. Can’t wait to read the Palliser novels now.
April 9, 2012
The Barchester Chronicles is in two parts; part 1 being the warden and part 2 Barchester towers. It is a story that is about a man who is one of the most endearing and loveable characters that i have ever encountered within English literature and someone who holds a mirror up to us all, (that being the one and only Mr. Harding who is warden of Hirems hospital). He is a model of honesty, compassion and gentleness but who is wrongfully charged as a corrupted man and even when this falsehood is rectified the damage that was caused never leaves him. It was a false acusation that pierced a hole within this saint-like man's heart and that is never healed, and which is the catalyst for setting events in motion that catapult the characters into a new setting where thier surroundings are changed forever and where things are never the same again. Elena (Mr. Harding's daughter) is just as modest and gentle as her father but since changes have begun she is pushed into the very forefront of the seen, and is labelled as the most interesting being within thier society. With the arrivals of new, interesting and strangely captivating, outlandish characters to the scene she is thrust into all the commotion with Bishops & Archbishops, Ladies and Gentlemen and marriage propsals that excite, confuse, shock & disgust her it is a world of sheer excitement. I was sitting on the edge of my seat gripping my old copy of Anthony Trollope's book with white knuckles for hours on end, lost in a world of the church and social status, hierachy and social climbing & deprevation that left not only the characters but also myself in utter suspense and bewilderment. This story is completely character-driven with the most exciting and unforgetable characters within it that you could ever imagine, such as; the odious, career-driven, egotistical Obedire Slope (not to mention a character with the most unusual, unforgettable name & thus named 'Obedire Slop'!), the proud, concieted and dominating Mrs. Prowdy, the excentric, outlandish and very silly Berty Stanub, to the fair and beautiful Sinora Narone. I could go on and on but it is a story that is filled with such a colourful and captivatingly creative character list, no reader would ever be able to forget in a hurry. It is a tale that is full of religious piety, ambition and career-driven egotism, hidden traps & plots, and gossip, that entranced me from begining to end. There was plenty of humor and whit to fill many hours with laughter and the fantastic characters with thier indaviduality and quirky attributes had much to do with that. I was lost within Barchester so much so that i hence bought the BBC drama adaptation film on DVD to watch, which was not only just as fantastically brilliant as the book but it also heightened my love of this story. This particular era is often represented within literature as being reserved & elegant with social hierachy forming a distinct line on how the characters should act or not act, but Trollope's Barchester Chronicles seems to completely overide this rule & steriotype entirely, with its outspoken and outgoing characters and lack of social decorum that can make things seem so 'rigid' and dull. This novel is full of colour and excitement and is one that i cannot enthuse about enough as it is so utterly universal, anyone at any age will love. If you have not read Anthony Trollope's 'Barchester Chronicles' yet then i strongly urge that you do so, as it is completely brilliant - five star!
January 15, 2009
I got a lovely Modern Library hardcover edition of this in one of my abundant local bookstores. I've read nearly all of Dickens (who Trollope refers to as "Mr. Popular Sentiment." LOL!!!) so it was high time to embark on Trollope. I've dedicated my adventures on this site to all things Trollope as I could not possibly list all the books I've read. You have to start somewhere....
February 11, 2015
The BBC production was excellent and the huge cast were a joy to listen to. However, the stories themselves are predictable palour dramas some of which are a tad too saccharin for me. It took me a long time to finish this audiobook because I could only take so much without needing a break. Would recommend to anyone who adores Jane Austen and/or BBC Radio 4 serial 'The Archers'.
May 23, 2012
Wickedly hilarious, but sharply observed and not without a message. Was there ever a better or more aptly named set of characters? The slippery Mr Slope, the haughty Mrs Proudie, the child-overburdened Mr Quiverful?
February 15, 2012
One of the finest and most neglected works of the 19th century. Exquisite.
October 28, 2013
I've read all of these books several times before, but this is the first time - thanks to my kindle - that I read them in order all at once. It made for a much richer, deeper experience.
March 30, 2015
Honestly, when does trollope ever disapoint? I could read the barchester chronicles over and over again.
March 13, 2024
This Bbc radio 19-hour dramatization of the complete chronicles of Barchester is a masterwork that was thoroughly enjoyable. The characters are extremely well drawn--some of them are likeable for their softer, self-sacrificing qualities and others are characters one loves to hate for their pride, fickleness and...ah. Ok, too much to say. Let's just give a breakdown of some of the characters and what I loved/hated about them.
1. Septimus Harding (warm-hearted, lovable, fatherly, strangely stubborn at times, a nervous-wreck and he even has a little bit of a lovable obliviousness to him. He's certainly one of the most Christlike of the male characters)
2. Major Grantly (Good heavens! The archdeacon is proud, annoying, boisterous, wildly emotional, honest and probably the most hilarious of the pack. He's definitely a good guy though. He may be my favorite of the pack)
3. Mrs Proudie (This woman is manipulative-awfulness incarnate. My heart started racing in annoyance quite often when she spoke, and every scene with her in it is excellent)
Oh, there are so many more: Fickle Mr. Crosby, Swindling Mr. Sowerby, Naive, overly-romantic but highly respectable Lily Dale, Odious Mr. Slope trying slyly to climb the 'corporate ladder' of the Church (or is he?) (do yourself and watch the BBC adaptation of Alan Rickman as Mr. Slope), etc.
The characters are fascinating and none of them are caricatures. The good guys don't all have only good qualities, and the bad guys don't have only bad qualities. They are complex and interesting individuals.
Is Trollope's work here on the same level as Austen? No, but it scratches the same itch VERY well, and while Austen my win the quality war, Trollope certainly wins the quantity war (and all of the stories in the Barchester Chronicles are good/very good/excellent)
In fact, let's give them all a rating from 1 to 10.
**The Warden**
John Bold is sent to investigate the legitimate charge of whether church funds are not being allocated properly. Septimus Harding, a good-hearted man who benefits from a high salary from the church is caught in the crossfire and essentially publicly accused of robbing the poor because of Bold's investigation. To make things more complicated, John Bold is also in love with Harding's devoted daughter Elena. Should Bold continue pursue the cause that he knows to be right in order to assist the poor even though it would risk putting his relationship with Elena at risk and cause the pain of an innocent man?
This is the intro to the world of Barchester. A lot of people say this work would have been forgotten if it weren't for the work that followed, but I found it to be excellent and able to stand on its own.
9/10
**Barchester Towers**
Septimus Harding returns in this story along with his widowed daughter Elena. The Bishop passes away, and the problem is the 'new management'--Mrs. Proudie, a woman who essentially manipulates her bishop husband into making all of the decisions that she wants, and the deceptive (or is he) Mr. Slope, their chaplain, who may or may not be a fortune hunter. Meanwhile, some irreverent and fascinating siblings arrive from Italy--one of which is interested in Elena, and so is Slope it seems, and so is a certain Mr. Arabin. Who is actually in love with her and who is really in love with the money Elena came into after becoming a widow?
This is probably Trollope's best work according to general opinion. Unlike Austen or Dickens, Trollope's works haven't been adapted as much for TV and film, but this one has, and Alan Rickman plays the role very well in the early 1980s. Yet, the Slope in this BBC 4 drama even surpasses Rickman's work.
10/10
**Doctor Thorne**
Characters from the first two works are almost completely ditched and we have a new set of characters here, but Dr. Thorne, Mary, Ms Dunstable and Frank are all welcome. We do have background characters appear for the ATEU (Anthony Trollope Extended Universe :P).
There is a lot going on in this novel, but the central story revolves around Frank's love for Mary, but Mary's unwillingness to marry Frank because of her rank and the worry that she would drag down his status. This may seem to be the most boring of the synopses thus far, but actually it's the most gripping work with lots more plot than what is stated above.
Although it is the most gripping and probably is the best place to start for those that are period-piece-boredom-averse, this isn't the best of his work in my opinion. There's an Amazon Prime adaptation of this book from 2016. It's ok! Worth a watch.
7/10 (It's still good!)
**Framley Parsonage**
This is the weakest of the works, but also, still listenable and it further develops the world of Barchester/Barset. It's a story that lacks enough romance in my opinion and may have too many characters for my liking. However, the story about making a bad financial decision, failed ambition, bad choice of associates and the horror of crushing financial debt make this an engaging enough read. I wouldn't skip this one. You may like it more than I did, and I would still give it a stingy 6.5.
6.5/10 (Still, I wouldn't say 'skip it.')
**The Small House at Allington**
Mr. Crosby proposes to Lily Dale. She accepts and falls insanely in love with him although it's clear from very early that he is unworthy of this wonderful, although hopelessly-innocent-naive-romantic young woman's affections. When a new girl comes to town and when the poor financial prospects of what a marriage to Lily become clear, Mr. Crosby begins having second thoughts. All the while, a certain Johnny Eams is also in love with Lily.
This one took me by surprise. It has the least plot of all the works, and much of it is hearing the groan-inducing musings of the short-sited, proud, fickle, selfish Mr. Crosby. He's horrible and yet, there's something about him that I pitied.
There's a scene in Citizen Kane where Susan Kane essentially goes on a rant revealing how objectively awful Charles Foster Kane was in certain ways. The reporter says in so many words that for all his badness, there's something about Kane that makes him feel sorry for him. Susan replies, “Don't you think I do [too]?" Yeah. I, as an audience, member did too.
The Small House at Allington was a fascinating character study into the mind of a certain type of villain. He's mostly bad, a certain kind of bad, but not all bad. It got me thinking--is cowardice or fickleness its own sort of wickedness? Ok story, but very interesting psychological analysis of this character--it kept me thinking about it afterwards more than any of the other stories. Good ending too.
9/10
**The Last Chronicle of Barset**
Wow! It ends with a bang. Mr. Crawley, a clergyman, is accused of theft and he may be ruined (even if he is acquitted of the crime and faces no jailtime, he may be guilty in the eyes of the churchgoing public forever). Mr. Grantly is back and his son is in love with Mr. Crawley's daughter, Grace Crawley, but Daddy Grantly will not approve of the marriage for multiple reasons including the disgrace mentioned above. Mrs Proudie insists that Mr. Crawley be removed from his parish even before his guilt or innocence is proven. This leads to marital tension between her and the Bishop which comes to an explosive head. Meanwhile, Lily Dale is back along with her suitors Mr. Crosby and Johnny Eams in the continuation of their love story. There's also a slightly less interesting story of the painting of a woman (although that is oversimplifying it). Oh, and Septimus Harding makes a final wonderful bookend appearance.
This was an epic ending drama with tons of storylines, characters and emotionally charged moments. All of the storylines are interesting and almost all of the major players from the previous stories show up here in a natural way. The ending was emotionally satisfying.
--
Up until this point, this has been a review of Trollopes stories rather than this particular adaptation. I'll keep it simple. I'm not interested in reading the novels. I tried with Barchester Towers after watching the miniseries and listening to this radio drama--the book was too heavy, too dry for me.
I'm a person that would prefer watching Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility than read the actual book. Does that make me lame and less literate than some? Yes! (Probably) But, I'm looking for enjoyment and digestibility with some heft here,* not fuel for literary snobbery. I trust bbc 4 to be faithful in their adaptations, and the adaptation were excellent. The acting was perfect, loved the music, loved the care and production quality.
If you're a period piece or Austen fan like me, this set of radio dramas is a must.
I implore you to try it out, and I dare say you might fall in love with it as I did. I considered it a high joy to experience the world, characters, stories and emotions of the fictional world of Barchester.
* Incidentally, this is also what I look for in a good steakhouse.
1. Septimus Harding (warm-hearted, lovable, fatherly, strangely stubborn at times, a nervous-wreck and he even has a little bit of a lovable obliviousness to him. He's certainly one of the most Christlike of the male characters)
2. Major Grantly (Good heavens! The archdeacon is proud, annoying, boisterous, wildly emotional, honest and probably the most hilarious of the pack. He's definitely a good guy though. He may be my favorite of the pack)
3. Mrs Proudie (This woman is manipulative-awfulness incarnate. My heart started racing in annoyance quite often when she spoke, and every scene with her in it is excellent)
Oh, there are so many more: Fickle Mr. Crosby, Swindling Mr. Sowerby, Naive, overly-romantic but highly respectable Lily Dale, Odious Mr. Slope trying slyly to climb the 'corporate ladder' of the Church (or is he?) (do yourself and watch the BBC adaptation of Alan Rickman as Mr. Slope), etc.
The characters are fascinating and none of them are caricatures. The good guys don't all have only good qualities, and the bad guys don't have only bad qualities. They are complex and interesting individuals.
Is Trollope's work here on the same level as Austen? No, but it scratches the same itch VERY well, and while Austen my win the quality war, Trollope certainly wins the quantity war (and all of the stories in the Barchester Chronicles are good/very good/excellent)
In fact, let's give them all a rating from 1 to 10.
**The Warden**
John Bold is sent to investigate the legitimate charge of whether church funds are not being allocated properly. Septimus Harding, a good-hearted man who benefits from a high salary from the church is caught in the crossfire and essentially publicly accused of robbing the poor because of Bold's investigation. To make things more complicated, John Bold is also in love with Harding's devoted daughter Elena. Should Bold continue pursue the cause that he knows to be right in order to assist the poor even though it would risk putting his relationship with Elena at risk and cause the pain of an innocent man?
This is the intro to the world of Barchester. A lot of people say this work would have been forgotten if it weren't for the work that followed, but I found it to be excellent and able to stand on its own.
9/10
**Barchester Towers**
Septimus Harding returns in this story along with his widowed daughter Elena. The Bishop passes away, and the problem is the 'new management'--Mrs. Proudie, a woman who essentially manipulates her bishop husband into making all of the decisions that she wants, and the deceptive (or is he) Mr. Slope, their chaplain, who may or may not be a fortune hunter. Meanwhile, some irreverent and fascinating siblings arrive from Italy--one of which is interested in Elena, and so is Slope it seems, and so is a certain Mr. Arabin. Who is actually in love with her and who is really in love with the money Elena came into after becoming a widow?
This is probably Trollope's best work according to general opinion. Unlike Austen or Dickens, Trollope's works haven't been adapted as much for TV and film, but this one has, and Alan Rickman plays the role very well in the early 1980s. Yet, the Slope in this BBC 4 drama even surpasses Rickman's work.
10/10
**Doctor Thorne**
Characters from the first two works are almost completely ditched and we have a new set of characters here, but Dr. Thorne, Mary, Ms Dunstable and Frank are all welcome. We do have background characters appear for the ATEU (Anthony Trollope Extended Universe :P).
There is a lot going on in this novel, but the central story revolves around Frank's love for Mary, but Mary's unwillingness to marry Frank because of her rank and the worry that she would drag down his status. This may seem to be the most boring of the synopses thus far, but actually it's the most gripping work with lots more plot than what is stated above.
Although it is the most gripping and probably is the best place to start for those that are period-piece-boredom-averse, this isn't the best of his work in my opinion. There's an Amazon Prime adaptation of this book from 2016. It's ok! Worth a watch.
7/10 (It's still good!)
**Framley Parsonage**
This is the weakest of the works, but also, still listenable and it further develops the world of Barchester/Barset. It's a story that lacks enough romance in my opinion and may have too many characters for my liking. However, the story about making a bad financial decision, failed ambition, bad choice of associates and the horror of crushing financial debt make this an engaging enough read. I wouldn't skip this one. You may like it more than I did, and I would still give it a stingy 6.5.
6.5/10 (Still, I wouldn't say 'skip it.')
**The Small House at Allington**
Mr. Crosby proposes to Lily Dale. She accepts and falls insanely in love with him although it's clear from very early that he is unworthy of this wonderful, although hopelessly-innocent-naive-romantic young woman's affections. When a new girl comes to town and when the poor financial prospects of what a marriage to Lily become clear, Mr. Crosby begins having second thoughts. All the while, a certain Johnny Eams is also in love with Lily.
This one took me by surprise. It has the least plot of all the works, and much of it is hearing the groan-inducing musings of the short-sited, proud, fickle, selfish Mr. Crosby. He's horrible and yet, there's something about him that I pitied.
There's a scene in Citizen Kane where Susan Kane essentially goes on a rant revealing how objectively awful Charles Foster Kane was in certain ways. The reporter says in so many words that for all his badness, there's something about Kane that makes him feel sorry for him. Susan replies, “Don't you think I do [too]?" Yeah. I, as an audience, member did too.
The Small House at Allington was a fascinating character study into the mind of a certain type of villain. He's mostly bad, a certain kind of bad, but not all bad. It got me thinking--is cowardice or fickleness its own sort of wickedness? Ok story, but very interesting psychological analysis of this character--it kept me thinking about it afterwards more than any of the other stories. Good ending too.
9/10
**The Last Chronicle of Barset**
Wow! It ends with a bang. Mr. Crawley, a clergyman, is accused of theft and he may be ruined (even if he is acquitted of the crime and faces no jailtime, he may be guilty in the eyes of the churchgoing public forever). Mr. Grantly is back and his son is in love with Mr. Crawley's daughter, Grace Crawley, but Daddy Grantly will not approve of the marriage for multiple reasons including the disgrace mentioned above. Mrs Proudie insists that Mr. Crawley be removed from his parish even before his guilt or innocence is proven. This leads to marital tension between her and the Bishop which comes to an explosive head. Meanwhile, Lily Dale is back along with her suitors Mr. Crosby and Johnny Eams in the continuation of their love story. There's also a slightly less interesting story of the painting of a woman (although that is oversimplifying it). Oh, and Septimus Harding makes a final wonderful bookend appearance.
This was an epic ending drama with tons of storylines, characters and emotionally charged moments. All of the storylines are interesting and almost all of the major players from the previous stories show up here in a natural way. The ending was emotionally satisfying.
--
Up until this point, this has been a review of Trollopes stories rather than this particular adaptation. I'll keep it simple. I'm not interested in reading the novels. I tried with Barchester Towers after watching the miniseries and listening to this radio drama--the book was too heavy, too dry for me.
I'm a person that would prefer watching Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility than read the actual book. Does that make me lame and less literate than some? Yes! (Probably) But, I'm looking for enjoyment and digestibility with some heft here,* not fuel for literary snobbery. I trust bbc 4 to be faithful in their adaptations, and the adaptation were excellent. The acting was perfect, loved the music, loved the care and production quality.
If you're a period piece or Austen fan like me, this set of radio dramas is a must.
I implore you to try it out, and I dare say you might fall in love with it as I did. I considered it a high joy to experience the world, characters, stories and emotions of the fictional world of Barchester.
* Incidentally, this is also what I look for in a good steakhouse.
May 26, 2012
I read all six of these novels over the past few months, the first 3 while travelling in Italy and France. I’m not going to review them individually, as they make a more-or-less coherent whole and their similarities are numerous. Overall I quite enjoyed them, although there were places where the overlapping tales got a little too similar. The wry look at the social lives of rural ecclesiastics in mid 19th century England is mostly amusing, but Trollope is capable of deeper insight as well. I was very much taken with his portrait of the chronically depressed Mr. Crawley, and not at all surprised to learn that Trollope’s own father suffered similarly. The stifling social restraints on what people might or might not say to each other – particularly young men vs. young women – and the almost fatal awkwardnesses that arise from this are both hilarious and wildly frustrating throughout, though Trollope is careful to let *most* of these love affairs end in happy combination.
I liked the last novel, The Last Chronicle of Barset, the best in terms of character depiction – so many of them – although I have to say that the structure was a bit odd. It seemed indeed to be two separate stories with no particular connection between them. But both were interesting, so I forgive him.
I liked the last novel, The Last Chronicle of Barset, the best in terms of character depiction – so many of them – although I have to say that the structure was a bit odd. It seemed indeed to be two separate stories with no particular connection between them. But both were interesting, so I forgive him.
August 21, 2019
This is a quick review of this Kindle Edition. I have reviewed each of the chronicles separately.
The navigation here is problematical. There is no content file carrying the reader to each separate book. To find your way to - for example - Framley Parsonage you have to "leaf" through page after page of chapter headings for the first three books. This is not a very real problem as how often does one need to do that? In my case it was a few times.
In The Last Chronicle of Barset there were very many typographical errors. At times the meaning was completely changed by the loss of a word - "not" for example. This was the book I read recently so the problem is still in my mind but I do not recall having this problem in earlier volumes.
Still, it was cheap and if you figure the cost/hour of reading pleasure it was dirt cheap. Had I to do it all over again, though I would have looked for a better edition, even if it cost more.
The navigation here is problematical. There is no content file carrying the reader to each separate book. To find your way to - for example - Framley Parsonage you have to "leaf" through page after page of chapter headings for the first three books. This is not a very real problem as how often does one need to do that? In my case it was a few times.
In The Last Chronicle of Barset there were very many typographical errors. At times the meaning was completely changed by the loss of a word - "not" for example. This was the book I read recently so the problem is still in my mind but I do not recall having this problem in earlier volumes.
Still, it was cheap and if you figure the cost/hour of reading pleasure it was dirt cheap. Had I to do it all over again, though I would have looked for a better edition, even if it cost more.
June 18, 2017
Although Trollope isn't a literary eminence, his company is enjoyable, and I certainly wouldn't have read all 6 of these novels if I didn't enjoy his company. Indeed, the secret of his literary charm is his self-presentation as the narrator. What's striking to me about his characters is the degree to which their action is guided by scruples, which, along with their apparent lack of genitals, makes them quite uncontemporary.
I liked the last volume in the series almost better than the rest. The whole plot revolves around the apparent theft of 20 pounds by an eccentric clergyman - enormous events set in motion by something quite minor - which points to a degree of irony that isn't always visible in affable Trollope's world view.
Now I've turned back to Balzac, whom I always loved when I was a French major more than 50 years ago. His characters definitely have genitals!
I liked the last volume in the series almost better than the rest. The whole plot revolves around the apparent theft of 20 pounds by an eccentric clergyman - enormous events set in motion by something quite minor - which points to a degree of irony that isn't always visible in affable Trollope's world view.
Now I've turned back to Balzac, whom I always loved when I was a French major more than 50 years ago. His characters definitely have genitals!
November 19, 2012
Very sad to finish all six of these novels which take place in the fictional town/county? of Barchester. I was really immersed in the lives of so many of the characters - Lily Dale, John Eames, Eleanor Bold/Arabin, Bishop and Mrs. Proudie, Dr. Thorne, Grace Crawley, Archdeacon Grantley...., too many to name. Some of the main characters from one novel reappear later in another. Some of Trollope's characters are too good or too bad to be true, but most of them are somewhere in between. If you love long novels, preferably set in England in the nineteenth century, I highly recommend the Barchester Chronicles
April 8, 2015
Sick with a bad cold--this sort of thing is perfect, entertaining but not too demanding. A man who knows how to write well, and sheds light on an earlier era. Rather dispiriting for a woman, tho.
Decided to label it unfinished. I will never finish this book--it's just too slow, too much time spent on repetitious speculations that add nothing to the plot. People complain that Jane Austen thinks only of marriage. The same could be said for Trollope, except he's not as witty as she is, and certainly not as succinct.
Decided to label it unfinished. I will never finish this book--it's just too slow, too much time spent on repetitious speculations that add nothing to the plot. People complain that Jane Austen thinks only of marriage. The same could be said for Trollope, except he's not as witty as she is, and certainly not as succinct.
June 4, 2018
Love, love, love these books!
I am sorry to have discovered these books so late in life because I have fewer years to reread them. The characters have become dear to me and I will miss them terribly now that I've finished their story. The books are gems; so beautifully written; so compelling. I don't understand how a book in which almost nothing happens can be a page turner, yet the author has made the everyday lives if ordinary people unforgettable. These books will go on my favorites shelves with Austen, Dickens, Tolkien, and Patrick O'Brien.
I am sorry to have discovered these books so late in life because I have fewer years to reread them. The characters have become dear to me and I will miss them terribly now that I've finished their story. The books are gems; so beautifully written; so compelling. I don't understand how a book in which almost nothing happens can be a page turner, yet the author has made the everyday lives if ordinary people unforgettable. These books will go on my favorites shelves with Austen, Dickens, Tolkien, and Patrick O'Brien.
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