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Unflagging in his pursuit of material for a lecture on the irrationality of the English, the Senator tramples roughshod over the feelings of his host and of much of the population of Dillsborough. Equally energetically, the increasingly desperate Arabella Trefoil pursues her prey to the altar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The American Senator
I have noted Trollope's penchant for sloppiness in my review of Rachel Ray. As I noted there, one must make allowences for this author -- given the astonishing number of novels he wrote and the serialized format he wrote in. But it does tend to annoy, as does Trollope's tendency to repeat himself. Again, the result of the serialization, no doubt. One must also make allowences because Trollope wants to say so much and so much of what he says is important. In this novel, for example, he performs an intellectual tour-de-force by adopting the view of a brash (and annoying) American Senator in order to criticize English culture -- especially the meager results of the Reform movement and the quaint tradition in his day of purchasing clerical livings. It is quite astonishing to watch Trollope pull it off! There are also the other pet Trollope themes, including the role of women in Victorian society, the demise of Victorian values, and a relentless attack on the growing ills of materialism. Those themes may sound a bit like Chicken Littleto one who has not read Trollope. But they are serious and seriously persued by this man who saw well beneath the surfact of capitalism and was not blinded by the smoke from the steam engine.

Good Introduction To Trollope
All of the underlying themes of Trollope's work are in this book; (1) the underlying strength of women; (2) the weakness of men; (3) and the portrayal of how people manipulate, or attempt to manipulate each other.

This book has well-developed characters - as always with Trollope, including a young woman who is seeking to marry a rich man, a rich lord, two rich men who are members of the upper class (but one rung below the lord), a successful farmer, a lawyer, an heiress and a couple of nice people.The book has two successful love stores (Reginald/Mary and Rufford/Penge) and three failed love stories (Twentyman/Masters; Trefoil/Rufford and Trefoil/Morton).It deals honestly with the emotions of all concerned.Every scene is put together with the thoughtful approach of Trollope, who never lets any strand of the plot dangle.

What makes this book unusual is Senator Gotobed, who is on a visit from America.The Senator speaks frankly about everything and often offends his English hosts.His comments bring buried tensions to the surface.I ended up admiring the Senator because of his fearlessness and outspokenness.He is, of course, ridiculous and Trollope was having a bit of fun by introducing him to the story.

Good but sometimes tedious
The American Senator of the title is a stuffy, boring old man who wants to understand English politics and morality but also wants to impose his own morality upon the English.Sadly, the book could have been far more exciting without this character.On the other hand, the characters remaining are interesting enough.This book is mainly about love, or about the pursuit of love or fortune.The scheming and penniless Arabella Trefoil is engaged to a man who we quickly see is far too good for her, and what he sees in her beyond her remote beauty is a big question that is never quite resolved.However, wanting a fortune, she maintains her engagement in private while denying it in public, thus finding herself able to pursue the local squire, Lord Rufford, who is also taken with her beauty but on advice of friends, becomes reluctant to truly woo Arabella.Social interactions between all these parties, including their antecedents, are quite interesting and fill a good portion of the book.On the other hand, another love affair of lesser merit but far more honesty is that of Mary Masters and Reginald Morton, a romance against the Masters' family wishes who pressure both her and the unfortunate Larry Twentyman to make a match.Intrigues from minor characters, plots and subplots, though rather too much mention and detail of fox hunting, still this is a fun read.

Excellent introduction to Trollope
I've read several books by Trollope and enjoyed this one very much. It includes most of the standard Trollope elements: two people who are in love with each other, but too shy to say so; a fortune-hunting woman and the menshe's after; members of the clergy; a bit of Parliament; family life inEngland in the 1870s; fox hunting; and satire of life in both England andthe United States. The characters are extremely well drawn. Although thewriting is "old fashioned," the emotions and situations areup-to-date. There is humor, pathos and excellent description. ... Read more

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The story of a highly ambitious young politician who is offered a pocket borough in Galway. Determined not to remain in Ireland, although he has a secret fiancee there, he at once goes to London where his charm and social success lead on to greater things, until his equally swift downfall. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Networking
Lily Dale knows that Adolphus Crosbie is a swell.Johnny Eames is a junior clerk and has never been petted by anyone but his mother.Bell and Lily Dale are daughters of a widow.The squire is childless.The widow lives in the Small House rent-free.

Trollope uses the term hobbledehoy for our own term nerd.This is how he characterizes Eames.John Eames is in love with Lily Dale.John learns that much to his chagrin Lily is engaged to be married to Crosbie.Crosbie is unsuccessful in an interview with Lily's uncle to secure an allowance for the couple.Crosbie decides to marry Lily anyhow, but to postpone the wedding.

Prior to his leaving the area, Lily tells Crosbie she is willing to release him from the promise to marry, but he refuses the offer.He proceeds to Courcy Castle where, in the course of his travels, he encounters Mr. Harding, Lady Dumbello's grandfather.At Courcy Castle Crosbie becomes infatuated with the younger daughter of the family, Lady Alexandrina.At Courcy Castle Crosbie proposes to Lady Alexandrina.In Crosbie's imagination an earl, Lady Alexandrina's father, is like divinity.

At the end of the day John Eames is in a better position in lifethan Crosbie.Eames's elevation is achieved by means of an accidental event and networking.The introduction, (Penguin Classics Edition), points out that in its day this book of the Barsetshire Chronicles was the readers' favorite for reason of the exceptionally good heroine, Lily Dale.Modern readers may find her too passive, but this reader likes her well enough.Taken as a whole, the book really delivers.

"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.

The Warden, Vol 1.
Barchester Towers (Oxford World's Classics), Vol 2.
Doctor Thorne (Penguin Classics), Vol 3.
Framley Parsonage, Vol. 4.
The Last Chronicle of Barset (Penguin Classics)


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Dr Wortle's School, published in 1881, is a novel by Anthony Trollope, his fortieth book. The novel takes place in the fictional parish of Bowick, in England, during the 1800s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Dr. Wortle's School is a minor masterpiece by the prolific Anthony Trollope
"Dr. Wortle's School" was a serial novel published in the May through
December 1880 issues of "Blackwood's Magazine" The short novel runs to just over 200 pages. The elderly Trollope wrote it in just over two weeks.
The story concerns a moral dilemma. It is set in Dr. Wortle's preparatory school for boys eager to get into Oxford or Cambridge. An assistant teacher arrives in the school. The Rev. Mr. Peacocke and his lovely American "wife" are well liked in the small school. Dr. Wortle is a big and friendly man much like Trollope was himself.
The Rev. Peacocke was teaching in St. Louis when he befriended a woman whose husband was reportedly killed in San Francisco. The couple wed only to have the supposed dead husband show up! They were, therefore, involved in a bigamous situation. When this was revealed,Mr. Peacocke left for America to discover what had happened. Mrs. Peacocke was befriended and allowed to stay at the Wortle school.
The incident was initiated when the shabby Robert Lefoy the brother of the dead husband Ferdinand arrived in the Wortle school. He and Mr. Peacocke traveled to America where the grave of Ferdinand was discovered. Learning this important fact the Peacockes were married in London by Dr.
Wortle. All ended happily for the couple.
In a slight secondary plot the love between Mary Wortle the good doctor's daughter and the wealthy Lord Carstairs is examined. Despite the class differences the couple are in love with their union being approved by their respective parents.
Scandal is always around the corner with the repugnant gossip the odious Mrs. Staniloup. She accuses Dr. Wortle of befriending the socially unacceptable Peacock couple and seeks to broadcast the news in the town and the newspapers.
Trollope is best known for his Barsetshire and Palliser novels which are huge Victorian three deckers. This slight work is a good place to begin your study of a great novelist and chronicler of the clergy and law professions in nineteenth century England.

Really good read
Trollope gets in his digs at Victorian hypocrisy in more of a forthright manner than his lengthier novels. Both Dr. Wortle and Mr. Peacocke stick to their guns in not getting in a tizzy over the "technicality" of the bigamous marriage, until the situation can be properly sorted out. I wasn't as wild about the romantic sub-plot as others, finding it a distracting method of filling out the book.

A moral dilemma
This novel, one of Anthony Trollope's shortest, deals with a scandal that arises when the bigamous marriage of school teacher Mr. Peacock and his supposed wife is uncovered. In the moral climate of Victorian England, the repercussions of that discovery spread swiftly and severely. The fallout not only harms the Peacocks, but schoolmaster Dr. Wortle and the reputation of his school. The story dwells less upon the secret bigamous marriage itself than upon the the moral dilemma resulting from it: whether something that seems on the surface to be immoral is in truth not really a sin.Dr. Wortle, rather than the Peacocks, is the central character of the story. It is through his fair and compassionate eyes that the reader ponders whether the relationship between Mr. Peacock and his "wife" was really less sinful than any other choice available to the couple. His views are contrasted to those of the Church and to the society as a whole.

Trollope introduces a note of levity to the story with a side plot concerning the love between Dr. Wortle's daughter Mary and young Lord Carstairs, a student at the school. Trollope also takes some interesting potshots at America, particularly the lawlessness and licentiousness of the American West. A good introduction and footnotes to the novel provide background information on Trollope's ideas and personal life, and how they are reflected in the story. If you are hesitant to try a novel by Trollope, this would be a good one to start with.

A well-balanced portrait of compassion and forgiveness
In 'Dr. Wortle's School' Anthony Trollope takes on a very controversialand scandalous subject, that of a bigamous marriage.With a very even handTrollope allows us to see into the motivations of his characters and trulycome to understand why they've done the things they've done, and how theyjustify their actions.Instead of preaching religion, which clearly isn'tTrollope's style, he chooses to take a more liberal look at the underlyingmorality of the actions of his characters.'Dr. Wortle's School' has avery modern ring for a Victorian novel, and the themes and characters couldeasily have been depicted by Joanna rather than Anthony Trollope.Add tothat the mysterious tone of Wilkie Collins and you have a very satisfyingVictorian novel.

A Trollope Treat
Dr. Wortle's School is basically the story of two couples in love and howtheir affections disrupt the tranquil setting of the school.The main plotrevolves around Dr. Wortle's "usher" or school assistant, Mr.Peacocke and his wife.A scandal from their past threatens theirhappiness.The second, very minor, plot is the love story between Dr.Wortle's daughter, Mary and the good-natured Lord Carstairs.

The joy ofthe novel is watching Dr. Wortle deal with these crises.Will he stand byMr. Peacocke in his time of need?Will he allow his daughter to becomeengaged to the very young Lord Carstairs?The answers to these questionsand the reactions of the other characters are handled in the typicalTrollope fashion, with compassion and common sense.Sprinkle the wholething with deft strokes of humor and you have what is Dr. Wortle'sSchool.

As I mentioned in my review of Castle Richmond, I am amazed whata modern thinker Trollope was.His reputation as a"old-fashioned" author is entirely undeserved.In a day and age(late 1870s)when actions and image were everything, where a hint of scandalcould ruin a person, it must have seemed radical to stress that personsshould be judged as much on their "nature" or character asanything else.This is one of those general notions that could be appliedjust as well in 2000 as in 1878.

You might wonder, given what I havealready said, why I give Dr. Wortle's School four stars.When you comparethem to his towering Last Chronicle of Barset, Orley Farm and The Way WeLive Now, it seems a slight injustice to those five star books to give allthe others five stars.Dr. Wortle's School is very readable certainly, butit does not quite obtain the status of "masterpiece" that theseother novels can claim.As always, Trollop's humor, dialogue, andcharacterizations make this an enjoyable novel that can be recommeded toanyone. ... Read more

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This collected works includes: Aaron Trow, Chateau of Prince Polignac, The Courtship of Susan Bell, George Walker at Suez, The House of Heine Brothers, John Bull on the Guadalquivir, and many others? ... Read more

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The third and least political novel of the Palliser series, "The Eustace Diamonds" concerns the beautiful pathological liar Lizzie Greystock. Determined to marry into wealth, Lizzie snares the ailing Sir Florian Eustace and quickly becomes a widow. Despite the brevity of their marriage, Lizzie still inherits according to the generous terms of Sir Florian's will, which include the Eustace diamonds. When the Eustace family solicitor, Mr. Camperdown, begins to question her legal claim to the family heirloom, however, Lizzie begins to weave a tangled web of deception and crime to ensnare possession of the diamonds. Enlisting the aid of her cousin Frank Greystock, much to the dismay of his constant fiancée Lucy Morris, Lizzie seeks to both avoid legal persecution and have a true love affair, first with Frank, and later with Lord George de Bruce Carruthers. Considered a satire of the acceptance of the corrupting influence of money and greed in Victorian society, Trollope's novel blends elements of mystery, politic ... Read more

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The books of the Palliser series are: Can You Forgive Her? Phineas Finn, The Eustace Diamonds, Phineas Redux, The Prime Minister, and The Duke's Children. This addition includes an active (hyperlinked) table of contents.Click on a book title to go to that book, and use the Back button to return to the Table of Contents. According to Wikipedia: "Anthony Trollope (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) 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." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The font and typeset presentation made this a waste of money.
I bought this collection of Trollope's Palliser novels when I first got my Kindle in February 2009 and only now have gotten around to reading it.In the meantime, I have discovered how to download from the Internet free copies of books no longer protected by copyright.The copy I was able to download free in less than 5 minutes was of such better quality than the one I paid Amazon $5.00 for it was shocking.I will not read the Amazon version - the type would be a terrible chore to read - but I think there is no excuse for Amazon - if they're going to charge for a collection like this - not to at least make the quality equal to what is available free on the Internet. Shame on you folks!That being said - I love my Kindle and it has been well worth the money even though I was one of those who paid $350 rather than the current price of $250 for Version 2.

I love Trollope; I hate monospaced fonts!
This is my favorite series of books, bar none, in the history of literature. I was so excited to download it... but now I find it almost impossible to read because the text appears in a monospaced font (it looks like Courier.) It's like trying to read a law brief, or something. I would give this five stars if I could use it. And I would gladly pay more than a dollar for something that looks like a book!

Kindle-specific review - AGB
This is a Kindle-specific review by AGB.

A cracking bargain set from Samizdat - exactly what it says, all 6 of Trollope's "Palliser" novels.

Overall index at opening with links to the start of each of the novels. Layout of the contents is neatly done (though the tables of contents at the start of each novel have a few minor layout problems at all font sizes). The double space between paragraphs can look a little odd at large font sizes but, equally, is very easy on the eye at the small sizes).

Metadata - a complaint and a quibble here.
Complaint: Author indexes under "A" for Anthony not "T" for Trollope - this can be fixed at home via Mobi2Mobi (3rd party software), but shouldn't be wrong in the first place. (Although Kindle displays names in the format "Anthony Trollope" it requires the metadata to present as "Trollope, Anthony" to get the correct indexing).

Quibble - the Title metadata "Classic British Fiction: Trollope's Palliser...." etc is, in my view, awkward on the Kindle, especially if you sort by Title. Via Mobi2Mobi I altered this to "Trollope's Palliser Series: All 6 Novels (Classic British Fiction Series)". Makes it easier to find quickly, especially if you have others in the Samizdat "CBF" series.

All in all, a great set at an unmissable price. ... Read more

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A thorough portrayal of the events of Trollope's long and productive life
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This novel is published under the auspices of the Trollope Society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Limitless Insecurities
This is a remarkably good book, the product of one of the current group of wonderful English biographers.I read previously VITA:THE LIFE OF VITA SACKVILLE-WEST by Victoria Glendinning and enjoyed it immensely.

Anthony Trollope was his mother's Benjamin.The family moved to Harrow to permit the sons of the family to be educated there through the foundation, a charitable trust.Byron was a notorious old boy.Anthony was not spared from bullying.

The family was troubled by Mr. Trollope's mental and physical problems and chronic money problems.Anthony wore ill-fitting clothes.Interestingly, the vicar of Harrow was a member of the Clapham Sect.Anthony went to Winchester before his twelfth birthday.Later he was withdrawn, his fees not having been paid, (he was a pariah), re-entering Harrow where he stayed until he was twenty.

With a failure of income both from the practice of law, Mr. Trollope was a barrister, and the family's farm, Mrs. Trollope went to America.In the end, everyone in the family, but Anthony, joined her.Anthony was compelled to spend his holidays alone in his father's chambers at Lincoln's Inn reading Shakespeare.At age fifteen he began keeping a journal.

DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE AMERICANS by Mrs. Trollope was issued in 1832 and it was a success.Mrs. Trollope's nonstop literary career began in 1831 when she returned from America and lasted for twenty-five years.Industrious and jovial, she was lionized.Anthony's father was nearly imprisoned for debt and escaped to Belgium.Anthony started at the Post Office as a junior clerk.His mother had pulled strings.Anthony's older brother, Tom, lived with Mrs. Trollope following the deaths of a son, a daughter, and her husband.Another daughter married.

At his behest, Anthony was transferred by the Post Office to Ireland.In that environment he learned his bluff and hearty manner from Irish acquaintances who were able to draw a response from the shy young man.The move was, therefore, beneficial.It took place in 1841.Anthony developed skill in keeping accounts.He married Rose Heseltine, the daughter of a bank manager in 1844.His marriage gave Anthony confidence.

Surveying the West of England for the Post office, Anthony became an expert on Devonshire.He began THE WARDEN, his fourth novel, in 1853, and this was set in Barsetshire, paralleling the West Country Anthony now knew so well.The year THE WARDEN came out, 1855, was the year he began writing BARCHESTER TOWERS.His great success commenced with the third Barset novel, DOCTOR THORNE.For Anthony Trollope writing was an addiction.

In 1859 Trollope was given the post of surveyor of the Eastern District of England.He took a lease on Waltham House at Waltham Cross, Essex.Subsequently the Trollopes lived in London and in Sussex.At the time of the move Anthony didn't help much since he was writing FRAMLEY PARSONAGE to be serialized in the CORNHILL magazine.

Trollope met Thakeray through the publisher Joseph Smith.(Smith was Charlotte Bronte's and Ruskin's publisher.)Trollope's friends included John Everett Millais and G. H. Lewes.He wrote nineteen novels between 1860 and 1871.In 1867 he resigned from the Post Office.

Anthony was so productive that publishers were suspicious and he had difficulty placing some of his work.Anthony's other interests were the classics and politics.He faced Dickens-like challenges in his youth to grow to become a convivial and affluent author.His buoyancy and genius account for his substantial achievements.He died in 1882, at age sixty-seven, shortly after having a stroke. ... Read more

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Anthony Trollope has come down to us as the most Victorian of Victorian novelists, who perfected a "bluff, roast-beef kind of Englishness" into high--and immensely popular--art. Glendinning ushers readers into the furthest reaches of Trollope's work and life to reveal a man of extraordinary depth and liveliness. Photos. ... Read more

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Bringing together established critics and exciting new voices, "The Politics of Gender in Anthonh Trollope's Novels" offers original readings of Trollope that recognize and repay his importance as source material for scholars working in diverse fields of literary and cultural studies. As the editors observe in their provocative introduction, Trollope more than any of his contemporaries is studied by scholars from disciplines outside literary studies. The contributors here draw together work from economics, colonialism and ethnicity, gender studies, new historicism, liberalism, legal studies, and politics that convincingly argues for the eminence of Trollope's writings as a vehicle for the theoretical explorations of Victorian culture that currently predominate.The essays variously examine imperial and postcolonial themes in the context of economic, cultural, aesthetic, and demographic influences; show how gender-sensitive readings expose Trollope's critique of capitalism's influence; address Trollope and sexuality in the context of queer studies, the law, archetypal constructions, and classical feminism; and offer new approaches to narrative theory through examination of Victorian understandings of male and female psychology.Regenia Gagnier's concluding chapter revisits the collection's critical strands and reflects on the implications for future studies of Trollope. ... Read more

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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. ... Read more

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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: Business ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Warden by Anthony trollope
The book though somewhat worn out and jaded but still readable and a good value for the money just 47 cents +postage. ... Read more

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This novel makes a biting attack on the snobbery of the titled classes and the immorality of the Church. Lord Hampstead and his sister Frances both intend to marry beneath their rank: Frances to a post office clerk, and her brother to Marion, a Quaker. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

One of Trollope's best love stories
It's quite strange that this book, of all Trollope, is so hard to find. Reviewers didn't like it when it was originally published in the late 1800s, and it never shook its reputation as ultra-tedious. This mystifies me. The melodrama between politically radical Lord Jack Hampton and Marion Fay, a non-aristocratic young Quaker woman who's more of a lady than several of the "ladies" in the book, is flirtatious, accessible and fun (Hampton repeatedly teases Marion that he fell for her when she "poked his fire," i.e. tended his fireplace with a poker--a bolder play with innuendo than Trollope usually engages in). It then turns passionate when Marion won't marry Jack because of a secret trouble involving life-threatening illness. T. uses the situation to examine with great depth and sensitivity the desire to consummate the spiritual union of two souls via marriage. This is the most careful look at what marriage means in T.'s ideal world that I have read in his work yet. He makes it exciting and suspenseful, since we're waiting to see if Marion will really get to poke Jack's fire--or if an unthinkable separation will occur. As in all T., there is a hilarious cast of characters who toe the line that separates the comically pathetic from the dangerously antisocial--for example, will Jack's archetypical evil stepmom just grumble her way through life, or will she scheme to kill Jack? The multiple marriage and family plots are very well integrated, unlike in some other T. novels. ... Read more