An Eye for an Eye

Description

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

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Customer Reviews

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

2008-11-22 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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

2008-06-01 (Wayzata, MN United States) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 1

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

2008-02-02 | Mercer (Minnesota) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

2006-04-09 | Tarnmoor (Los Angeles, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 11 | Rating: 5

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

2001-06-10 | gurdonark (Allen, TX United States) | Helpful Votes: 7 | Rating: 4

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Barchester Towers (Volume 1)

Description

The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 1; Original Publisher: Dodd, Mead

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This 1857 sequel to The Warden wryly chronicles the struggle for control of the English diocese of Barchester. The evangelical but not particularly competent new bishop is Dr. Proudie, who with his awful wife and oily curate, Slope, maneuver for power. The Warden and Barchester Towers are part of Trollope's Barsetshire series, in which some of the same characters recur.

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Customer Reviews

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

2010-05-22 (Tennessee) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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

2009-09-17 (Florida) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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

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

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

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

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

2009-09-02 (Carneys Point, NJ USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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

2009-04-28 (Jersey City, NJ USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Much ado
Second in Trollope's Barsetshire series, Barchester Towers concerns the family of the Reverend Septimus Harding, whom we first met in The Warden. The new bishop has arrived, accompanied by his domineering wife and her hand-picked clerical cohort, the hypocritical Obadiah Slope. A sharply satirical comedy of errors ensues, played out by a cast of memorable characters who struggle for power, position, love, and money. Trollope knew human nature, and he knew how to portray it in both its positive and negative aspects. Part of the appeal of Barchester Towers is that he is able to do so with relative gentleness, without preaching or obvious moralizing. I'm looking forward to the sequel, to find out what happens to the bishop's virago of a wife.

2009-04-15 | katknit (CT, United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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The Eustace Diamonds

Description

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

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Customer Reviews

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

2010-02-17 | Steve (SYDNEY, NSW Australia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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

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

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

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

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

[NCJAR]

2010-01-19 | Mom of Many Interests | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

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

2010-01-02 | alfons (NY, USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Entertaining to the last page
Trollope is addictive, but some of his books offer more nonstop entertainment than others, and this is one of those.

2009-09-21 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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The Start of a Beautiful Friendship
It's hard to adequately describe my affection for "The Eustace Diamonds." This was the first Trollope I read, and I did so more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. (I had heard of Trollope, and thought that I SHOULD read him, much in the way one thinks one SHOULD get a yearly prostate exam.) I expected a dense, difficult read on the lines of Henry James or Thomas Hardy, but was completely surprised -- blown away, frankly -- by how entertaining and funny a writer Trollope is. This is the book that started my love affair with his works, one that has only deepened with each new book.

"The Eustace Diamonds," as you probably know, revolves around the vivacious Lizzie Greystock, who marries for money and goes to unimaginable lengths to hold on to it. She is a liar, a cheat, a wicked, wicked woman...and an utter delight. She ensnares every man she meets, and that seems to have included her creator, Trollope himself! I know that I find her irresistible, along with the novel in which she's the sun, moon and stars.

If you haven't yet read Trollope, I might work up to this book by reading its two predecessors in The Palliser Chronicles, but be forewarned that the first of them, "Can You Forgive Her?" is not Trollope at his best. Certainly read "Phineas Finn," though, as the characters introduced there will factor into "Phineas Redux," which, in part, continues Lizzie Greystock's dubious adventures. But regardless of the order in which you decide to proceed, don't miss out on "The Eustace Diamonds," one of the great, most pleasurable contributions to English literature.

2009-04-30 (Jersey City, NJ USA) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

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The Bertrams

Description

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

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Customer Reviews

Interesting, but not my favorite Trollope
In the lengthy passages about Palestine and Egypt in this work, Trollope tends to come off as a frustrated travel writer. Besides these strange interludes, this is really a classic Trollope work in the raw, emotionally painful vein. If you've read a good deal of Trollope before getting to this novel, you'll find distinct echoes of plots from He Knew He Was Right, The Way We Live Now, and other works. (I notice Trollope has a preferred method of dispensing with unworthy but problematic men). But there are some lively and original characters in this somber novel, making it well worth the read.

2010-04-22 | riotbrrd (Los Gatos, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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the nature and limits of prudence
Books by Trollope that are not part of the two series (Palliser, Barsetshire) tend to be neglected. This one deserves far more attention. It is Trollope at his best. The structure is intricate, the characters superb, the pace brisk. the wit and satire sharp . No dry spells, no simpereing Victorian maidens. This has a Balzacian flavour to it; there are a number of characters looking for the main chance. Caroline is one of his most interesting creations. There are three plots which are both parallel and contrasting: George and Caroline, Adela and Arthur, and Sir Lionel's search for a rich heiress. I would say the major theme of the book is the limits of prudence. The scenes in Cairo and Jerusalem add color, an exotic quality, to the story. A delightful read.

2009-12-16 (Barrie, Ontario) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Trollope adds something different
Trollope delivers his usual good story with good characters but adds something new here--an Englishman's view of Jerusalem in the 1800s. It's fascinating, and he reveals his own Christian beliefs in this book very clearly. The two romances are also a little different from his usual ones--very satisfying, I thought. And, again, he does not neglect humor. Having read many Trollope novels, I rate this one among the best.

2009-11-28 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Vintage Trollope
Trollope wrote "The Bertrams" fairly early in his writing career and to me it felt different from his usual fare. Of course there was his theme of boy meets girl, he/they fall in love, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy eventually wins girl. The emotion seemed more raw though. In "Bertrams" Trollope also threw in some exotic locales such as Jerusalem and Egypt. On the surface this can seem boring but Trollope was always so good at looking under his character's skin to their psychology, their emotions, and motivations. His writing never gets old for me and compared to some of today's harsher literature and even harsher current political/financial/emotional climate reading Trollope feels like a conversation with a trusted friend. He never lets you down.

2009-09-08 | Andante Cantabile (Los Angeles, CA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

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ONE OF HIS BEST
THE STORY IS ESSENTIALLY A LOVE STORY -- ABOUT 2 MAIN COUPLES. THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL SUBPLOTS, ALSO. THE STORY INVOLVES TWO YOUNG MEN WHO ARE EACH IN LOVE, ONE GEORGE BERTRAM AND ONE ARTHUR W. GEORGE DENOUNCES HIS UNCLES MONEY AND WILL NOT BE MOVED TO ANY SORT OF ACTION BY IT -- THUS CAUSING THE WOMAN HE LOVES TO POSTPONE THEIR MARRIAGE. SHE WANTS TO LIVE WELL WITH LOTS OF MONEY. ON THE OTHER HAND, ARTHUR DOES THE SAME, FEELING HE CANNOT MARRY HIS LOVE SINCE HE HAS NO MONEY. THE EFFECT THAT MONEY OR THE LACK THEREOF HAS ON THESE 4 PEOPLE AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE STORY IS THE CENTRAL THEME. THE BOOK IS SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND EXAMINES DEEPLY THE PSYCHE OF ALL THE CHARACTERS. I LOVED IT!

2003-11-29 | Helpful Votes: 8 | Rating: 5

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Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite

Description

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

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Customer Reviews

Please don't reveal the major plot points of novels in your reviews.
I understand you think that anyone considering buying this must already know all about it, but that's not always the case. If you intend to spoil the novel, at least post a spoiler warning at the beginning of your review.

2009-12-05 (Chapel Hill, NC) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

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disappointed by ending
I simply didn't like the way this book ended, and that ruined it for me. The ending seemed unbelievable and depressing, both. It made me decide to take a break from Trollope books for a while. I've loved most of them.

2009-06-05 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Love Gone Wrong
I don't know how anyone who has read a Trollope novel cannot want to read them all. While Sir Harry Hotspur is far from Trollope's greatest work, it is a pleasant reading experience. I always think of Trollope's novels as having a certain "sweetness and light" to them; however, in his often comic marriage knot tied novels, he is also very realistic. This novel is the tale of a less successful relationship, and one all the more interesting as a result.

The story is that of Sir Harry Hotspur and his wife. They are approaching old age, and their son, the heir to the property and name has died. They now only have one living child, their daughter Emily, and she needs to be married. Because the novel is set in England, Sir Harry's title will pass to his next male relative, a young cousin, George Hotspur, but Sir Harry will leave the property to his daughter. What Sir Harry would like more than anything is to keep the property and title together. His daughter agrees with him since she has fallen in love with her cousin, George. The plan for George to marry Emily, however, becomes complicated. As Emily falls deeper in love with George, Sir Harry finds out more and more that George is a "blackamoor", one who runs around with women and cheats at cards. Emily, however, remains determined to love and marry him. She is convinced she and her parents can reform George.

Is George reformable? I will not give away the end, but I will say the novel is realistic in its treatment of the relationship--Emily is ready to worship George as a god if he can only prove himself worthy of her, and George promises to change.

Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite was published in 1870, after Trollope's masterful series of Barset novels, and also while he was completing his second great series, The Palliser novels. Sir Harry Hotspur does not reach the standard of those twelve great books, but anyone who has read them will want to read further and continue in Mr. Trollope's pleasant company.

- Tyler R. Tichelaar, author of Iron Pioneers and The Queen City, available on Amazon

2007-04-02 | Superior Book Promotions - Marquette Fiction (Marquette, MI USA) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 4

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A failuire to reform a scoundrel
Anthony Trollope turns the tables on the usual "happy ending" in this intriguing novel and has his undaunted and faithful heroine fail miserably in bringing about the attempted reform of her disreputable husband-to-be. Sir Harry Hotspur is a wealthy baronet whose only surviving child, his daughter Emily, falls in love with her cousin George Hotspur. George is a scoundrel, though - a rogue and gambler and alcoholic swindler, all of which he admits to openly. However, Sir Harry's title will pass on to George if he and Emily should marry, as would his estates and property; it is for this continued union of title and estates that Sir Harry, out of his own pride, can't bring himself to forbid the marriage. But when the depth of George's depravity is made known to Sir Harry, he can't any longer give consent to Emily's marrying him. But the incredibly innocent and naïve Emily is convinced not only of her love for George, but of her ability to reform him. In the hands of any number of other novelists of the period that is exactly what would happen, but not in Trollope's. Harry, knowing his man, refuses to budge, and Emily, listening only to her heart, refuses to give up on him. When George finally dumps her and marries someone else, Emily dies.

The novel is simple, straight-forward, and compelling. Trollope is concerned with a couple of issues here, one being the "double standard" of the wretched male rogue being the object of Emily's compassion (no female character could ever survive a tenth of the dastardly behaviors exhibited by George). Another is Sir Harry's aristocratic pride at work in hoping to keep his title and property intact, although Trollope would never go so far as to have Sir Harry let Emily marry the blackguard just for that alone. The story moves along quickly and decidedly, and the downward spiral of events into utter sadness at the end is emotionally draining for the reader. One of Trollope's best short novels.

2006-09-10 (South Central PA, USA) | Helpful Votes: 12 | Rating: 5

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fine short novel
Written in 1870, when Trollope was at the height of his powers, Sir Harry Hotspur is a moving story of greed, courtship, and conflicting emotions. The story is simple. Harry Hotspur is immensely wealthy. He has lost his son, leaving him with just a daughter for as heir to his fortune. His daughter loves a low life cousin who wants her money. The financial troubles of the cousin, and the emotional conflict between father and daughter create the drama of this fine short novel.

1999-02-17 | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 4

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The Warden

Description

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

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Customer Reviews

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

2009-04-28 (Jersey City, NJ USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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A Carefully Written, Moving Novel
The Warden develops carefully and slower than many of the modern novels I have read. I was tempted to abandon it after a couple of chapters...Thank goodness I stuck with it. I ended up completing the latter half of the book in a few days because by then I was fully intrigued and encaptured by the story.

It seems like not much can happen in this book after the main characters are introduced and all seems well. What does happen is intense and emotional. Trollope illustrates the significance of relationships to people and how detrimental it can be when friendships are damaged.

Trollope excels at developing the characters and the plot which as benign as it seems delivers a staggering blow to readers.

This is a book that was enjoyable, but I think its greatest value is in the reflection it inspires. I look forward to continuing to read the Trollope books.

Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays

2009-03-21 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Not for profit
Septimus Hardy is that rarity - an honest, "disinterested", Church of England cleric. For 10 years, he has held the living as warden at a charitable "hospital", founded centuries ago for impoverished but worthy tradesmen. When in the interest of reform, John Bold, Warden Hardy's daughter's suitor, brings a suit against the church for diverting alms to the clergy rather than the poor.

All manner of trouble arises when Mr. Hardy's conscience clashes with the plans of his Arch Deacon, who also happens to be his son-in-law. Employing subtle (and sometimes not) satire to age old conflicts between right/wrong, church/society, rich/poor, law/common sense, Trollope prods his readers to consider the nature of charity and society's obligations to the less fortunate. He presents both sides with fairness, providing no easy solution to a problem that is always with us. Thought provoking and still topical, though originally published in 1855.

2009-02-24 | katknit (CT, United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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"He was not so anxious to prove himself right, as to be so."
For many years, the kindly and unambitious Rev. Septimus Harding has been warden of Hiram's Hospital, a residence for poor men who have nowhere else to go, a place where they may live comfortably, get a small stipend from the estate of Mr. Hiram, and live out their lives in peace. The warden of Hiram's Hospital has also been living at peace, until John Bold, a young reformer, questions why Mr. Harding, as warden, gets eight hundred pounds a year for accepting the title of warden, which does not require him to do much else. The bedesmen living in the hospital get only shillings, and Bold wonders whether the real intentions of Hiram's bequest to establish the hospital, more than four hundred years ago, are being honored in the present.

In this first of the Barsetshire Chronicles, published in 1855, Trollope establishes the gently satiric tone and mood which pervade the series. Here he focuses on the church, its clergymen, and their roles in society, showing Rev. Harding to be a man of honor and trust (though a bit too comfortable and unimaginative to ask the hard questions) and contrasting him with Archdeacon Grantly, his son-in-law, who enjoys the power and perks of his position and feels that the world owes him whatever what he can get from it. The stultifying church hierarchy sees its role as almost royal, above the fray and dedicated to sustaining itself.

The conflict which arises when John Bold and Tom Towers, an arrogant newspaperman, become allies in the investigation of the warden's position becomes even stronger when some of the bedesmen are encouraged to demand one hundred pounds a year. Rev. Harding becomes the humiliated subject of editorials, pamphlets, and even a novel showing the "abuses" of his power. Dr. Pessimist Anticant, the pamphleteer, is thought to be a parody of Thomas Carlyle, and the novelist, Mr. Popular Sentiment, is thought to be Charles Dickens. The fact that John Bold, who started it all, is in love with the warden's daughter creates further complications.

Trollope is a delightful writer whose style is to entertain the reader while raising some thoughtful questions. Though he takes his writing seriously and creates memorable characters behaving, as a rule, like real people, he does not take himself seriously, nor does he feel the need to be a social reformer. His humor and amiability give a freshness to novels like this one, which, despite its age, is amusing and perceptive. His later novels, like The Way We Live Now, are far more complex--but just as much fun. n Mary Whipple

Barchester Towers
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels)
Framley Parsonage

2008-02-06 (New England) | Helpful Votes: 8 | Rating: 4

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A delightful gentle satire
In this delightful short novel, Trollope highlights and satirizes clerical abuses in the 19th century Church of England. The story centers around a legacy that was intended for charitable purposes but which is now being used to provide a comfortable sinecure for a minor clergyman. However, rather than taking the easy route of painting the recipient, Mr. Harding, as a conniving exploiter, Trollope instead portrays him as an innocent and gentle figure who lovingly cares for the bedesmen of the charity and who innocently accepts his excessive income as a customary gift. As the story unfolds, another harsher figure, Archdeacon Grantly, aggressively defends the church's rights, but Mr. Harding is unwilling to accept the public odium of his position and also slowly comes to believe that he should not accept his income unless he can be certain it was what the long dead founder intended. Thus Trollope succeeds in highlighting and attacking a then common clerical abuse, but in a way that largely avoids attacking the clergy themselves.

I particularly enjoy The Warden because of the very gentle way in which Trollope exposes and satirizes human weaknesses. He avoids being harsh or critical and instead draws the reader into a gentle understanding that author, reader, and characters all share many of the same follies, frailties and self-deceptions. Archdeacon Grantly may often be pompous and foolish, but he is also very human.

The Warden is sometimes seen merely as a preamble to the more elaborate delights of Barchester Towers, but at around 280 pages it is a fine gem in its own right.

2007-12-12 (Palo Alto, CA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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