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ruth's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
taj58's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023/04/20/review-2160-the-prime-minister/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023/04/20/review-2160-the-prime-minister/
chicagobooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
I overall enjoyed this book, particularly into accurate description of regret, over analyzing, and politics. I had to deduct a star bc two central characters became slightly unbearable in some of their stubborn behavior.
kdavisreich's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite installment of the Palliser series so far.
jeet_the_maiden's review against another edition
3.0
The Duke of Omnium is slated to form a coalition government, becoming Prime Minister in the process, after his uncle dies in the previous book in the series. Lady Glencora arranges several parties at Gatherum Castle for the political allies and improtant members of the coalition, but as human nature is wont, they're a bother to herself and the Duke, who is of a reserved and taciturn nature. Not all of his allies in the govt are happy with his tenure and half of the book is about how politics play out with between sincere vs ambitious politicians. Favours given, incomplete understanding and innate nature clash within many key characters - the two Dukes, Phineas Finn to some extent and other luminaries.
The other half of the story is about Emily Wharton, daughter of a wealthy barrister who falls in love with the most inappropriate blackguard Ferdinand Lopez - a hustler who smooth talks her into loving him but is severely abusive to her, very greedy for her vast fortune, and thoroughly unprincipled and manipulative in his dealings with his wife and business partner. As a character I lost sympathy with Emily - she is reckless in her decision to marry Lopez, knowing nothing of his background, his business, his source of income, his true nature, basically anything about the man and stubbornly persists in throwing over her old friend and suitor Arthur only because Lopez wooed her with a little interest in poetry and his good looks. There was simply no reason to decide to marry him without making even the barest of enquiries about him.
Her fate once decided, she is lead down an awful path of sorrow - forced to ask her father to support the couple, realising very quickly (on the evening of her wedding) that her fortune was the main reason Lopez married her, and he was quite ready to make her life miserable if she didn't do every detestable thing he asked of her.
The biggest problem in this plot is the very overt anti-Semitism and blatant racism shown to Lopez simply because he's not English born. He's half Portuguese, half Jewish and in the first half of the book it's impossible to tolerate the racism from all characters except Emily. The call him greasy, swarthy, always in disgust and frequently denouncing him for not being British. I almost stopped reading at this point, it's so unpalatable why he should be hated only because of his race. It doesn't help that later on he's shown to be a scoundrel in all aspects of business as well as politics, but I was deeply disappointed in Trollope for writing him this way. One can understand that at the time of writing the book racism was rampant, Britain thought itself the greatest empire, colonialism was in its peak and Rah Rah Britannia was in every British author's work but it makes it very distasteful to me especially any time India was mentioned in the story.
The plot construction is evenly paced, especially when you know that the story was released in weekly instalments, making it necessary for Trollope to often repeat character agency, motivations, reminding the reader why a character was acting a particular way, but which made reading (listening in my case) a bit tedious.
Overall, the politics and the machinations of the wealthy vs regular people make the Palliser series a distinct second to the Barsetshire series, there's no one character that I liked as much as the Warden from the latter, but Phineas Finn is the standout in this current series.
Best character - Lady Glencora.
Worst - everyone who hated Lopez because he was Jewish, not because he was an abusive AH fortune seeker.
The other half of the story is about Emily Wharton, daughter of a wealthy barrister who falls in love with the most inappropriate blackguard Ferdinand Lopez - a hustler who smooth talks her into loving him but is severely abusive to her, very greedy for her vast fortune, and thoroughly unprincipled and manipulative in his dealings with his wife and business partner. As a character I lost sympathy with Emily - she is reckless in her decision to marry Lopez, knowing nothing of his background, his business, his source of income, his true nature, basically anything about the man and stubbornly persists in throwing over her old friend and suitor Arthur only because Lopez wooed her with a little interest in poetry and his good looks. There was simply no reason to decide to marry him without making even the barest of enquiries about him.
Her fate once decided, she is lead down an awful path of sorrow - forced to ask her father to support the couple, realising very quickly (on the evening of her wedding) that her fortune was the main reason Lopez married her, and he was quite ready to make her life miserable if she didn't do every detestable thing he asked of her.
The biggest problem in this plot is the very overt anti-Semitism and blatant racism shown to Lopez simply because he's not English born. He's half Portuguese, half Jewish and in the first half of the book it's impossible to tolerate the racism from all characters except Emily. The call him greasy, swarthy, always in disgust and frequently denouncing him for not being British. I almost stopped reading at this point, it's so unpalatable why he should be hated only because of his race. It doesn't help that later on he's shown to be a scoundrel in all aspects of business as well as politics, but I was deeply disappointed in Trollope for writing him this way. One can understand that at the time of writing the book racism was rampant, Britain thought itself the greatest empire, colonialism was in its peak and Rah Rah Britannia was in every British author's work but it makes it very distasteful to me especially any time India was mentioned in the story.
The plot construction is evenly paced, especially when you know that the story was released in weekly instalments, making it necessary for Trollope to often repeat character agency, motivations, reminding the reader why a character was acting a particular way, but which made reading (listening in my case) a bit tedious.
Overall, the politics and the machinations of the wealthy vs regular people make the Palliser series a distinct second to the Barsetshire series, there's no one character that I liked as much as the Warden from the latter, but Phineas Finn is the standout in this current series.
Best character - Lady Glencora.
Worst - everyone who hated Lopez because he was Jewish, not because he was an abusive AH fortune seeker.
sallyan's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahbringhurstfamilia's review
4.0
I take back every bad thing I've ever said about Anthony Trollope, even though he proves himself in this book to be racist as well as male chauvinist. The Prime Minister is delightfully full of Trollope's usual incisive insight into human nature. Here we find even the almost otherworldly Plantagenet Palliser ever so slightly corrupted by power. I was reading this book during election season, and reliving the vagaries of 19th century British politics was a great escape, as well as a fascinating parallel. It's hard to believe that Trollope didn't secretly in his heart of hearts at least foresee (even if he didn't entirely approve) the future success of the women's rights movement. I think it must have been as obvious to him as to everyone else that Lady Glencora would have made a first-rate Prime Minister.
ipb1's review against another edition
5.0
I love Trollope, and loved this, but do be warned that xenophobia and anti-Semitism pop up more frequently and loom larger than in any other Trollope novel I can think of. Usually I just stick my [metaphorical] fingers in my ears and sing "la la la" to pass by the occasional cringe-inducing sentence, but given the 'traits' of foreign-ness and Jewishness are central to many of the characters' distrust and disparagement of Lopez there are many more uncomfortable moments in this novel than in his others. 21st Century sensibilities aside this is more of the same from Mr T, and no less wonderful for that. Planty Pal and Lady Glen take centre stage and are in truly marvellous form. The hardest part for the modern reader, and that requiring the greatest suspension of disbelief, is the notion of an ethical and moral Prime Minister. Not to worry though, the overwhelming majority of the establishment and Parliamentary estate are the kinds of self-serving, back-stabbing, moral bankrupts we are completely familiar with today.