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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Originally published on my blog here in June 1998.
This was the most popular of Trollope's Barsetshire novels at the time when it was written, though critical opinion would not generally give it so high a position today. The romance between the main characters really caught the public imagination when the novel was published in serial form, though subsequent commentators have seen it as rather sentimentalised.
The book really centres around three people, though Trollope emphasises (as part of the narrative) that he didn't want to have a conventional hero and heroine as the main characters. Indeed, the major achievement of the novel is to present fully rounded characters that are not perfect nor completely imperfect.
These three characters are Lily Dale, the young niece of the squire of Allington (the Great House is the squire's home; the Little House is the home of Mrs Dale and her two daughters, the children of the squire's brother); Adolphus Crosbie, fashionable young man who proposes to Lily while staying with the squire's son and is accepted, though he later has second thoughts; and Johnny Eames, another young man who has loved Lily from afar for a long time but is too shy to have done anything about it.
A major theme is that of growing up; the novel is in some ways a precursor of "coming of age" films. Johnny Eames in particular is described as a "hobbeldehoy" at the beginning, a lad lacking in experience who has yet to become a man. His growth is through the experience of working in London, subject to the temptations of the great city, and responding to the events in Allington. Lily Dale grows up through her experience of rejection, and Crosbie grows up as he experiences the effects that his marriage to another woman whom he does not love have on his life.
This was the most popular of Trollope's Barsetshire novels at the time when it was written, though critical opinion would not generally give it so high a position today. The romance between the main characters really caught the public imagination when the novel was published in serial form, though subsequent commentators have seen it as rather sentimentalised.
The book really centres around three people, though Trollope emphasises (as part of the narrative) that he didn't want to have a conventional hero and heroine as the main characters. Indeed, the major achievement of the novel is to present fully rounded characters that are not perfect nor completely imperfect.
These three characters are Lily Dale, the young niece of the squire of Allington (the Great House is the squire's home; the Little House is the home of Mrs Dale and her two daughters, the children of the squire's brother); Adolphus Crosbie, fashionable young man who proposes to Lily while staying with the squire's son and is accepted, though he later has second thoughts; and Johnny Eames, another young man who has loved Lily from afar for a long time but is too shy to have done anything about it.
A major theme is that of growing up; the novel is in some ways a precursor of "coming of age" films. Johnny Eames in particular is described as a "hobbeldehoy" at the beginning, a lad lacking in experience who has yet to become a man. His growth is through the experience of working in London, subject to the temptations of the great city, and responding to the events in Allington. Lily Dale grows up through her experience of rejection, and Crosbie grows up as he experiences the effects that his marriage to another woman whom he does not love have on his life.
Longer than the previous tales of Barsetshire life as some of the action moves to London ahead of the Palliser novels. This is an odd story where the main characters are mostly flawed, priggish and generally unlikable while the peripheral characters deliver both the humour and the pathos. I do like the idea that young people can be woefully wrongheaded about love and wont to screw everything up in the shortest amount of time. The course of love does not run smooth in this novel but it was just as entertaining, regardless.
Lily Dale falls in love with Adolphus Crosbie and they become engaged. Then he jilts her and marries Alexandrina, the daughter of the Earl de Courcy. That is one strand of the story. Then there is John Eames, a clerk in the income tax office, who also loves Lily, but who nevertheless becomes entangled with Amelia, the daughter of his landlady. John has a colleague and fellow-lodger, Cradell, who flirts with the married Mrs Lupex. Lily has a sister, Bell, who refuses to marry her cousin and accepts instead a doctor, who has loved her for years. Griselda (nee Grantley) almost flirts with Plantagenet Palliser, but doesn't. This is a long novel and not all of the strands seemed to fit well together: in particular, some of the Lupex/Roper/Cradell characters seemed to have wandered in from a different novel.
I liked the Bell and Dr Crofts storyline, but it was a bit underwritten. All the scenes with the despicable Crosbie and his appalling in-laws were enjoyable. Lily was extremely annoying and needs to wake up to the fact that you can't go on loving someone like Crosbie and retain your mental health. John Eames was also rather tiresome, so maybe in the next book they will end up together and that would suit me.
I liked the Bell and Dr Crofts storyline, but it was a bit underwritten. All the scenes with the despicable Crosbie and his appalling in-laws were enjoyable. Lily was extremely annoying and needs to wake up to the fact that you can't go on loving someone like Crosbie and retain your mental health. John Eames was also rather tiresome, so maybe in the next book they will end up together and that would suit me.
From BBC Radio 4 - The Barchester Chronicles:
The arrival of the handsome Adolphus Crosbie causes quite a stir at Allington, especially with Lily Dale, who lives at the Small House due to the benevolence of her rich uncle. Crosbie's ambitions to marry into high society are in danger of being dashed by the charming Lily, but can a straight-talking country girl ever be enough for him?
Music composed by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant.
Written by Michael Symmons Roberts
Directed by Gary Brown
Produced by Charlotte Riches
The Small House of Allington is the fifth instalment of The Barchester Chronicles, Anthony Trollope's much-loved series of witty, gently satirical stories of provincial life set within the fictional cathedral town of Barchester and the surrounding county of Barsetshire. With a focus on the lives, loves and tribulations of the local clergy and rural gentry, the canvas is broad and colourful, with a wonderful set of iconic characters whose lives we become intimately involved in as they grow up, grow old and fall in or out of love and friendship across the years.
Free download available at Project Gutenberg.
The arrival of the handsome Adolphus Crosbie causes quite a stir at Allington, especially with Lily Dale, who lives at the Small House due to the benevolence of her rich uncle. Crosbie's ambitions to marry into high society are in danger of being dashed by the charming Lily, but can a straight-talking country girl ever be enough for him?
Music composed by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant.
Written by Michael Symmons Roberts
Directed by Gary Brown
Produced by Charlotte Riches
The Small House of Allington is the fifth instalment of The Barchester Chronicles, Anthony Trollope's much-loved series of witty, gently satirical stories of provincial life set within the fictional cathedral town of Barchester and the surrounding county of Barsetshire. With a focus on the lives, loves and tribulations of the local clergy and rural gentry, the canvas is broad and colourful, with a wonderful set of iconic characters whose lives we become intimately involved in as they grow up, grow old and fall in or out of love and friendship across the years.
Free download available at Project Gutenberg.
At first glance, this book looks like yet another strong concoction made of Bennet sisters (Jane and Elizabeth) from Pride and Prejudice, and Dashwood sisters (Elinor and Marianne) from Sense and sensibility. Trollope uses similar tropes from Victorian Era and gives them different layers. By the end of the book, you are left with no heroines or their dashing men. There are no villains or superflous women whose presence is to stitch the threads of plot together. You are left with people who you have come to know very dearly and you find it difficult to write some people off with a mere label.
Lily Dale is jilted by an ambitious young man, Crosbie. She holds no grudges, no angry words or mourns for the loss of love of her life - something that she had declared only few days before. Yes, its annoying to read her martyr speech and calling upon God to forgive the man who broke off the engagement. She isn't angry with this sudden change as her actions implies as if she
almost saw it coming. For Lily Dale, marriage is a lifelong commitment and a constancy. She doesn't believe in divorce or wants that to happen to her due to her own convictions about society and institution of marriage. She confronts her fiance, Crosbie, and gives him an out. She says she will be okay if they were to call their marriage off now rather than later when they are already married. When she finds out the engagement is over, she is relieved that the doubts that had risen over the weeks were now put to rest. With the kind of society she was in and the arrangement that was for her family, being divorced would have been disastrous. Calling off engagement and cutting things off with her fiance was probably the best course of action. Yes, Lily Dale's actions can be annoying but its not born out of practicality.
That being said, she is far from perfect. She has tendency to over share, sometimes lacks regard for delicacy of the situation and can be self-ignorant - a trait that she shared with her fiance, Mr. Crosbie. Trollope doesn't make Crosibie a villain as we have seen in Mr.Willoughby or Mr.Wickham whose ulterior motives severely lack remorse. Mr. Crosbie is upset with the way things progress when he realizes marrying Lily Dale would inhibit his progress. He makes a decision that's cruel to Lily and doesn't find courage to face her in person and give her the news. When he sits down to write his letter, he is sorry for his actions and doesn't give justifications for them.
His self-absorption gives him lack of insight thus making him leave a hurt and despair in his wake. Over time he grows as a person and shakes much of his old habits and temperament with new personality being almost likeable.The other sister Bell rejects a proposition from a wealthy man who also happens to be her cousin. She stands her ground and says she doesn't want to because she doesn't want to. The man, Bernard is baffled at the lack of reason for her rejection. Its amusing in the way it seems to be a parody of Elizabeth Bennet in this context. Bell finds her happy ending in one Dr.Crofts who hails from a poor family.
Trollope explores class distinction from the very title. Every character interaction is a conflict in social class and their respective status. It's interesting how many of them have all been interacting with each other before the start of novel. They are all either related or friends or have friends in common. It makes the setting very intricate with most characters always staying in the fringes of ongoing plot. Trollope doesn't give every main character their happy ending. Some characters find a way to resolve their differences, grow a little and move on. Each character comes with their own set of flaws which influences the actions of these characters.
Even now these characters can be easily related to and we all probably know a few who fit into the roles from this book. Very humane, very realistic.
Lily Dale is jilted by an ambitious young man, Crosbie. She holds no grudges, no angry words or mourns for the loss of love of her life - something that she had declared only few days before. Yes, its annoying to read her martyr speech and calling upon God to forgive the man who broke off the engagement. She isn't angry with this sudden change as her actions implies as if she
almost saw it coming. For Lily Dale, marriage is a lifelong commitment and a constancy. She doesn't believe in divorce or wants that to happen to her due to her own convictions about society and institution of marriage. She confronts her fiance, Crosbie, and gives him an out. She says she will be okay if they were to call their marriage off now rather than later when they are already married. When she finds out the engagement is over, she is relieved that the doubts that had risen over the weeks were now put to rest. With the kind of society she was in and the arrangement that was for her family, being divorced would have been disastrous. Calling off engagement and cutting things off with her fiance was probably the best course of action. Yes, Lily Dale's actions can be annoying but its not born out of practicality.
That being said, she is far from perfect. She has tendency to over share, sometimes lacks regard for delicacy of the situation and can be self-ignorant - a trait that she shared with her fiance, Mr. Crosbie. Trollope doesn't make Crosibie a villain as we have seen in Mr.Willoughby or Mr.Wickham whose ulterior motives severely lack remorse. Mr. Crosbie is upset with the way things progress when he realizes marrying Lily Dale would inhibit his progress. He makes a decision that's cruel to Lily and doesn't find courage to face her in person and give her the news. When he sits down to write his letter, he is sorry for his actions and doesn't give justifications for them.
His self-absorption gives him lack of insight thus making him leave a hurt and despair in his wake. Over time he grows as a person and shakes much of his old habits and temperament with new personality being almost likeable.The other sister Bell rejects a proposition from a wealthy man who also happens to be her cousin. She stands her ground and says she doesn't want to because she doesn't want to. The man, Bernard is baffled at the lack of reason for her rejection. Its amusing in the way it seems to be a parody of Elizabeth Bennet in this context. Bell finds her happy ending in one Dr.Crofts who hails from a poor family.
Trollope explores class distinction from the very title. Every character interaction is a conflict in social class and their respective status. It's interesting how many of them have all been interacting with each other before the start of novel. They are all either related or friends or have friends in common. It makes the setting very intricate with most characters always staying in the fringes of ongoing plot. Trollope doesn't give every main character their happy ending. Some characters find a way to resolve their differences, grow a little and move on. Each character comes with their own set of flaws which influences the actions of these characters.
Even now these characters can be easily related to and we all probably know a few who fit into the roles from this book. Very humane, very realistic.