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akbates's review against another edition
3.0
The last of the Palliser novels. Good, but my least favorite of the series.
richardr's review against another edition
The abiding theme of the Palliser series has been the extent to which marriage outside of a given social set was commendable and this final book is no exception. In this iteration, both of the Duke of Omnium's children seek to marry outside of their immediate set (in one case to a commoner and in the other to an American). Although a liberal in his politics, the Duke's attitudes towards these propositions is decidedly conservative; "studious as he had ever been to teach them that the highest duty of those high in rank was to use their authority to elevate those beneath them, still he was hardly less anxious to make them understand that their second duty required them to maintain their own position." Although previous novels in the series have come to rather different conclusions, this time the liberal stance wins out with character being elevted over background; "The sons of merchants have with us been Prime Ministers more than once, and no Englishmen ever were more honoured among their countrymen. Our peerage is being continually recruited from the ranks of the people, and hence it gets its strength.... There is no greater mistake than to suppose that inferiority of birth is a barrier to success in this country."
In practice, there's less politics in this novel than in the preceding ones, although it does continue to give an impressions of 19th century politics as being characterised by rather ideological disagreement than was to follow; as it puts it at one point, conservatives are needed to prevent a revolution like the one in France, but liberals are needed to prevent the sort of autocratic tendencies that led to that revolution in the first instance.
One of the more interesting aspects is the comparison between English and American politics; ""With us the other party never comes in,—never has a chance of coming in,—except once in four years, when the President is elected. That one event binds us all for four years... yet you think yourselves more nearly free than we are." Given that American politics of recent years has been frequently characterised by ideological polarisation leading to institutional gridlock and lame duck administrations that would have been dissolved in any European parliamentary system, it's still a rather forceful observation.
In practice, there's less politics in this novel than in the preceding ones, although it does continue to give an impressions of 19th century politics as being characterised by rather ideological disagreement than was to follow; as it puts it at one point, conservatives are needed to prevent a revolution like the one in France, but liberals are needed to prevent the sort of autocratic tendencies that led to that revolution in the first instance.
One of the more interesting aspects is the comparison between English and American politics; ""With us the other party never comes in,—never has a chance of coming in,—except once in four years, when the President is elected. That one event binds us all for four years... yet you think yourselves more nearly free than we are." Given that American politics of recent years has been frequently characterised by ideological polarisation leading to institutional gridlock and lame duck administrations that would have been dissolved in any European parliamentary system, it's still a rather forceful observation.
lbrex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed this, with its focus on the Duke of Omnium's relationship with his children after a tragic loss, but I did hope for a bit more here given that this finishes the Palliser novels. There are elements about the book that make it a suitable conclusion to the books that have gone before, but this is also very much its own story and Trollope clearly wasn't interested in "tying all the threads together" with this last book. Perhaps the most intriguing characters here are Frank Tregear and Mabel Grex, two outsiders who position themselves as suitors for the Duke's children. Mabel Grex felt like a new development as far as Trollope characters go, and the book doesn't seem to be able to accommodate her, which made her an intriguing figure. I also liked the fact that "Mrs. Finn," so much the focus of the Phineas Finn books earlier in the series, is back here in a unique capacity. I'm glad I read this: it certainly gives me a clearer sense of Trollope as a writing and how he thought (or didn't think!) of the Pallisers as a "series."
jakebittle's review against another edition
Finished the Palliser series. Anyone who has spoken to me in the last nine months won’t be surprised to know that I found this last book as delightful as the previous five.
jeansbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hardcoverhearts's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
persey's review against another edition
3.0
That was a letdown; I'd hoped to go out with the Pallisers on a higher note.
For the last in a series known as the Parliamentary novels, where were the politics? Instead, we got a Trollopean length disquisition on romantic entanglements and youthful hijinks. Trollope is always a pleasure and this is enjoyable, but it's not one of the better novels; it certainly wasn't worth killing off Lady Glen (not a spoiler as it happens at the very beginning), a necessary condition to the ultimately trivial story. Yes, the world is changing, even for the Duke of Omnium, but this was a long-winded way to get the message across.
ETA: I also meant to say that I see there's a newly restored version of this available which is about one-third longer and the book is both funnier and darker; it might have addressed my issues. I'd have liked to read it, but there isn't an ebook version.
For the last in a series known as the Parliamentary novels, where were the politics? Instead, we got a Trollopean length disquisition on romantic entanglements and youthful hijinks. Trollope is always a pleasure and this is enjoyable, but it's not one of the better novels; it certainly wasn't worth killing off Lady Glen (not a spoiler as it happens at the very beginning), a necessary condition to the ultimately trivial story. Yes, the world is changing, even for the Duke of Omnium, but this was a long-winded way to get the message across.
ETA: I also meant to say that I see there's a newly restored version of this available which is about one-third longer and the book is both funnier and darker; it might have addressed my issues. I'd have liked to read it, but there isn't an ebook version.