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richardr's review against another edition
I tend to think of Trollope as one of the most conservative of Victorian writers and a novel where fox hunting is central to the development of the narrative may be a particular case in point. Much of the plot concerns the unfavourable depictions of the titular American Senator's observations of English society, particular his criticism of how the English aristocracy are able to literally ride roughshod over the land of their neighbours when hunting: "The fact is, Mr. Morton, that the spirit of conservatism in this country is so strong that you cannot bear to part with a shred of the barbarism of the middle ages. .. You can do many things that your mother and grandmother couldn't do; but absolute freedom,—what you may call universal suffrage,—hasn't come yet, I fear."
In practice, Trollope goes to great lengths to suggest that the man the Senator is defending against a charge of fox poisoning is a rogue and that the Senator's view of English society is accordingly profoundly mistaken, with his criticism of the exclusion of much of the population from the franchise implied to be in the same vein. By the end of the novel, Trollope finds the Senator "when we last heard of him was thundering in the Senate against certain practices on the part of his own country which he thought to be unjust to other nations. Don Quixote was not more just than the Senator, or more philanthropic,—nor perhaps more apt to wage war against the windmills." It's a view that might have seemed eminently reasonably at a point when England had been stable and prosperous for generations while the United States had only narrowly survived a civil way a decade earlier.
The rest of the novel concerns two parallel plots. As is often the case in Trollope, they both tend in opposing directions. In one, Mary Masters is able to marry into the aristocracy through her unassuming and self-sacrificing nature. In another, Arabella Trefoil's schemes to marry a rich husband mark her as an adventuress and all her devices come to nothing. What is perhaps particularly interesting about this is that Arabella perhaps particularly resembles male characters in some of Trollope's other novels, with her pursuit of wealth being particularly wrong-footed because of her sex. One of the other characters describes her thus: "But it was the look of age, and the almost masculine strength of the lower face."
In practice, Trollope goes to great lengths to suggest that the man the Senator is defending against a charge of fox poisoning is a rogue and that the Senator's view of English society is accordingly profoundly mistaken, with his criticism of the exclusion of much of the population from the franchise implied to be in the same vein. By the end of the novel, Trollope finds the Senator "when we last heard of him was thundering in the Senate against certain practices on the part of his own country which he thought to be unjust to other nations. Don Quixote was not more just than the Senator, or more philanthropic,—nor perhaps more apt to wage war against the windmills." It's a view that might have seemed eminently reasonably at a point when England had been stable and prosperous for generations while the United States had only narrowly survived a civil way a decade earlier.
The rest of the novel concerns two parallel plots. As is often the case in Trollope, they both tend in opposing directions. In one, Mary Masters is able to marry into the aristocracy through her unassuming and self-sacrificing nature. In another, Arabella Trefoil's schemes to marry a rich husband mark her as an adventuress and all her devices come to nothing. What is perhaps particularly interesting about this is that Arabella perhaps particularly resembles male characters in some of Trollope's other novels, with her pursuit of wealth being particularly wrong-footed because of her sex. One of the other characters describes her thus: "But it was the look of age, and the almost masculine strength of the lower face."
betsygant's review against another edition
3.0
A mediocre Trollope novel but entertaining nonetheless.
catebutler's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
#trolloping buddy read on IG - January 2022
wrenmeister's review against another edition
4.0
4.5* An underrated Trollope novel of scheming and saintly young women in search of a husband.
hollie347's review
challenging
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
pgchuis's review
4.0
Arabella and her mother (despite their extreme poverty!) have been travelling in the US and met John Morton, the British ambassador to Washington and Senator Gotobed from the state of Mikewa. Arabella has become engaged to John and all four return to England and stay at John's country home. Senator Gotobed has come to observe English habits and customs and throughout the book behaves in a thoroughly annoying (both to me and to those he meets) fashion, acquiring a very superficial knowledge in a given area and pontificating on how irrational it all is in a way offensive to his host and listeners. Arabella, who has been trying to get a husband for 12 years (so she must be 30ish), goes off John and transfers her attentions to the richer Lord Rufford. Rufford kisses her but has no intention of marrying her and then the efforts she makes to entrap him and those he makes to escape take up most of the book. There is also a sub-plot involving John's cousin Reginald, the attorney's daughter, Mary, and her suitor Mr Twentyman.
This was in many ways a frustrating novel; Trollope and Gotobed had some good points about the absurdity of hunting (oh yes, pages and pages of the stuff), suffrage and church patronage and if Trollope had given Gotobed a sense of humour or an ability to appreciate nuance or to really listen, then I as reader might have been willing to listen. As it was, I longed for the chapters where the senator was absent. Arabella and Rufford started off entertaining, but the attempts to pin him down began to drag for me. Also, while she was clearly a heartless adventuress, he did behave really badly, so perhaps Miss Penge was a just punishment. Mary and Reginald, on the other hand, were lovely. Reginald's character blossomed out of all recognition and the proposal scene was very nicely done.
This was in many ways a frustrating novel; Trollope and Gotobed had some good points about the absurdity of hunting (oh yes, pages and pages of the stuff), suffrage and church patronage and if Trollope had given Gotobed a sense of humour or an ability to appreciate nuance or to really listen, then I as reader might have been willing to listen. As it was, I longed for the chapters where the senator was absent. Arabella and Rufford started off entertaining, but the attempts to pin him down began to drag for me. Also, while she was clearly a heartless adventuress, he did behave really badly, so perhaps Miss Penge was a just punishment. Mary and Reginald, on the other hand, were lovely. Reginald's character blossomed out of all recognition and the proposal scene was very nicely done.
lnatal's review
3.0
Anthony Trollope's tale of Arabella Trefoil, a clever, conniving and ruthless woman.
rosea's review
5.0
When this novel was recommended to me I had not even heard of it among Trollope's works but gamely gave it a try. I found it the easiest to get into and raced through it on holiday. I think it's probably my favourite of his novels that I've read so far. I feel like at the beginning, Trollope was very savage and was using the character of the American Senator as a vehicle to expose inconsistencies and irrationalities in British culture - and he was savage to all his characters, the Senator included. But as the novel progressed, I felt that the characters all developed and showed that it's never so simple. It's a novel with several different, connected plotlines and I'm not sure it always hangs together coherently, but if there is any theme, it is the very wise that what may stand up in principle or seem initially straight forward is in reality much more complex, whether situations or characters. I found a lot to amuse in this novel and also a lot to provoke a great deal of thought about England, about America, about the attitudes of both countries, about the author, about love and ambition and principles... It was a real treasure trove of interest. I only wish people I knew had actually read it!