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kaitlin_dunford's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I liked this. I enjoyed the story (although the ending was obvious from the beginning). What I didn't enjoy was the way that Trollope constantly went off on tangents and talked to the reader about his writing process. For instance, at one point he makes an aside about the fact that as a writer he should hire a lawyer to make sure that the legal details of his novels are correct, but as he has no lawyer, we should forgive him if such and such a detail wasn't correct. This happened more than once and it was a bit jarring to suddenly be taken out of the story. And I know that at this time novelists generally published a chapter at a time and were paid by the word. It shows in the style of Trollope's prose.
However, the story was good, and that can cover a multitude of sins.
However, the story was good, and that can cover a multitude of sins.
ruth's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Frank Gresham must marry for money as the heir and the only one who help make up for his father's debts. Unfortunately, for the family, Frank is love with Mary Thorne, the town doctor's niece. Like the other books in this series this one has a lot of drama, but it has less politics. Again, Trollop speaks to his readers, hinting things that he and the reader knows, but the characters don't know. This jumps around in time referring things that had happened that character in previous chapter wouldn't know about or he brings up a subplot that will be relevant later. This is a bit disorienting until you get use to it. The characters are as complex and as human as ever creating feelings of frustration, anger, and adoration. The characters have their faults and their attributes. Like The Warden and Barchester Towers this is an enjoyable read for me.
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Dr. Thorne is a distant cousin to the Thornes of Ullathorne, minor characters in 'Barchester Towers', who moved to Greshamsbury years before after his bristling pride and steadfast devotion to his dissipated, and now dead, brother burned all of his bridges in Barchester proper. He has a small practice and gives all of his affection to his young niece, Mary. His friendship with the old squire leads to Mary growing up with the squire's grandchildren and having all the benefits of a genteel education.
Trollope opens 'Doctor Thorne' giving us readers the chance to pick our hero. He prefers the titular Thorne, but allows that they may have Frank Gresham. Frank Gresham is heir, but as his father and mother, a daughter of the Earl de Coucy, have bankrupted the estate with election schemes and extravagant visits to Town, all will be lost unless he marries a great deal of money. Unfortunately, he has already fallen in love.
We have no choice in heroine. Observing every social duty and Victorian obligation, Mary Thorne is the acknowledged niece of the doctor but she is told nothing of her parents and of course must never trouble her pretty head about it. She all but grew up with Frank Gresham and his sisters, but when he tells her he loves her she is to be put through years of mental anguish and suffering.
Trollope goes to great lengths to remind the reader that Mary is entirely blameless. She offers no encouragement to Frank, however much she may want to, but she becomes a social pariah from mere suspicion. Lady Arabella, Franks mother, bars her from the house and from consorting with her children, despite still needing Dr. Thorne's services. Mary's low birth connections are known only to her uncle, the squire, and eventually, the squire's son - her prospective husband. No real thought is given to telling her, even when she pleads with her uncle to know who her mother was. Dr. Thorne wants to shield her from her low connections, even at the expense of her happiness.
In the opening chapter there is a lengthy exposition about the happiness of England in being one of the few places on Earth where the land is in the hands of the truly noble. With grinning irony the readers are asked to name the leading lights of other nations and compare them with the far longer list of those they know hailing from England. As much as the actions of the characters in the novel prove the lie of that boast, the truly noble are thoughtless, cruel and overall grasping for the money that fuels their privilege. Even our secondary hero, who pledges to give up everything for love, admits that he's useless for anything practical and takes no steps to remedy that fact in the months and months Mary is isolated and slandered. Even after the last page of the novel I wasn't sure if she shouldn't have gotten clean away from the place after all.
The writing is clever. While we don't get much more than statements about what is in Dr. Thorne's, or Mary's or Lady Arabella's heads at any given time, the social needs of the time are well displayed. Humor a shade more biting than previously seen in Barsetshire covers the squabbles between medical men, the mechanics of electioneering - complete with negative campaigning, and the high-stakes of wooing an heiress. He moralizes about the debilitating effects of strong drink and involves his readers with the moral dilemma of wanting a man's death while protesting, often and hard, that that isn't the case.
I didn't enjoy the plot, but the layers of social commentary make 'Doctor Thorne' a groundbreaking novel. I hope that some of the side characters, even poor snobbish Augusta, find their way into other novels later in the series, as Trollope seems to promise.
Consequently, I shall pay a visit to 'Framley Parsonage'.
Trollope opens 'Doctor Thorne' giving us readers the chance to pick our hero. He prefers the titular Thorne, but allows that they may have Frank Gresham. Frank Gresham is heir, but as his father and mother, a daughter of the Earl de Coucy, have bankrupted the estate with election schemes and extravagant visits to Town, all will be lost unless he marries a great deal of money. Unfortunately, he has already fallen in love.
We have no choice in heroine. Observing every social duty and Victorian obligation, Mary Thorne is the acknowledged niece of the doctor but she is told nothing of her parents and of course must never trouble her pretty head about it. She all but grew up with Frank Gresham and his sisters, but when he tells her he loves her she is to be put through years of mental anguish and suffering.
Trollope goes to great lengths to remind the reader that Mary is entirely blameless. She offers no encouragement to Frank, however much she may want to, but she becomes a social pariah from mere suspicion. Lady Arabella, Franks mother, bars her from the house and from consorting with her children, despite still needing Dr. Thorne's services. Mary's low birth connections are known only to her uncle, the squire, and eventually, the squire's son - her prospective husband. No real thought is given to telling her, even when she pleads with her uncle to know who her mother was. Dr. Thorne wants to shield her from her low connections, even at the expense of her happiness.
In the opening chapter there is a lengthy exposition about the happiness of England in being one of the few places on Earth where the land is in the hands of the truly noble. With grinning irony the readers are asked to name the leading lights of other nations and compare them with the far longer list of those they know hailing from England. As much as the actions of the characters in the novel prove the lie of that boast, the truly noble are thoughtless, cruel and overall grasping for the money that fuels their privilege. Even our secondary hero, who pledges to give up everything for love, admits that he's useless for anything practical and takes no steps to remedy that fact in the months and months Mary is isolated and slandered. Even after the last page of the novel I wasn't sure if she shouldn't have gotten clean away from the place after all.
The writing is clever. While we don't get much more than statements about what is in Dr. Thorne's, or Mary's or Lady Arabella's heads at any given time, the social needs of the time are well displayed. Humor a shade more biting than previously seen in Barsetshire covers the squabbles between medical men, the mechanics of electioneering - complete with negative campaigning, and the high-stakes of wooing an heiress. He moralizes about the debilitating effects of strong drink and involves his readers with the moral dilemma of wanting a man's death while protesting, often and hard, that that isn't the case.
I didn't enjoy the plot, but the layers of social commentary make 'Doctor Thorne' a groundbreaking novel. I hope that some of the side characters, even poor snobbish Augusta, find their way into other novels later in the series, as Trollope seems to promise.
Consequently, I shall pay a visit to 'Framley Parsonage'.
g_blundo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
juliamielerodas's review against another edition
5.0
I've just finished rereading this one, again, in anticipation of next week's meeting for the Trollope Society at the Mercantile Library. (Please do come chat with us about the book, if you'd like!)
While Trollope is always a pleasure, Doctor Thorne is a particularly captivating book, seemingly light and easy, but really quite densely interwoven with considerations of class and culture. The story concerns the illegitimately born Mary Thorne, who is raised as a "lady" and taught to think of good "blood" as being the strongest possible point of pride. This central theme is reflected in a variety of courtship subplots which thrust upon reader and characters constant questions as to the relative values of birth, wealth, character, and conduct, questions which are actually surprisingly modern, for all their apparent conservative aura.
Certainly, though, a part of the frisson of the novel comes from tracking the early threads of connection between two characters who don't come together until Framley Parsonage (1860), a small thrill for more dedicated Trollopians.
14 June 2012
While Trollope is always a pleasure, Doctor Thorne is a particularly captivating book, seemingly light and easy, but really quite densely interwoven with considerations of class and culture. The story concerns the illegitimately born Mary Thorne, who is raised as a "lady" and taught to think of good "blood" as being the strongest possible point of pride. This central theme is reflected in a variety of courtship subplots which thrust upon reader and characters constant questions as to the relative values of birth, wealth, character, and conduct, questions which are actually surprisingly modern, for all their apparent conservative aura.
Certainly, though, a part of the frisson of the novel comes from tracking the early threads of connection between two characters who don't come together until Framley Parsonage (1860), a small thrill for more dedicated Trollopians.
14 June 2012
suzmac's review against another edition
4.0
All the makings of an excellent soap opera, chases, escapes, true love, etc.
Good reading as it turned out. This tale was actually (I learned) the author's best selling book ever. He made very little money on it, having sold the copyrights upfront. This story features a long-suffering maiden, not my favorite thing to find a plot. But alas, good clean fun.
Good reading as it turned out. This tale was actually (I learned) the author's best selling book ever. He made very little money on it, having sold the copyrights upfront. This story features a long-suffering maiden, not my favorite thing to find a plot. But alas, good clean fun.
pedantic_reader's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0