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melissab09's review against another edition
4.0
I don't think I was the only one a little uncomfortable with the narration at first, but it did grow on me. He was just so sassy I couldn't resist. He also strives to paint his characters with justice; that is to say, not as completely good or bad.
The tale is entertaining enough, but a little dry at times, at least to my taste. I felt like this mostly when Dr Thorne or Mary weren't in the story. I missed their amazing dialogues! It happened for some 100 pages once and I got a little bored.
The tale is entertaining enough, but a little dry at times, at least to my taste. I felt like this mostly when Dr Thorne or Mary weren't in the story. I missed their amazing dialogues! It happened for some 100 pages once and I got a little bored.
hardcoverhearts's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.5
sbarolo's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
lbrex's review against another edition
5.0
The last few times I have been sick, I've picked out a big mid-Victorian novel for comfort and distraction. Last time it was Braddon's _The Doctor's Wife_ and this time it was _Doctor Thorne_.
Trollope knows how to construct an interesting plot and he knows how to find the drama in everyday life. The source of the plot in _Doctor Thorne_ is actually rather sensational: murder, alcoholism, a disgraced woman, emigration to America, and a hidden identity. But the novel that springs from this source is one that points out the terrible ways that money and social class determine the very shape of the Victorian institution of marriage, especially the marriage of two sympathetic characters. I can't say that the conclusion is groundbreaking, but Trollope still manages to flaunt convention at the same time that he must adhere to it.
Mary Thorne is perhaps the most interesting character in this novel. Like Dickens's Esther Summerson, she comes from a compromised background, but she acts in the most rational, calculated, and thoughtful way throughout the narrative, even when all of Greshambury seems intent on shaming her. I wish that there had been a bit more focus on her, but I also have to give credit to Trollope for showing us such a wide range of interesting characters, even including the minor characters, from a young woman who attends early morning church services to seduce the rector, to a railroad contractor who ruins his life with alcohol and sees the devastation he has brought on his son only days before dying.
_Doctor Thorne_ is an accessible mid-Victorian novel that I expect will please a lot of people. I know it made the flu slightly more bearable.
Trollope knows how to construct an interesting plot and he knows how to find the drama in everyday life. The source of the plot in _Doctor Thorne_ is actually rather sensational: murder, alcoholism, a disgraced woman, emigration to America, and a hidden identity. But the novel that springs from this source is one that points out the terrible ways that money and social class determine the very shape of the Victorian institution of marriage, especially the marriage of two sympathetic characters. I can't say that the conclusion is groundbreaking, but Trollope still manages to flaunt convention at the same time that he must adhere to it.
Mary Thorne is perhaps the most interesting character in this novel. Like Dickens's Esther Summerson, she comes from a compromised background, but she acts in the most rational, calculated, and thoughtful way throughout the narrative, even when all of Greshambury seems intent on shaming her. I wish that there had been a bit more focus on her, but I also have to give credit to Trollope for showing us such a wide range of interesting characters, even including the minor characters, from a young woman who attends early morning church services to seduce the rector, to a railroad contractor who ruins his life with alcohol and sees the devastation he has brought on his son only days before dying.
_Doctor Thorne_ is an accessible mid-Victorian novel that I expect will please a lot of people. I know it made the flu slightly more bearable.
isadorareads's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
geemont235's review
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.0
myag's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
mkwojcie's review against another edition
4.0
Live every day like the “Impudent hussy! Forward, ill-conditioned, saucy minx!” that Lady Arabella believes you to be (Help, I think I'm a Trollope fan).