Reviews

This took me toooo long to read but I blame that on me being endlessly daunted by classics even once I’ve started reading them. I always have it in mind that I will find them difficult which puts me off picking them up. Also, to note, it says that this is the 5th in a series but even Trollope himself didn’t want it to be included in the series and many of his fans think it oughtn’t be either- so I read it as a stand-alone.

Despite it taking me ages, I loved this book. It had the wit of a Jane Austen book which no one could dislike but beyond that it was fundamentally unique! There was a perfect balance of character development, narration, dialogue, setting the scene etc. It was also very well paced and at no point did it feel rushed or like it dragged. Overall, a very pleasant read. I think, slightly unfairly, the only reason I haven’t given it a 5 star rating is from my own inability to overcome my difficulties reading classics. Will definitely read more of his work though now I’ve tried it!

aaronreadabook's review against another edition

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emotional funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jenmcmaynes's review against another edition

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4.0

Trollope excels at flawed characters. Crosbie -unfaithful, self-serving, and dishonest with himself- was by far the most interesting character in the book (and in the Barsetshire series to date). Lily Dale, jilted but faithful, was a little too sweet and cloying, though she was the heroine. And John Eames was a nice counterpoint to Crosbie, of course, but a little dull. So, a strange book in that I liked reading about the 'villain' more than the heroes!

Unlike the 1st 4 books the series, there aren't a ton of cameos by the members of the county that we have previously met. Which I am glad of, because I'm having a hard time remembering names, titles, etc for all of them! The de Corcy's are most often mentioned; their star has started to fall by this point.

A solid entry to this series that I enjoyed very much.