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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
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.
slow-paced
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
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
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:
Complicated
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).
Read while participating in Trollope Society's Big Read of Doctor Thorne on Facebook. Trollope is a great observer of human nature and the author delivers in the story what he promises in the first chapter.
Well.... This book was a mixed bag.
On one hand, how many times can you hear the same thing and watch the same characters perform the same schtiks. If only the book was only half as long. If only there were the spicy characters of Barchester Towers...
But, the social criticism is extra-snappy in this book, and some of the characters are admirable dears, and all characters are realistic and deep.
Also, "Dr. filgrave" is an excellent name. In general, Trollope's naming is one of his book's redeeming qualities.
On one hand, how many times can you hear the same thing and watch the same characters perform the same schtiks. If only the book was only half as long. If only there were the spicy characters of Barchester Towers...
But, the social criticism is extra-snappy in this book, and some of the characters are admirable dears, and all characters are realistic and deep.
Also, "Dr. filgrave" is an excellent name. In general, Trollope's naming is one of his book's redeeming qualities.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced