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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
I really thought I would love this. It hurts me to say this as I usually love long Victorian novels but I think it could have been 150-200 pages shorter. (And maybe cut some repetitions of "Frank must marry money.") Nevertheless it's still an enjoyable book and I really like Trollope's writing style.
I really thought I would love this. It hurts me to say this as I usually love long Victorian novels but I think it could have been 150-200 pages shorter. (And maybe cut some repetitions of "Frank must marry money.") Nevertheless it's still an enjoyable book and I really like Trollope's writing style.
The third of the Chronicles of Barsetshire, and my favourite thus far. I could hardly put it down, and the narration of Timothy West was perfect.
3 or 3.5-
Anthony Trollope’s writing is as delightful as ever here, but I actually found this one more forgettable than the previous entries in the series. I know that this is a rogue opinion, but hear me out.
I just don’t think the characters are as complicated or well drawn. I felt like in The Warden and Barchester Towers, the villains often had complicated but understandable motivations. The good guys also had more flaws, and everything was a bit more morally gray. And I actually MISSED the church politics. (I never thought I would utter a sentence like that)
Mary and Frank very steadfast and well meaning, but that was kind of it. Dr. Thorne was kindhearted and a bit aloof, but that was it. Lady Arabella was pretty nasty, but that was it. I just didn’t think his character drawing matched what he has already proven he can do.
This was good and well written, but everything just turned out EXACTLY how I expected it to, so I wasn’t all that motivated to keep picking it up. I have a feeling I’ll really love the last two books in this series so I’ll keep going, but I have to admit that I’m slightly puzzled as to why this is such a popular entry in the Barsetshire Chronicles.
Anthony Trollope’s writing is as delightful as ever here, but I actually found this one more forgettable than the previous entries in the series. I know that this is a rogue opinion, but hear me out.
I just don’t think the characters are as complicated or well drawn. I felt like in The Warden and Barchester Towers, the villains often had complicated but understandable motivations. The good guys also had more flaws, and everything was a bit more morally gray. And I actually MISSED the church politics. (I never thought I would utter a sentence like that)
Mary and Frank very steadfast and well meaning, but that was kind of it. Dr. Thorne was kindhearted and a bit aloof, but that was it. Lady Arabella was pretty nasty, but that was it. I just didn’t think his character drawing matched what he has already proven he can do.
This was good and well written, but everything just turned out EXACTLY how I expected it to, so I wasn’t all that motivated to keep picking it up. I have a feeling I’ll really love the last two books in this series so I’ll keep going, but I have to admit that I’m slightly puzzled as to why this is such a popular entry in the Barsetshire Chronicles.
It did not hold my interest and after forcing myself to read a few more pages, I finally gave up.
The squire of Greshamsbury has seen his fortune dwindle under the constant pressure of keeping his family in the style which his wife Lady Arabella's aristocratic De Courcy family considers necessary. Having sold what he can and borrowed as much as he dare, it now falls to his only son and heir Frank to marry for money and save the Gresham name.
However, young Frank is in love with the squire's friend Doctor Thorne's niece Mary, a girl he has grown up with in the company of his many sisters, and he insists that she is the only woman for him despite the mystery surrounding her birth and the fact that she does not have a penny to her name.
And so begins a souring between the Gresham and Thorne households, as Lady Arabella does all she can to keep her darling son away from the young woman who she thinks is determined to bring them all to penury. As Frank is sent away to places where his parents hope he will rub shoulders with heiresses that may tempt him away from his ideas of marrying Mary, she is confined to suffer social isolation at home in Greshamsbury, cut off from the friends and pursuits she has been used to enjoying.
Meanwhile, steadfast Dr Thorne, who loves his niece dearly, has a secret that would solve all their problems and allow the young lovers to have the happy marriage they both desire... but he finds himself in a dilemma about the wisdom of confessing to what he knows...
It has been a long time since I picked up an Anthony Trollope book, to my great regret, as I absolutely adored returning to Barsetshire in Doctor Thorne, the third book in the delightful Chronicles of Barsetshire.
My favourite of the Barsetshire novels I have read and reread has always been the second book in the series, Barchester Towers, which continues the story of the ecclesiastical side of Barchester life that begins in The Warden. Doctor Thorne shows a more rural side of life in the county of Barsetshire away from the matters of Cathedral Close, instead focusing on the troubles of a down-at-heel squire and his family as they look for a way to improve their fortunes.
This story revolves around issues of class, blood and money, and the contradictions that arise when the pursuit of fortune in marriage leads to former principles being put to one side. Frank Gresham's family need money and they are determined to overlook the question of birth if the coffers of the potential marriage partners of their children are full enough - however, beware a marriage partner who offers neither, as in the case of lovely Mary. This leads to some heart-rending and humorous situations throughout the story, with Trollope breaking the fourth wall on numerous occasions to make us aware of his own views on the matter, which I enjoyed very much.
There is a delicious element of suspense that arises from you being party to the secret that Doctor Thorne is keeping about Mary's prospects, and his struggles of conscience throughout the story. There is also much humour to be derived from the interactions between many of the characters, especially between both the Thornes and the deeply hypocritical Lady Arabella.
Despite there being a lot of very entertaining scenes in these pages, there are moments when the pace of the story becomes painfully slow, and Trollope does not really give his characters enough to do in the lulls when Frank is off gadding about while Mary languishes back in Greshamsbury. There comes a point where the destination of the story is patently obvious, but it takes Trollope such a long time to get there. I also have to say that when it comes to the young lovers Frank and Mary, I was not entirely convinced about their suitability, as Frank is too flighty and Mary so annoyingly passive at times when you want her to have courage. However, there are still scenes which resonate with all the things I love about Trollope in the way he reminds me so much of a cross between Austen and Dickens with a side-order of Thackeray - I just wanted more of them!
I did love the characters in this tale. There are heroes, heroines and villains and Trollope does not stint on giving us a look at the debauched side of life through some of them, which is rather revealing in terms of his own views of the demon drink. There are some delicious cameos from familiar faces from the earlier books in the series too - it was a joy to see the Proudies putting in an appearance (oh Bishop Proudie how I chuckled at your mockery of a man deemed henpecked in an amusing moment of complete self-awareness), and mentions of the Thornes of Ullathorne (distant cousins to the Thornes in our story), the Grantlys and the newly installed Dean's wife Mrs Arabin (formerly Mrs Bold). I found myself missing them all.
I am glad I have decided to take up Trollope once more as there was a lot to enjoy in these pages, but Barchester Towers remains my firm favourite. Doctor Thorne does not approach its dizzy heights, but I have revelled in consuming Trollope's writing once again and am looking forward to more in the next book in the series Framley Parsonage, which I will be reading in April. I have high hopes in terms of meeting some more of my friends from the environs of Barchester cathedral!
However, young Frank is in love with the squire's friend Doctor Thorne's niece Mary, a girl he has grown up with in the company of his many sisters, and he insists that she is the only woman for him despite the mystery surrounding her birth and the fact that she does not have a penny to her name.
And so begins a souring between the Gresham and Thorne households, as Lady Arabella does all she can to keep her darling son away from the young woman who she thinks is determined to bring them all to penury. As Frank is sent away to places where his parents hope he will rub shoulders with heiresses that may tempt him away from his ideas of marrying Mary, she is confined to suffer social isolation at home in Greshamsbury, cut off from the friends and pursuits she has been used to enjoying.
Meanwhile, steadfast Dr Thorne, who loves his niece dearly, has a secret that would solve all their problems and allow the young lovers to have the happy marriage they both desire... but he finds himself in a dilemma about the wisdom of confessing to what he knows...
It has been a long time since I picked up an Anthony Trollope book, to my great regret, as I absolutely adored returning to Barsetshire in Doctor Thorne, the third book in the delightful Chronicles of Barsetshire.
My favourite of the Barsetshire novels I have read and reread has always been the second book in the series, Barchester Towers, which continues the story of the ecclesiastical side of Barchester life that begins in The Warden. Doctor Thorne shows a more rural side of life in the county of Barsetshire away from the matters of Cathedral Close, instead focusing on the troubles of a down-at-heel squire and his family as they look for a way to improve their fortunes.
This story revolves around issues of class, blood and money, and the contradictions that arise when the pursuit of fortune in marriage leads to former principles being put to one side. Frank Gresham's family need money and they are determined to overlook the question of birth if the coffers of the potential marriage partners of their children are full enough - however, beware a marriage partner who offers neither, as in the case of lovely Mary. This leads to some heart-rending and humorous situations throughout the story, with Trollope breaking the fourth wall on numerous occasions to make us aware of his own views on the matter, which I enjoyed very much.
There is a delicious element of suspense that arises from you being party to the secret that Doctor Thorne is keeping about Mary's prospects, and his struggles of conscience throughout the story. There is also much humour to be derived from the interactions between many of the characters, especially between both the Thornes and the deeply hypocritical Lady Arabella.
Despite there being a lot of very entertaining scenes in these pages, there are moments when the pace of the story becomes painfully slow, and Trollope does not really give his characters enough to do in the lulls when Frank is off gadding about while Mary languishes back in Greshamsbury. There comes a point where the destination of the story is patently obvious, but it takes Trollope such a long time to get there. I also have to say that when it comes to the young lovers Frank and Mary, I was not entirely convinced about their suitability, as Frank is too flighty and Mary so annoyingly passive at times when you want her to have courage. However, there are still scenes which resonate with all the things I love about Trollope in the way he reminds me so much of a cross between Austen and Dickens with a side-order of Thackeray - I just wanted more of them!
I did love the characters in this tale. There are heroes, heroines and villains and Trollope does not stint on giving us a look at the debauched side of life through some of them, which is rather revealing in terms of his own views of the demon drink. There are some delicious cameos from familiar faces from the earlier books in the series too - it was a joy to see the Proudies putting in an appearance (oh Bishop Proudie how I chuckled at your mockery of a man deemed henpecked in an amusing moment of complete self-awareness), and mentions of the Thornes of Ullathorne (distant cousins to the Thornes in our story), the Grantlys and the newly installed Dean's wife Mrs Arabin (formerly Mrs Bold). I found myself missing them all.
I am glad I have decided to take up Trollope once more as there was a lot to enjoy in these pages, but Barchester Towers remains my firm favourite. Doctor Thorne does not approach its dizzy heights, but I have revelled in consuming Trollope's writing once again and am looking forward to more in the next book in the series Framley Parsonage, which I will be reading in April. I have high hopes in terms of meeting some more of my friends from the environs of Barchester cathedral!
Time for a break from Trollope. This one was incredibly flabby, in my opinion. It dragged and dragged toward the end-- the magazine must have wanted extra installments added. At least the final quarter was complete filler material. The first half was great fun, however.
I read this a year ago, and yesterday I saw the ITV series based on the book. Although non perfect, the series was clearly faithful to the novel and refreshed my memory on this novel. Now, to be perfectly clear, I do believe that Trollope is, after Charles Dickens and Dumas, my favourite writer.
The reason for my love is simple: He write some damn good novel. They follow a certain pattern (petty scandals, love stories, protagonists good but not perfect and villains that are simply a bit selfish, but not what we would consider cruel). This patterns, although repetitive, work if you read from one to three novels by the novelist a year. They are never boring, the writing is so engaging and lovable, funny but composed and "educated" that by the end of the novel you just feel good. Doctor Thorne is no different from the other I read ( I am reading now Framley Parsonage, the fourth novel in his Barsetshire series). The plot involve a love story and the schemes of the kid's family to avoid the marriage with a seemingly poor girl. Nothing particularly new. But Trollope does not conquest the reader with intricated plots and insane cliffhanger. He does that with some characters (in this case, the likeable and mild Doctor Thorne and the rich Miss Dunstable) and with his wit, which he uses to criticize the victorian times, but without being rude, offensive or radical. He wanted to put a smile on the face of the reader.
150 years later, his novel can do that. Not bad, considering that most of what was written in those time his nowadays unreadable.
Well done Trollope, well done.
The reason for my love is simple: He write some damn good novel. They follow a certain pattern (petty scandals, love stories, protagonists good but not perfect and villains that are simply a bit selfish, but not what we would consider cruel). This patterns, although repetitive, work if you read from one to three novels by the novelist a year. They are never boring, the writing is so engaging and lovable, funny but composed and "educated" that by the end of the novel you just feel good. Doctor Thorne is no different from the other I read ( I am reading now Framley Parsonage, the fourth novel in his Barsetshire series). The plot involve a love story and the schemes of the kid's family to avoid the marriage with a seemingly poor girl. Nothing particularly new. But Trollope does not conquest the reader with intricated plots and insane cliffhanger. He does that with some characters (in this case, the likeable and mild Doctor Thorne and the rich Miss Dunstable) and with his wit, which he uses to criticize the victorian times, but without being rude, offensive or radical. He wanted to put a smile on the face of the reader.
150 years later, his novel can do that. Not bad, considering that most of what was written in those time his nowadays unreadable.
Well done Trollope, well done.
Marrying money…
Trollope steps out of the cathedral precincts for this third of the novels loosely gathered together as the Barchester Chronicles, and into the world of the gentry and the wealthy (not always the same thing). Dr Thomas Thorne has adopted the illegitimate child of his deceased wastrel brother and brought her up as a gentlewoman. Mary has no fortune and in the beginning has no idea of her illegitimacy, but when she and her childhood playmate Frank Gresham, son of the local squire, begin to fall in love, Dr Thorne is in a dilemma. He knows that Mary will never be accepted by Lady Arabella, Squire Gresham’s wife and Frank’s mother, who is connected to the aristocratic and ultra-snobbish de Courcy family. And even the Squire, Dr Thorne’s old friend, won’t sanction a match because his own years of mismanagement have encumbered his estate to such an extent that it’s vital that Frank should marry money.
Trollope starts with two extremely long and dull introductory chapters in which he gives us the full history of first the Gresham family and then Doctor Thorne’s past and Mary’s parentage. He has the idea that he should conceal nothing from the reader, which might be laudable but it does mean the plot throughout the rest of the lengthy book holds few surprises. In this introduction, he also points out that, despite the title, many readers will feel that Frank is the novel’s hero rather than Dr Thorne. I am one of those readers – Dr Thorne certainly plays a central role, but only as Mary’s guardian and a kind of go-between among the other characters. His own life is unremarkable and mostly free of incident. Eventually Trollope apologises for this long preamble, which suggests he was aware of the dullness problem but chose not to fix it. Fortunately the rest of the book is enjoyable enough that I forgave him… eventually!
The novel is mostly a satire on class and money, and how possession of the latter can overcome lack of the former. While Mary is considered an unsuitable match for Frank, the de Courcys are keen to marry him off to a Miss Dunstable, heiress to a huge fortune amassed by her family from the manufacture of a quack medicine, the oil of Lebanon. In terms of class, Miss Dunstable’s birth is no higher than that of Mary, although Miss Dunstable is at least legitimate, but money makes her acceptable even if the de Courcys still feel they can look down their aristocratic noses at her. Miss Dunstable is my favourite character. A sensible young woman, she is under no illusions as to why she’s being courted by the younger sons of impoverished aristos and is not in any way dazzled by the many offers she receives. She has enough money that she could remain happily single and in control of her own life and the family business, and one feels she’s in no hurry to hand her possessions and liberty over to any man. Go, Miss Dunstable, I say! And so does Trollope. He has a lot of fun mocking the various men who aspire to Miss Dunstable’s money, and the way they feel that their impeccable breeding somehow means they would be conferring a favour by stooping to marry her. Miss Dunstable is a firm believer that one should marry for love or not at all, and Mary, though she doesn’t know it, owes Miss Dunstable a great deal for persuading Frank that he shouldn’t give way to family pressure to marry money without love.
Trollope also looks at the rising industrial class through the character of Sir Roger Scatcherd, a working class man who has made a fortune out of building the new railways and has therefore risen in social status even if the snobbery of the old rich means he and his wife will never be fully accepted. His money will though! Sir Roger is slowly killing himself with alcohol despite Dr Thorne’s best efforts to wean him from it. This allows Trollope to show the evils of alcoholism, which he does in a way that I found rather modern, recognising it as a powerful addiction rather than a simple character weakness that the drinker could overcome with just a little willpower. Sir Roger’s wife is another great female character – Trollope really does his women very well. She has never come to terms with being a Lady and struggles with the idea of having servants and running a big house, while she can’t ever feel at ease with the gentry class with whom she must now mix. And her one son is a bullying wastrel who has inherited his father’s drink problem and is killing himself quickly. She’s only an incidental character – doesn’t even get given a first name – but she left a lasting impression on this reader.
The actual plot is pretty predictable, mainly because of those introductory chapters which give away all the secrets. But Frank and Mary are both enjoyable characters, so it’s fun watching to see how they will achieve their happy ending. Mary is another strong character and frankly I felt she was far too good for the rather weak Frank, but she loves him and no doubt she’ll rule the roost which can only be a good thing for the future of the Greshams. Had I been her, I’d have ditched Frank, gone into business with Miss Dunstable and travelled the world in her company. But modern in outlook though Trollope certainly is when it comes to women and their rights, that would probably have been a step too far…
I listened again to the audiobook narrated by the wonderful Timothy West – he is perfect for Trollope and pure pleasure to listen to.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Trollope steps out of the cathedral precincts for this third of the novels loosely gathered together as the Barchester Chronicles, and into the world of the gentry and the wealthy (not always the same thing). Dr Thomas Thorne has adopted the illegitimate child of his deceased wastrel brother and brought her up as a gentlewoman. Mary has no fortune and in the beginning has no idea of her illegitimacy, but when she and her childhood playmate Frank Gresham, son of the local squire, begin to fall in love, Dr Thorne is in a dilemma. He knows that Mary will never be accepted by Lady Arabella, Squire Gresham’s wife and Frank’s mother, who is connected to the aristocratic and ultra-snobbish de Courcy family. And even the Squire, Dr Thorne’s old friend, won’t sanction a match because his own years of mismanagement have encumbered his estate to such an extent that it’s vital that Frank should marry money.
Trollope starts with two extremely long and dull introductory chapters in which he gives us the full history of first the Gresham family and then Doctor Thorne’s past and Mary’s parentage. He has the idea that he should conceal nothing from the reader, which might be laudable but it does mean the plot throughout the rest of the lengthy book holds few surprises. In this introduction, he also points out that, despite the title, many readers will feel that Frank is the novel’s hero rather than Dr Thorne. I am one of those readers – Dr Thorne certainly plays a central role, but only as Mary’s guardian and a kind of go-between among the other characters. His own life is unremarkable and mostly free of incident. Eventually Trollope apologises for this long preamble, which suggests he was aware of the dullness problem but chose not to fix it. Fortunately the rest of the book is enjoyable enough that I forgave him… eventually!
The novel is mostly a satire on class and money, and how possession of the latter can overcome lack of the former. While Mary is considered an unsuitable match for Frank, the de Courcys are keen to marry him off to a Miss Dunstable, heiress to a huge fortune amassed by her family from the manufacture of a quack medicine, the oil of Lebanon. In terms of class, Miss Dunstable’s birth is no higher than that of Mary, although Miss Dunstable is at least legitimate, but money makes her acceptable even if the de Courcys still feel they can look down their aristocratic noses at her. Miss Dunstable is my favourite character. A sensible young woman, she is under no illusions as to why she’s being courted by the younger sons of impoverished aristos and is not in any way dazzled by the many offers she receives. She has enough money that she could remain happily single and in control of her own life and the family business, and one feels she’s in no hurry to hand her possessions and liberty over to any man. Go, Miss Dunstable, I say! And so does Trollope. He has a lot of fun mocking the various men who aspire to Miss Dunstable’s money, and the way they feel that their impeccable breeding somehow means they would be conferring a favour by stooping to marry her. Miss Dunstable is a firm believer that one should marry for love or not at all, and Mary, though she doesn’t know it, owes Miss Dunstable a great deal for persuading Frank that he shouldn’t give way to family pressure to marry money without love.
Trollope also looks at the rising industrial class through the character of Sir Roger Scatcherd, a working class man who has made a fortune out of building the new railways and has therefore risen in social status even if the snobbery of the old rich means he and his wife will never be fully accepted. His money will though! Sir Roger is slowly killing himself with alcohol despite Dr Thorne’s best efforts to wean him from it. This allows Trollope to show the evils of alcoholism, which he does in a way that I found rather modern, recognising it as a powerful addiction rather than a simple character weakness that the drinker could overcome with just a little willpower. Sir Roger’s wife is another great female character – Trollope really does his women very well. She has never come to terms with being a Lady and struggles with the idea of having servants and running a big house, while she can’t ever feel at ease with the gentry class with whom she must now mix. And her one son is a bullying wastrel who has inherited his father’s drink problem and is killing himself quickly. She’s only an incidental character – doesn’t even get given a first name – but she left a lasting impression on this reader.
The actual plot is pretty predictable, mainly because of those introductory chapters which give away all the secrets. But Frank and Mary are both enjoyable characters, so it’s fun watching to see how they will achieve their happy ending. Mary is another strong character and frankly I felt she was far too good for the rather weak Frank, but she loves him and no doubt she’ll rule the roost which can only be a good thing for the future of the Greshams. Had I been her, I’d have ditched Frank, gone into business with Miss Dunstable and travelled the world in her company. But modern in outlook though Trollope certainly is when it comes to women and their rights, that would probably have been a step too far…
I listened again to the audiobook narrated by the wonderful Timothy West – he is perfect for Trollope and pure pleasure to listen to.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
I saw a miniseries based on this book, so I thought I'd pick it up. I'm glad I did.
Trollope is a Victorian author, contemporary of Dickens. He writes detailed characters, and doesn't worry about spoilers along the way.
This is a novel about social standing, economics, and pride. Doctor Thorne comes from an old family, but has no standing. His niece is the illegimate daughter of his brother, who was killed by the mother's brother. The brother went off to prison, but came out and made a fortune in the railways. The local squire has squandered his family fortune, and his wife wants the kids to marry money. The squire's son wants to marry Thorne's niece.
Convoluted, right? But it all come out fine in the end. If you enjoy the social-climbing aspects of Jane Austen's novels, you'll find this one much more readable if not as subtly done.
Trollope is a Victorian author, contemporary of Dickens. He writes detailed characters, and doesn't worry about spoilers along the way.
This is a novel about social standing, economics, and pride. Doctor Thorne comes from an old family, but has no standing. His niece is the illegimate daughter of his brother, who was killed by the mother's brother. The brother went off to prison, but came out and made a fortune in the railways. The local squire has squandered his family fortune, and his wife wants the kids to marry money. The squire's son wants to marry Thorne's niece.
Convoluted, right? But it all come out fine in the end. If you enjoy the social-climbing aspects of Jane Austen's novels, you'll find this one much more readable if not as subtly done.
If one has exhausted the works of Jane Austen, and perhaps read each of them more than once, one could a lot worse than taking up Anthony Trollope's Barsetshire novels. In 1966, David Aitken described his style as "a kind of felicity," which has seemed apt to me--with some exceptions--since I started reading Trollope more than a quarter century ago. My favorite component of his writing his his use of incongruous elements in descriptions. He ascribes to a church official the quality of "a greasy civility," which still cracks me up.
The Warden and Barsetshire Towers kick off the series, and I recommend them both. Warden is a short book, that serves as a kind of prelude to Towers, which is probably the crown jewel of the six novels. They aren't really a series so much as set having in common a time and place.
Trollope is not often as sharp as Austen (relatively--he wrote a lot more books), but he is often enough to keep the pages turning. He planned Thorne as one of those Victorian triple deckers, and unfortunately, had to include a certain amount of fill to get there. He also telegraphs the ending so far in advance that it spoils some of the potential fun.
Nevertheless, it is well worth reading. Recommended.
The Warden and Barsetshire Towers kick off the series, and I recommend them both. Warden is a short book, that serves as a kind of prelude to Towers, which is probably the crown jewel of the six novels. They aren't really a series so much as set having in common a time and place.
Trollope is not often as sharp as Austen (relatively--he wrote a lot more books), but he is often enough to keep the pages turning. He planned Thorne as one of those Victorian triple deckers, and unfortunately, had to include a certain amount of fill to get there. He also telegraphs the ending so far in advance that it spoils some of the potential fun.
Nevertheless, it is well worth reading. Recommended.