Reviews - Doctor Thorne | The StoryGraph

205 reviews for:

No one does characters like Trollope. The plot of this novel may seem to revolve around ordinary and mundane events, but the guiding light of the book is the extraordinary interior lives of the characters, rendered expertly by Trollope. This book has facets of Austen and Dickens while having a character all its own.

tacoaelogist's review against another edition

5.0

What can I possibly say about a classical novel that has been around for years? Admittedly, there is very little I can add to the discussion (other than launching my own minuscule opinion into the void of the internet). As a mood reader, it took me one thousand years to finish this. But I did enjoy it. It felt like a warm hug. Great book to read for cozy autumnal vibes.

ruthieduthie's review against another edition

5.0

I have read Doctor Thorne numerous times and it never disappoints. The characters are so engaging, and everything comes right in the end. I love it.

sinskeep's review against another edition

4.0

4.5*

lschiff's review against another edition

2.0

True to the formula, and therefore ultimately uninspired. This is hardly the Trollope who wrote the charming book "The Warden" or the Palliser books, which r were so filled with political machinations and complex characters.

authorcagray's review against another edition

I hoped this would read like a Jane Austen novel, or a Bronte novel, as the language and style led me to expect. I really wanted to like it... but several chapters in, the author was still steeped in exposition and I still didn't care about any of the characters. I gave up. (Is my attention span too short? I wonder...)

jennifer2008's review against another edition

3.0

After [b:Barchester Towers|125321|Barchester Towers (Chronicles of Barsetshire #2)|Anthony Trollope|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387980968s/125321.jpg|3299857], I was really looking forward to reading this and hoping for a lot more of the same. But despite being part of the same series, this book focuses on a completely different group of people in a different locale of Barsetshire, and the Proudies, Grantlys, and the town of Barchester do not make a substantial reappearance. I was very disappointed. However, I've been told all of them come back in books later on in the series, so I won't despair just yet.

This book takes awhile to get off the ground and seems a little drawn-out in places, but once the story gets going it's an enjoyable read. Plus, Trollope has a wonderful sense of the absurd and the human pride that can lead to it, as in the argument between Dr. Filgrave and Lady Scatcherd.

Since I've brought up Dr. Filgrave, I'll note here that some of the names here are delightful. My favorites so far are probably Dr. Filgrave and the attorney Sir Haphazard. Slow & Bideawhile for a law firm is pretty good too.

A few favorite quotes:

“When one is impatient, five minutes as is the duration of all time, and a quarter of an hour is eternity.” This is also applicable when one is apprehensive.

“He had but one fault: he was not a marrying man…If other clergymen all around should declare against wives and families, what was to become of the country? What was to be done in the rural districts? The religious observances, as regards women, of a Brigham Young were hardly so bad as this!” I literally laughed out loud, then set the Kindle down and laughed even harder.