A review by bookbelle5_17
The American Senator by Anthony Trollope

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Review of The American Senator
By: Anthony Trollop
            The plot of “The American Senator” is threefold; a Senator Elias Grotobed visits the English town of Dillsborough.  While accompanying his host, Diplomat John Morton, on a Fox hunt, they discover a fox has been poisoned.  Morton suspects that a poor farmer and scoundrel, Mr. Goarly, is responsible.  Grotobed feels sympathy for the man and offers to help him, especially when he learns the fox ate Goarly’s crops.  Another plot involves Mary Masters, the local Attorney’s daughter, whose stepmother is trying to get her to marry Larry Twentyman, a rich landowner, whom Mary doesn’t love.  The last plot is about Arabella Trefoil, who is engaged to John Morton, but she finds the wealthier Lord Rufford a more appealing suitor.
            
The Senator’s plot is entertaining and amusing as he tries to interfere in the customs of this English community by helping this farmer get justice for his crops being eaten. Ironically, he learns that they’re right about him being a scoundrel, but it doesn’t make him change his mind that the farmer deserves justice. He doesn’t like how the rich are benefitting from the peasant class. Grotobed doesn’t have much tact giving his honest opinion and criticisms, but the way he expresses them invites hostility.  The situation begs the question; does Grotobed have a right to express his opinion when he is a guest in this country? My impression is that Trollop is using the American Senator as a voice for his own criticism of his home country.  
 
I was more invested in the plots of Mary and Arabella, respectively, as they try to find husbands.  
 
Mary is admirable and kind hearted as she cares about her family, knowing that marrying Larry Twentyman will benefit them as much as her. Her stepmother and Larry are persistent, but she cannot marry a man she doesn’t love, and whom she sees as a brother.  She still wants his friendship, but he is too hurt by her rejection.   Persistence can be written enduringly but Larry just irritated me.  He just wouldn’t accept her “no”.  When she gives him a timeline, where she would think things over, he took that as a “yes,”. assuring her he could convince her to love him.  She continually had to apologize to him for lack of desire. It is wrong if you must try to convince someone to love you, because that person will come to resent you.  Larry’s “woe is me” attitude when he is forced to accept her rejection made me roll my eyes.  His attitude showed he wasn’t thinking about Mary at all, but his own feelings. 
 
Not only did Mary not love Larry, but she was in love with Reginald Morton, John Morton’s cousin.  Reginald felt the same, but neither had confessed to other how they felt.  I was frustrated with Mary and Reginald  because I knew they loved each other, but they kept persuading themselves they were not allowed to love to each other.  I wanted to shake them and force them to talk each other, but in this society, people weren’t open with their feelings.
 
Arabella’s plotline was fascinating as she tried to manipulate two men into getting her way. She held John Morton at arm’s length and whenever he offers to call off the engagement she denied him an answer.  She flirted aggressively with Rufford and tried to manipulate him into proposing to her, but he never asked her, but had half-heartedly said he loved her.  She tried to gaslight him into thinking he did propose, but it doesn’t work because he is determined to remain a bachelor.  Rufford isn’t innocent because he responded to her flirting and allowed them to be alone in a carriage after a fox hunt.  Not only did he say, “I love you”, but he also kissed her.  I don’t see Arabella as a villain but a desperate woman trying to survive and the only way to do that is through marriage with a wealthy man.  She acts the way a man would but is judged harshly by other women. She reveals she has a conscious after she finds out that John Morton is ill and apologizes to him about how she treated him.
 
I was entertained by the scenes of gossip between the rest of the other characters as they each take sides, though most are against Grotobed in his part of the story.  Just like his other novels, Trollop as the narrator makes comments throughout the story and addresses the reader.  This is more than funny because it assures the reader that everything will work out for the best. The plots are exciting, and you are in good hands with Trollop.