A review by paola_mobileread
The American Senator by Anthony Trollope

3.0

It is a pleasant read which touches upon many issues, with a common thread running through it, the class system, and the uphill struggle that most people had to engage in to better their social and economic position. Falls and rises can be very much happenstance: a daughter gets an unexpected marriage offer from a squire, and the family fortunes improve dramatically, with a move to a new grander residence and better business prospects; a chance encounter can change the life of a fading, penniless beauty for the better; the whims of the local capricious Lord may make or break a business. The whole is peppered with a good dose of satire, and of course the Senator Gotobed of the state of Mickewa is there to remind constantly the reader what a weird bunch the English are with their bizarre, inconsistent traditions: yes, the Senator is mocked throughout, but his voice is always loud and clear. Yet it is not clear to me to what extent Trollope condemned the class system, as in the end all the characters develop in such a way that their social position was somehow "well deserved".

Not all characters are developed to the same extent, but in a way this is of secondary importance, as - at least for me - what matters is the overall, grand picture of the English society mid Reform bills. But for the same reason I could not really get engrossed emotionally in the plot. Still, very glad to have read it.