A review by lbrex
The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope

5.0

Probably the most interesting, engaging, and wide-ranging novel from Trollope that I've read so far. The story of Josiah Crawley is an intriguing one, and the sections relating to him and and his interactions with other officials in the church (the Proudies, Archdeacon Grantley, and Dr. Tempest) were the most interesting to me. The combination of pride, endurance, and poverty in his character made him worth the focus he received here. I was less intrigued by the storyline that related to Conway Dalrymple and Madalina Demolines, and I still remain uncertain why these received so much focus (I'll have to think more about this). The book also works as a worthy sequel to _The Small House at Allington_, since it does provide some closure for both John Eames and Lily Dale. The ending of the novel, which is also the ending of the Barsetshire Chronicles, is beautifully done. I can't really recommend this book to folks who haven't read Trollope since one needs to read the other books to get the whole picture, but it is clearly one of Trollope's best works.