January 2023: Anthony Trollope

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January 2023: Anthony Trollope

1AnnieMod
Dic 15, 2022, 2:23 pm

We are starting 2023 in the Victorian era with the author who may not be as popular these days as Dickens but is still published and read (popularity sometimes does not make sense): Anthony Trollope (1815–1882).

He wrote 47 novels and numerous short stories. He also published non-fiction books and a couple of plays (but as far as I know he never published any poetry).

His novels consist of two series/cycles (The Barsetshire Chronicles and The Palliser Novels), another cycle of non-related novels (his Irish novels) and a lot of standalones.

What do you plan to read this month?

2kac522
Dic 15, 2022, 4:29 pm

I am on a quest to read all of Trollope's novels in (mostly) chronological order. Next up for me is Ralph the Heir, although I may consider a re-read of He Knew He Was Right. Sometimes Trollope's novels tend to blur together, but He Knew He Was Right always stands out in my memory.

I'm also re-reading the Barsetshire books on audiobook and next up is Framley Parsonage. Not sure if I'll get to it in January, but it's a possibility.

3MissWatson
Dic 16, 2022, 4:26 am

I am committed to tutored read of The Belton Estate in January, and I would like to tackle Phineas Finn : The Irish Member, if I can find the time.

4kac522
Dic 16, 2022, 12:23 pm

>3 MissWatson: That's right--I'd forgotten Liz was doing that this month. It will be a re-read for me, but I did enjoy that one.

5jillmwo
Dic 26, 2022, 12:16 pm

I have a copy of Phineas Finn sitting on my bookshelf, readily to hand. I may embark on that one. The last one I read in the Palliser series was The Eustace Diamonds and I think that was back in 2019 or perhaps 2020.

6kac522
Dic 26, 2022, 12:58 pm

>5 jillmwo: Phineas is a great character. Hope you enjoy it.

7dianelouise100
Dic 28, 2022, 1:01 pm

Can anyone recommend a good but short (!) novel? I’ve read the first 3 of the Barsetshire series, Can You Forgive Her, and The Vicar of Bullhampton, enjoying them all. I’d like to fit in something shorter, say less than 400 pages this month, when I also need to read books that have been gifted to me.

8kac522
Dic 29, 2022, 2:49 pm

>7 dianelouise100: Rachel Ray and Miss Mackenzie are both just about 400 pages, and I loved them both. Rachel Ray in particular seemed to move faster, and didn't feel like 400 pages to me. Miss Mackenzie has some funny moments and characters.

Nina Balatka and Linda Tressel are both about 200 pages, and are somewhat atypical for Trollope: the first is set in Prague and the second is set in Nuremburg. I enjoyed Nina Balatka more than Linda Tressel; I thought Trollope gave me a good feel for Prague, but less so about Nuremburg.

Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite is about 250 pages; it was OK, but I found it somewhat repetitive. However it got good reviews at the time of publication.

9AnnieMod
Dic 29, 2022, 3:34 pm

He also has some short stories so if you do not feel like reading a (long) novel, that may also be an option (reading a whole collection or just a few stories).

10kac522
Modificato: Dic 29, 2022, 3:45 pm

11AnnieMod
Dic 29, 2022, 3:49 pm

>10 kac522: I was thinking of even the shorter ones - no one said that one should read a whole book or a long text - sometimes reading a short story is a great way to get back to an author. :)

http://www.jimandellen.org/trollope/shortstory.html has a list of them (split into categories) and with some comments and reviews about them.

12kac522
Modificato: Dic 29, 2022, 5:39 pm

>11 AnnieMod: Oh, short stories are perfectly fine. I was just notating which ones I've read that are a bit longer or novella length; I happen to own these 3 and they were published as individual books.

13dianelouise100
Dic 29, 2022, 6:54 pm

>12 kac522: and >11 AnnieMod: Great recommendations! I’m inclining toward Rachel Ray, though stories set outside of England also sound interesting. Thanks to you both for these suggestions. At one time I was very ambitious and bought the Kindle Complete works for $.99. I’m eager to take a look at these now.

14john257hopper
Dic 30, 2022, 7:28 am

I read The Warden a few years ago, so I'll be reading Barchester Towers in January.

15dianeham
Dic 30, 2022, 7:15 pm

16john257hopper
Dic 31, 2022, 6:48 am

>15 dianeham: looking back at my review to refresh my mind, yes I did like it. I wrote: "Despite its seemingly trivial nature of the plot which centres round a legal dispute over a will, this strikes a chord and was quite an enjoyable read, with the author's writing style fairly simple and direct, by 19th century standards."

17Maura49
Dic 31, 2022, 8:06 am

>16 john257hopper: I re-read the whole Barchester sequence a while ago and once more found The Warden' engaging but weak in comparison of what came later.

The second novel, Barchester Towers is where Trollope shows what he can do. The arrival of Mrs Proudie and her husband the new Archbishop along wih his chaplain Obadiah Slope are masterpieces of characterisation. The book is a treat to be savoured.

18kac522
Dic 31, 2022, 12:14 pm

>17 Maura49: Mrs Proudie and Mr Slope and Signora Neroni! "Good heavens!" as Dr Grantly would say.

19jillmwo
Dic 31, 2022, 12:44 pm

I enjoyed The Warden as an introduction to Trollope. It was relatively short (in comparison w/ Barchester Towers and was a nice set-up. I have always felt that the first chapter of Barchester Towers was most moving if one knew the gap previously existing between the Bishop (father) and Archdeacon son, as presented in The Warden.

20kac522
Dic 31, 2022, 4:43 pm

>13 dianelouise100: If you decide on Rachel Ray, we did a group read of it back in December 2021 led by Liz (lyzard). The thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337237#
and can give you a little background and some discussion. Liz takes you through the book, chapter by chapter.

Liz plans to do a group read of Trollope's The Belton Estate this month. Once it's announced, I'll post the link here for anyone interested.

21dianeham
Dic 31, 2022, 7:59 pm

I read part of Christmas at Thompson Hall and other Christmas Stories at Christmas and found it really boring. I was going to try The Warden or The Way We Live Now which at 440 pages is a smidge over my length limit.

22Maura49
Gen 1, 2023, 5:32 am

>21 dianeham: I find The Way we live now to be a terrific novel with great characters and insights into late Victorian England.

23dianelouise100
Gen 1, 2023, 6:14 pm

I’ve been so entertained by remembering Barsetshire,thanks to the comments on Barchester Towers and The Warden, that I’ve decided to go back to that series, taking up where I left off with Dr. Thorne, which is actually on my shelf. Perhaps this is the year to read the whole series.

24kac522
Gen 1, 2023, 6:38 pm

>23 dianelouise100: I love Doctor Thorne--it is tied with Barchester Towers for me, and I especially love Dr Thorne's character.

25lyzard
Modificato: Gen 2, 2023, 3:21 pm

The thread is now up for the group read of The Belton Estate, and anyone who feels like joining in would be more than welcome. :)

The Belton estate group read

26dianelouise100
Gen 10, 2023, 4:47 pm

I’ve finished Doctor Thorne and loved being back in Barsetshire. I’m planning to complete the series, then maybe reread The Warden and Barchester Towers—but not this month!

27kac522
Modificato: Gen 10, 2023, 4:54 pm

>26 dianelouise100: So glad you loved it. There is a Doctor Thorne TV mini-series (4 episodes) with Tom Hollander, who is perfect as the Doctor. Would love to hear your reaction to it, as I'm a little on the fence about the production as a whole.

28dianelouise100
Gen 10, 2023, 5:29 pm

>27 kac522: Will have to look for it, thanks

29MissWatson
Gen 19, 2023, 5:02 am

And I have finished The Belton estate. We have a young woman between two suitors, and in the end she chooses the right one. Clara is not my favourite Trollope heroine, I found her stubborn refusal of monetary support in her dire situation unconvincing. The most unusual and interesting characters were the Askertons who rent the cottage on her father's estate. Now theirs is a story I would have liked to know more about!

30john257hopper
Gen 19, 2023, 6:18 am

I may have to chose something shorter than Barchester Towers as I'm running out of time in the month and have had other reading commitments. Good suggestions for a shorter read? (I've only read The Warden so far).

31kac522
Modificato: Gen 19, 2023, 12:56 pm

>30 john257hopper: How much shorter? I gave suggestions in >8 kac522: and >10 kac522:.

In addition to those there are these two novels from the end of his life:

Dr Wortle's School (1881), 214 pages (Penguin edition)
An Old Man's Love (1884), 265 pages (Oxford World's Classics edition)

I haven't read either of these, but Dr Wortle's School is supposed to be good; it includes a main American character, with some scenes in America. An Old Man's Love was his last complete novel and was published posthumously in 1884. Trollope died in 1882.

32john257hopper
Gen 19, 2023, 2:50 pm

>31 kac522: thanks for these recommendations

33kac522
Gen 24, 2023, 5:17 pm

I finished The Belton Estate, which was a re-read for me from 2021, and I read it along with the group read mentioned in >25 lyzard:.

This is the story of Clara Amedroz, in her mid-twenties, who must choose between two suitors. Interestingly there is a will and inheritance involved, but Clara is in the position of the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice: when her father dies, because of the entail, the estate will go to a distant cousin, and Clara will be left homeless and penniless.

I enjoyed this even more on the re-read, especially the portrayals of the 3 main female characters: Clara, Mrs Askerton (her neighbor) and Lady Aylmer (mother of her fiancée), who reminded me a bit of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The main male characters are good, but not as well sculpted as the women. Liz's group read helped me to see how quite remarkable some of Clara's actions are, and the interesting portrayal of the mysterious Mrs Askerton, whose background is the subject of rumor and gossip.

It's typical Trollope, and although completely predictable, I did love it. But I'm a sucker for Trollope, especially Trollope without hunting or horse-racing. There's even a decent lawyer in this one, which is rare. And only a smidgen of politics.

I may or may not get to one more before the end of the month. I certainly will be reading Trollope throughout the year, so I'll be keeping this thread warm from time to time.

34john257hopper
Gen 25, 2023, 5:09 am

I started Doctor Wortle's School this morning. Quite enjoying it so far.

35john257hopper
Gen 28, 2023, 2:55 pm

I have read and quite enjoyed Doctor Wortle's School. I thought it was an interesting exploration of what was a moral dilemma in 1881 but which would not be now.

36kac522
Gen 28, 2023, 4:29 pm

>35 john257hopper: Glad you enjoyed it. That's what I love about Trollope--always some ethical question that he looks at from a myriad of viewpoints. I look forward to reading that one. I am trying to read his books in chronological order, and I'm up to 1871, so about 10 books to go before I get to it.

37kac522
Modificato: Mar 2, 2023, 1:18 am

I've continued to read Trollope. In February I read:

The Lady of Launay (1878), a novella
Two Heroines of Plumplington (1882), a novella set in Barsetshire 30 years after the original books
Framley Parsonage (1861), a re-read on audiobook, read by Simon Vance. The fourth book in the Barsetshire series.

I've just started the next book in Barsetshire The Small House at Allington (1864), also on audiobook.

38kac522
Mar 27, 2023, 8:21 pm

I've finished an audiobook re-read of The Small House at Allington. I liked it better this time round than my first reading. I still dislike the main "heroine", Lily Dale, but I found there were enough other interesting characters to make it an enjoyable read.

I've started The Last Chronicle of Barset and it's so much fun to see characters from all the previous books showing up in this tale of a stolen (or missing?) £20 note.

39jillmwo
Mar 28, 2023, 11:21 am

>38 kac522: And I was telling other folks here on LT just the other day that I didn't think I could do a re-read of The Last Chronicle of Barset because parts of it were so wrenching the first time around. Josiah Crawley is an incredible character.

However, have you encountered The Bedside Barsetshire? So many of the good scenes anthologized in that!! Gwen Raverat did the illustrations as well!

40kac522
Mar 30, 2023, 6:23 pm

>39 jillmwo: You are quite right that there are some wrenching scenes with Mr Crawley. I think knowing the outcome in advance makes them a little more tolerable, and it's so interesting to see how Trollope develops his character (and his wife's) along the way. Mind, I'm only at Chapter 12 right now, so there's still a lot of wrenching to come!

I had not heard of The Bedside Barsetshire; I will have to see if I can find a copy--thanks!

41kac522
Modificato: Apr 24, 2023, 11:58 am

Today is Anthony Trollope's birthday (b. 1815). Last week I finished listening (as a re-read) to the entire Barsetshire series, which I started last summer. So it seems rather strange to *not* be listening to Trollope on his birthday--I may pick up a short story or two later today.

42kac522
Lug 2, 2023, 9:22 pm

There's a July Group Read of The Claverings here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/351958

All welcome!

43MissWatson
Lug 3, 2023, 7:01 am

>42 kac522: Thanks for the reminder!