How things are.

We’re so used to Trollope’s wry humour & the satisfying ending to his stories, this pulls you up a bit short.
Nevertheless less I really enjoyed this book. The character narration was excellent apart from interpretation of the money lenders voice.
I think Anthony Trollope needed to tell things how they often are.

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Not Trollope's best

Possibly his most irritating heroine ever! Pull yourself together dear and get over it. Clearly the author wanted to tell the story of a particular kind of love and a particular kind of woman who might experience that love. To his contemporaries it might have sounded noble and self sacrificing but to modern ears (mine at least!) it sounded maudlin and selfish. However, Trollope tells the story well, as always, and the narrator brings it to life very nicely.

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The first Anthony Trollope to disappoint.

I love everything I have read by Anthony Trollope, but not this one. The narration was like the curate's egg, good in parts. The depiction of the female protagonist was poor, an affected female voice which irritated. It was not helped by the poor plot which could have been told in half the pages.

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1 person found this helpful

Trollope

I enjoy these stories for the intrigue suspense and elegant language. I often come back to Trollope and it never disappoints.

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Brilliant

Fantastically read
Great story with a twist
Will read it again in the future, enjoyable

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Really enjoyed this - though sad.

I’d recommend this - though as with a number of Trollope’s heroines i get rather exasperated!!

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Insight into Victorian social milieu

I needed to persevere initially as the novel was wordy and a little agonising ! However it improves in pace and is an insight into Victorian social milieu with a number of the usual stereotypes and predictable anti semitic tropes. The plot however becomes almost magnetic and I was compelled to finish. There is good character development and only in the denouement are the fates’ of their tragic flaws revealed.

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Wonderful reading by Tony Britton

Early Trollope, a bit verbose but marvellous exposition of the psychology of the characters. One has to accept the social mores of the time(1840s 1860s?) but I was still annoyed by the ending.

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So Powerful

We loved it. Quite tragic but humane. An amazing understanding of human nature. Truly worth hearing or reading!

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Not a Simple Tale of Star Crossed Lovers

Trollope is very good when it comes to morality and the human intellect. He is forensic in analysing behaviour, exposing humbug, and his protagonists tend to show basic human kindness rather than religious diktats. Where he fails, in this book, is in characterisation. The characters are all stereotypes, the old gentry, the young wastrel, the faithful maiden and, as a result it's hard to really care about any of them. It's worth reading for Trollope's understanding of the human psyche and for the absurdity of the English class and inheritance system but it fails to come up to his usual high standard.

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