Customer Reviews

The Eustace Diamonds

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I have only read one Anthony Trollope novel, and I had the very good fortune of having chosen "The Eustace Diamonds." This superbly constructed novel begins with what is probably my favorite opening sentence of a novel--it's right up there with the opening sentence to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice":

"It was admitted by all her friends, and also by her enemies--who were in truth the more numerous and active body of the two--that Lizzie Greystock had done very well with herself." The second sentence further clarifies Lizzie's character when it goes on with, "We will tell the story of Lizzie Greystock from the beginning, but we will not dwell over it at great length, as we might do if we loved her."

Lizzie Greystock--eventually to become Lady Eustace--is a fascinating combination of cunning and foolishness, of avarice and pitiable character, of steely backbone and whimpering fits. She reminds me so very much of both Emma Bovary and Scarlett O'Hara. Her determination to keep the Eustace family diamonds entirely for herself is what sets the novel in motion, and with this rather simple device, Trollope goes on to spin out a tale which encompasses morality, greed, Victorian social mores, the corrupting influence of money, and the blindness it can cause to everything else of value.

Lizzie is contrasted, with every shade under the sun, with the sweet and constant Lucy Morris. Picture the contrast as one very much like that of Scarlett O'Hara and Melanie Wilkes. "The Eustace Diamonds" is a deliciously satisfying book, and a classic for a very good reason: despite having been written in the 19th century, what it has to say reverberates as soundly now as when Trollope first published it. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The Lady Lizzie Eustace, a beautiful young widow, claims that her husband gave her the extremely valuable diamond necklace to be her very own. However, Mr. Camperdown, lawyer for the estate, says that it is a family heirloom and must be given up. Lizzie, for whom lying is always more natural than telling the truth, stubbornly clings to the diamonds, taking them with her everywhere, rather than entrusting them to some safe depository.

But then there is a skillfully performed burglary, and the jewels are stolen from her hotel room in Carlisle. Or are they? Did Lizzie just use this scheme to make the diamonds disappear? Why is there a second burglary at her London apartment? The novel becomes a fascinating detective story.

Lizzie longs for a husband to share her problems. But which man is it to be? There is Lord Fawn, to whom she is engaged, but who breaks with her because of the diamonds. Lord George, a rather shady character, intrigues her with his swashbuckling mann! ! er. Then there is her ever loyal cousin, Frank Greystock, but he is supposedly engaged to a penniless nonentity, Lucy Morris.

Lizzie Eustace is one of Trollope's most interesting characters--beautiful, strong willed, intelligent in her way, but utterly untrustworthy, constantly scheming to get what she wants and always able to justify her actions to herself. It is no wonder that even the similarly mendacious Lord George is afraid of her. Lizzie alone makes this third novel of the Palliser series well worth reading.

From the very start of this novel, you know that you're not going to like Lizzie (Lady Eustace), the main character. She's one of those women who does ANYthing she can to get her way...and she'll be damned if she doesn't get it. She can flirt, act sweet and innocent, step on other women's toes, turn on her tears in a timely manner...and all of the men are just bending over backwards to help her. She was born with nothing, and she's going to get what she wants in life. She starts out by getting herself a rich husband who will conveniently die right away and leave his riches and jewels to her. But, wait, did he "correct" his will in the exact manner Lizzie wanted before he died? Well, it doesn't matter, she'll get what she wants (the Eustace diamonds) in another manner---wear them around and refuse to take them off! It's difficult to contradict this extremely clever woman, but she has enemies who are certainly going to try. Some of her "tricks" to get her way just want to make you scream--she can be SO cruel and heartless.

This novel is a battle of wills...a woman and her enemies. You don't have to like her, but you must admit she's on a higher playing field than everyone else...and she should at least get credit for her effort and her cleverness! Everyone knows a woman like Lady Eustace and hopes she gets what she deserves. This book will show you if she does. It's very long, but the political plots that are a part of the other books in this series are left out and make for an entertaining, can't-put-it-down read.

There is a lot to like about this book. It has the usual host of colorful and varied characters that one finds in Trollope's novels. There are strong and complex women, sturdy and weak-willed men, and some wonderful set-pieces. It's a bit of a let-down after _Phineas Finn_, though, which to my mind is the greatest political novel in the English language. The previous two 'Palliser' novels having been clearly both for and about Liberals, I think that Trollope was struggling in this novel to write in a way that would both reflect and appeal to more Conservative sensibilities. So we get a lot of domestic gossip, a little mild anti-semitism, and endless lectures about the Proper way for a Gentleman to Behave to a Lady. Still, the protagonist, Lizzie Eustace, is a gem.

It is hard to choose my favorite Trollope but this is definitely right at the top of my list. It has everything a novel needs to pique your interest and keep you turning the pages--love, intrique, mystery, jealousy. It is a must read for a Trollope reader. And do yourself a favor. If you have kids, introduce them to this prince.

This set of novels is (nearly) worth the price of the Kindle itself. Anthony Trollope has been a favorite author of mine since college. His books deal with political and social themes which we are still struggling with today (seems like this year more than ever!) He also writes with a sense of humor that I enjoy and it is hard to believe that he was a contemporary of Dickens and not a modern-day writer. He also writes so descriptively that you feel like you are part of the 18th century British Aristocracy.

However, Trollope was paid by the word so his books tend to be BIG and LONG. If you tried to keep the whole collection in one place, it would take up an entire shelf -- never mind trying to carry them with you.

This set is very well formatted (I'm very picky about my formatting) and is actually better in terms of quality than most books that cost a lot more. The collection of novels has been organized so that it is easy to jump from one book to another and also within the book itself -- again a must given the length of the books.

For the price of the set and the quality, you can't go wrong.

If you aren't familiar with Anthony Trollope, all of these books build on one another and are best enjoyed if read as a series. However, if you want to get a taste of Trollope without investing in an entire series, probably one of his best books is a stand-alone novel called Orley Farm. The free Kindle Edition of Orley Farm was also very well done. I just wish all publishers put this much effort into formatting and editing their Kindle editions and certainly appreciate the folks that have done so with the Trollope novels.

[NCJAR]

It's hard to adequately describe my affection for "The Eustace Diamonds." This was the first Trollope I read, and I did so more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. (I had heard of Trollope, and thought that I SHOULD read him, much in the way one thinks one SHOULD get a yearly prostate exam.) I expected a dense, difficult read on the lines of Henry James or Thomas Hardy, but was completely surprised -- blown away, frankly -- by how entertaining and funny a writer Trollope is. This is the book that started my love affair with his works, one that has only deepened with each new book.

"The Eustace Diamonds," as you probably know, revolves around the vivacious Lizzie Greystock, who marries for money and goes to unimaginable lengths to hold on to it. She is a liar, a cheat, a wicked, wicked woman...and an utter delight. She ensnares every man she meets, and that seems to have included her creator, Trollope himself! I know that I find her irresistible, along with the novel in which she's the sun, moon and stars.

If you haven't yet read Trollope, I might work up to this book by reading its two predecessors in The Palliser Chronicles, but be forewarned that the first of them, "Can You Forgive Her?" is not Trollope at his best. Certainly read "Phineas Finn," though, as the characters introduced there will factor into "Phineas Redux," which, in part, continues Lizzie Greystock's dubious adventures. But regardless of the order in which you decide to proceed, don't miss out on "The Eustace Diamonds," one of the great, most pleasurable contributions to English literature.

Anthony Trollope's `The Eustace Diamonds' is sometimes referred to as the third of his Palliser novels, but this is misleading. This novel is only loosely connected with the series, and can be read and enjoyed without the knowledge about the other `Palliser' novels. And though many would prefer his earlier works, `Diamonds' shows considerable merit of its own with its satires on the world he lived in, and vivid portraits of the intriguing characters..

The novel is best remembered for beautiful Lizzie Eustace, strong-willed (and unscrupulous) heroine. She claims that her late husband Sir Florian Eustace `gave' the precious diamonds of the Eustace family to her, and she is determined to have them. Of course, such an expensive thing cannot be `given' so casually, and the family's lawyer Mr. Camperdown starts to fight to regain what he thinks is the heirloom of the Eustace family.

But no one can stop Lizzie. After brief mourning, we find Lizzie engaged to Lord Fawn, indecisive, but respectable gentleman. While timid Lord Fawn soon regrets his hasty decision, and hesitates to marry her, Lizzie has plenty of time to think about the alternative plans - how about Lord George, or her cousin Frank Greystock? Frank is already engaged to Lucy Morris, but Lucy is only a governess, and he is MP, isn't it? But whatever her final choice may be, Lizzie is determined to teach Lord Fawn a lesson before that.

But things get confusing when the diamonds are `stolen' by thieves in he middle of the night. (`The Eustace Diamonds' was originally published in 1872, only four years after the huge success of `The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins.) But what really happened to the diamonds is not the novelist's real concern because he reveals it very soon. I will not write that part. I can only say Trollope's idea is very ingenious.

`The Eustace Diamonds' is not a detective story, but the fate of the characters is as interesting as the discovery of The Moonstone. Will Lizzie get what she wants? Will Frank marry Lucy? Trollope, whose digressive habits sometimes damage his works, succeeds in creating the tightly-constructed plot here. Plus, there are some funny in-jokes. In one scene Lizzie changes the date of her letter, and the narratives about her action can be taken as Trollope's own commentary on the meticulous details of Collins' novels.

Not everything is good, I must say. The chapters about hunting are, I thought, a bit lengthy and Jewish characters, though they are relatively minor ones, will be called negative stereotypes.

But I find the book very amusing with the lively characters and interesting story, especially Lizzie Eustace, who often mistakes lies for poetry. `The Eustace Diamonds' shows the author's clear vision of the society. The satires are often biting, and the narratives are incisive. (Though very briefly, Lizzie appears again later in `Phineas Redux.')

Anthony Trollope is fabulous. A suspenseful story of a vain young woman who's old bag husband dies, and soon enough the famous Eustace Diamonds are gone! Is it rightfully the woman's? Who claims to not know of it's whereabouts? Or is it the Eustace families? Hehe, what a treat to read!

I had once heard a defination of a "classic as a book to be admired but not read." This book definately defied all that. It was great read. Funny, touching and warm. A witty husband, a pain for a wife. Do read. This is from a 18 year girl, so a must read for all.