Framley Parsonage (Complete Novels of Anthony Trollope) [Hardcover]

Anthony Trollope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1905 | ISBN-10: 1870587529 | ISBN-13: 978-1870587525

This novel is published under the auspices of the Trollope Society.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 529 pages
• Publisher: Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Ltd (June 18, 1905)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1870587529
• ISBN-13: 978-1870587525
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,614,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Anthony Trollope (1815-82) became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire, but he also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues and
conflicts of his day."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent addition to The Chronicles of Barsetshire, March 5, 2011

By 

Russell Fanelli (Longmeadow, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Framley Parsonage (Complete Novels of Anthony Trollope) (Hardcover)

Framley Parsonage has received nothing but four or five star reviews on Amazon for good reason - it is a great book. Unlike Dr. Thorne, its predecessor in The Chronicles of Barsetshire, which can be read as a stand-alone novel, Framley Parsonage is filled with characters from other books in this series, Dr. Thorne himself being one of them; it is possible to read it out of the context of the series, but much useful information informing the action of the story will be lost. That being said, I think even the reader new to The Chronicles of Barsetshire is going to love this book, as I did.

In Dr. Thorne the love of Mary Thorne for young Frank Gresham was the heart and soul of the novel; so to, in Framley Parsonage,the love of Lucy Robarts for Lord Lufton takes center stage. However, Trollope has enlarged the scope of this novel to include other important stories, such as the debt Lucy's brother Mark Robarts, vicar of Framley Parsonage, incurs when he signs his name to a bill of payment for 400 pounds for Mr. Sowerby, M.P., one of the villains of the novel. From the moment he signs the bill Mark does not know a minute of peace as he worries about what will happen to him when the note comes due.

A villain from an earlier Barsetshire novels surfaces in Framley Parsonage to aggravate and confuse key players in the story. I speak of the infamous Mrs. Proudie, the Bishop of Barchester's wife. It would be fair to say that Mrs. Proudie is the real Bishop of Barchester, for that is how she conducts herself. Whenever Mrs. Proudie takes center stage, the action heats up in a hurry, much to our delight.

Then there is Lady Lufton, the apparent enemy of Lucy Robarts. Lady Lufton considers Lucy "insignificant" and unsuitable to be the wife of her son Lord Lufton. She does everything in her power to prevent the match from taking place. The final scene between Lucy and Lady Lufton was moving and magnificent. Trollope was at his best as he dramatized the nobility of two good women who at last allowed their hearts to show them what was invisible to their eyes.

Framley Parsonage is the 12th novel of Anthony Trollope that I have read; I place it right at the top with other favorites, such as Phineas Redux, from the Palliser series of novels by Trollope. As I have said often, I consider Anthony Trollope to be one of the finest novelists in any language. He is a master story teller who allows his readers to step back in time and enter a world which seems as real to the reader as life itself - so real that the mind, heart, and soul of the reader are engaged. Trollope speaks to us directly and we talk back to him with thoughtfulness and satisfaction. He enriches our lives and we are grateful to him. Add this review to the long list praising Framley Parsonage.

Special note: I read The Folio Society edition of Framley Parsonage, which I highly recommend for the art work alone, which added much to the telling of the story.