Linda Tressel [Hardcover]

Anthony Trollope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2008

LINDA TRESSEL (1868) by Anthony Trollope was originally published anonymously, and was an attempt at a stylistic and thematic departure for the author. However, the voice of Trollope was unmistakable in this much more somber work, and the true authorship was ultimately unveiled.

The heroine, Linda Tressel, is pressured by her religious zealot aunt to marry an unpleasant man she finds repulsive. The story unfolds in some caricature and melodrama, yet remains an interesting study of Victorian social mores and relationships.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

As young adult, Trollope endured seven years of poverty in the General Post Office in London before accepting a better-paying position as postal surveyor in Banagher, Ireland in 1841. The years in Ireland formed the basis of his second career delineating clerical life in small cathedral towns. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: Norilana Books (October 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934648973
• ISBN-13: 978-1934648971
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,604,430 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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Overweighted Romance, January 18, 2001

By 

E. T. Veal (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Linda Tressel (Trollope, Penguin) (Paperback)

Appearing anonymously as "By the Author of Nina Balatka", "Linda Tressel" was the second and last installment in Anthony Trollope's attempt to establish an alternative literary persona that could deviate from the Trollopian staples (not that the deviation was very startling; maidens urged to marry men whom they don't love are not exactly an unknown subject to our author).

Like the earlier book, "Linda" takes place in a foreign city that the author had recently visited, in this case Nuremberg, and deals with the effect of religious bigotry on love and marriage. This time, instead of violently opposing a union, the bigoted aunt is trying to promote one, and the heroine struggles to escape into either spinsterhood or the arms of a more acceptable lover than the middle-aged boor who has been picked out for her.

The personae of "Linda Tressel" - all odd ducks except for Linda herself - belong to comedy, and a work in that vein might have succeeded. Trollope chose, however, to write a tale that becomes progressively grimmer, eventually toppling the lightweight characters. The book was not a total failure. It drew praise from Henry James (who guessed the author's identity from stylistic clues) and has both lively and pathetic moments. On the whole, though, one does not, after putting it down, feel deep regret that the "alternative Trollope" had no further literary career.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's un-Trollopean alright!, March 3, 2006

By 

John Speer (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Linda Tressel (Selected Works of Anthony Trollope) (Hardcover)

I could see where this book might have appealed to a Victorian audience; as a modern reader, I found it tough going, though not as much so as much "Alice Dugdale" - a real yawner.
The supporting characters carry the story pretty much, but I could've used a bit more mouth-foaming zealotry from the aunt to jazz it up even more.