Customer Reviews

The Small House At Allington

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Too much, probably, is made of this being one of "the Barsetshire novels," seeing that Trollope did not at first include it with the five others classed in that category, and that there is no need whatsoever to have read any of them to be drawn deeply into the world of its characters -- characters the creation of whose palpable, individual realness is the author's great gift. *The Small House at Allington* is remarkable for the balance accorded to six different social strata: (1) the upper reaches of the aristocracy (the De Courcy family and also the first appearance of Plantagenet Palliser); (2) the minor gentry, represented by the squire Dale of Allington and his presumptive heir; (3) their respectable but somewhat impoverished dependents (Mrs. Dale and her two daughters, Bell and Lily, whose love interests provide the main substance of the plot); (4) the world of men who must work to make their way in the world (in which category fall most of the suitors of the novel); (5) those on the fringe of "respectability" (Mrs. Roper's boarding house in London); and (6) the class of domestic servants (especially one Hopkins, head gardener at Allington -- but Trollope seems to make an effort to portray other members of this class when the occasion provides an opportunity). Dozens of other minor characters appear briefly and vividly in the spotlight, each animated with the spark of life.

The plot is unspectacular in the extreme, but for lovers of Trollope, the ability to understand the drama and heroism of ordinary life, as well as its tedium, pettiness, and villainy, will always be his special appeal. This novel is slow, perhaps, to seize the reader's interest -- at least, so I found it -- but in the end the volume acquires a remarkable momentum from the progress of its various subplots and possesses in the final two hundred pages a sort of urgency in its narrative momentum that carries it briskly along. For me, the "hobbledehoyhood" of Johnny Eames is sometimes hard to bear. Trollope even says at the end of the novel that "I feel I have been in fault in giving such prominence to a hobbledehoy." But biographers tell us that such was Trollope in his youth, so a grateful reader is, I suppose, bound to cherish a special feeling for Johnny Eames also.

At one moment a character arrives at his sister-in-law's house in London and is obliged to wait several moments while the servant changes into livery before answering the knock at the door -- for it is thus that the daughter of an earl clings to the trappings of her rank. I love such glimpses into the ways of a vanished world, and they are one of the charms of reading Trollope. But the ways of the human heart have changed less than its outward customs, and the twenty-first-century reader will encounter the shock of recognition several dozen times in the course of reading *The Small House at Allington*.

The handsome Oxford University Press edition, a bargain at the price, has an insightful introduction by James R. Kincaid. If only it were presented as an afterword! Is there really any point in giving away the plot of a novel?

Lily Dale is sublimely happy when she becomes engaged to Adolphus Crosbie, assistant secretary in a government agency and a mortal Apollo to Lily. And Crosbie is happy too--while he is with Lily. But when he is invited to spend a week at Courcy Castle and is looked upon with favor by Lady Alexandrina De Courcy, the temptation to marry into a noble family is too much for him, and he becomes engaged for the second time in a few weeks.

John Eames, a young government clerk, has loved Lily Dale for years. He longs to replace Crosbie in the jilted girl's affections, but she still loves Crosbie, despite his treachery. The ambitious Crosbie, however, soon finds that his aristocratic bride brings no money into the marriage, but maintains her expensive tastes. The marriage is a disaster from the start.

As John Eames' fortunes rise and Crosbie's decline, the reader is led to believe, as all Lily's friends urge, that Eames will eventually win the heartbroken lass, but Lily stubbornly clings to her hopeless love.

There are several subplots, some of them humorous, as Trollope's settings range from castle to rooming house, with vivid characters from varying social strata. As always, the characterizations are thorough and convincing. These are real people who behave realistically. Even when their actions seem surprising, they flow logically from the strong personal basis which the author has built into each character. Although the outcome is not nearly so pleasing as that of "Dr. Thorne," for instance, this book is a solidly enjoyable novel from one of the greatest literary series.

The Small House at Allington, one of Trollope's Barsetshire novels of provincial life, does not require a familiarity with the other books in the series. Its plot device, much like the slightly superior Framley Parsonage, is to show the effects of poor choices and the way in which life sometimes gives folks pretty just desserts for the silly choices they make. As with all Trollope, though, the plot is a jaunty cover for his real theme, which is a social satire of his era in an effort to illumine human nature. Sometimes Trollope's plot devices had a different effect on the reader than he intended. Lily Dale, placed in the novel largely to illustrate the consequences attendant to self-willed dedication to victorian ideas of true love, in fact became a celebrated character in her time as an example of a perfect jilted lover. It is somewhat amusing reading the novel today, seeing how Trollope showed Lily as a stubborn girl from a stubborn family, stubbornly devoted to "Love", and then to think that in his time, Lily was seen as a perfect avatar of true love.

This is a good read--lots of rich satire of persons of both high and low station. It is not Trollope's best, but it is a good read, and well worth a Sunday afternoon read. If you have not read Trollope, prepare for a richly human story laced with satire. If you have read Trollope, then expect a wit slightly less sharp but a story a bit more engaging than his others. His character Crosbie, the "villain" of sorts, is a fine creation, and this one is worth a read.

Like all of the Barsetshire novels, The Small House at Allington is a delight to read.

Less delightful is the Nonsuch Classics edition. This is the second Nonsuch title I have read, and both have been absolutely riddled with typos. I am not exaggerating when I write that there is some error (a strangely placed comma or an odd word substitution ["me" for "he" or "my" for "by"]) on virtually every page. It's very distracting and aggravating.

I would recommend the book very highly, but would strongly advise any reader to seek out another edition.

(4.5 stars) A witty and incisive look at love, money, and marriage, this 1864 novel is the fifth of Anthony Trollope's six Barsetshire novels, with some of his best characters. Lily Dale, somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen's women, lives with her widowed mother and sister Bell in the Small House on her uncle's estate. Both girls are of marriageable age, though they have no fortunes, and as the novel develops, the reader sees the extent to which marriage in Victorian England is often a business transaction, negotiated by families to ensure their daughters' welfare and continuing standard of living. Because Lily and Bell have no fortunes, their courtships become the primary vehicle through which Trollope examines the contrasts between marriages for love and marriages for convenience.

When Lily falls hopelessly in love with Adolphus Crosbie, a young friend of her cousin Bernard, he returns her affection. Thinking that her uncle will give her a substantial dowry, Crosbie then proposes, and she accepts. When he discovers there will be no dowry, Crosbie suddenly wonders how he will support Lily in the manner to which he would like to become accustomed. One week after the betrothal, he has left Allington and become engaged to the wealthy, but cold, Lady Alexandrina De Courcy. Though the heartbroken Lily believes that she can never love another, the way she has loved Adolphus, she resolves (somewhat priggishly) to lead a good life and do good works. Her sister Bell refuses marriage to a cousin who had expected to to collect the dowry from their uncle.

Other subplots continue this money/marriage theme. Johnny Eames, a young London clerk, loves Lily to the same degree that she loves Adolphus Crosbie, but he has made a rash promise to marry Amelia Roper, the daughter of his boarding house owner. Marriage to Johnny would greatly improve Amelia's way of life. As the fates of Lily, Bell, Adolphus Crosbie, Lady Alexandrina, Johnny Eames, Amelia Roper, and their parents and friends intertwine, Trollope depicts a cross-section of society, their attitudes toward love and marriage, and the economic impact of marriage. Minor characters reveal their attitudes toward work and their employers, and Trollope uses these to show sly parallels between marriage and work.

Trollope, who comments on writing throughout the novel, has more in common with the social realism of George Eliot than with the melodrama of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. His use of Mrs. Roper, Amelia's mother, as a character with financial troubles is realistic without being maudlin, and Adolphus Crosbie, the bounder, is also realistic in his naive assumptions and his regrets. Filled with fascinating reflections on all levels of society, this novel also includes references to the Pallisers and to a few characters from previous Barsetshire novels. Outstanding, and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Warden, Vol 1.
Barchester Towers (Oxford World's Classics), Vol 2.
Doctor Thorne (Penguin Classics), Vol 3.
Framley Parsonage, Vol. 4.
The Last Chronicle of Barset (Penguin Classics)

I've read at least 14 or 15 of Trollope's novels, including all of the Palliser books and all of the Barchester books, and this one is probably tied with Barchester Towers as my least favorite of the ones I have read. But it is my belief that Trollope, like Austen, is better on a bad day than most authors are at their best, so "Small House" is still eminently readable. But it is still not my favorite.

As per usual, the characters are well written and believable. The writing is superb. My only problem is with the choices Lily makes. On one hand, while I admire Lily's refusal to marry someone she does not love, I have very little use for martyrs, and Lily seems to revel in her martyrdom.

The book may not have been originally a part of the Barchester books, but since many of the characters appear in the last book of the series, The Last Chronicle of Barset, it does help to have read all 6 in the series if you want to be completely "up" with what is going on.

(4.5 stars) A witty and incisive look at love, money, and marriage, this 1864 novel is the fifth of Anthony Trollope's six Barsetshire novels, with some of his best characters. Lily Dale, somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen's women, lives with her widowed mother and sister Bell in the Small House on her uncle's estate. Both girls are of marriageable age, though they have no fortunes, and as the novel develops, the reader sees the extent to which marriage in Victorian England is often a business transaction, negotiated by families to ensure their daughters' welfare and continuing standard of living. Because Lily and Bell have no fortunes, their courtships become the primary vehicle through which Trollope examines the contrasts between marriages for love and marriages for convenience.

When Lily falls hopelessly in love with Adolphus Crosbie, a young friend of her cousin Bernard, he returns her affection. Thinking that her uncle will give her a substantial dowry, Crosbie then proposes, and she accepts. When he discovers there will be no dowry, Crosbie suddenly wonders how he will support Lily in the manner to which he would like to become accustomed. One week after the betrothal, he has left Allington and become engaged to the wealthy, but cold, Lady Alexandrina De Courcy. Though the heartbroken Lily believes that she can never love another, the way she has loved Adolphus, she resolves (somewhat priggishly) to lead a good life and do good works. Her sister Bell refuses marriage to a cousin who had expected to to collect the dowry from their uncle.

Other subplots continue this money/marriage theme. Johnny Eames, a young London clerk, loves Lily to the same degree that she loves Adolphus Crosbie, but he has made a rash promise to marry Amelia Roper, the daughter of his boarding house owner. Marriage to Johnny would greatly improve Amelia's way of life. As the fates of Lily, Bell, Adolphus Crosbie, Lady Alexandrina, Johnny Eames, Amelia Roper, and their parents and friends intertwine, Trollope depicts a cross-section of society, their attitudes toward love and marriage, and the economic impact of marriage. Minor characters reveal their attitudes toward work and their employers, and Trollope uses these to show sly parallels between marriage and work.

Trollope, who comments on writing throughout the novel, has more in common with the social realism of George Eliot than with the melodrama of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. His use of Mrs. Roper, Amelia's mother, as a character with financial troubles is realistic without being maudlin, and Adolphus Crosbie, the bounder, is also realistic in his naive assumptions and his regrets. Filled with fascinating reflections on all levels of society, this novel also includes references to the Pallisers and to a few characters from previous Barsetshire novels. Outstanding, and thoroughly enjoyable. n Mary Whipple

The Warden, #1 in the Barset series
Barchester Towers (Penguin Classics), #2
Doctor Thorne (Penguin Classics), #3
Framley Parsonage (Penguin English Library), #4
The Last Chronicle of Barset (Penguin Classics), #6

Beautiful book. Though it's the 5th book in the series, any newcomers to Trollope could profitably start here to get the flavor of the series.

The Small House at Allington (1864) is a nearly 800 page Victorian three decker novel by Anthony Trollope (1815-1882. The former postal employee wrote 47 novels and is one of Britain's greatest authors. The Small House at Allington is the favorite novel of former Conservative Prime Minister John Major. You don't have to be a politician or pundit to enjoy this excellent book.
Lily Dale lives in the Small House with her mother and sisters. She becomes engaged to the London playboy/cad Adolphus Crosbie. The office clerk John Eames is also in love with Lily. When Crosbie jilts Lily to wed Lady Alexandrine De Courcy a rich ninny the plot thickens. Will John win Lily or will she remain true to Crosbie her first love depsite the impossiblity of ever marrying him?
Trollope is very good in his realistic dialogue and situations. We see the British middle and upper classes at home, the club, in London and in the country. We encounter two major love triangles and see how these romances work themselves out in the class conscious world of high Victorian society. Unusual for Trollope is no mention of a fox hunt!
The novel is very long and was published serially in the Cornhill magazine over a number of months. I found it and Barchester Towers to be the most interesting of the Barsetshire novels set in and around the mythical town of Barset.
Trollope lacks the broad and comic vision of Dickens; the intelligent psychological insight of George Eliot and the satirical verve of Thackery but is still a novelist of the highest caliber. Read him and enjoy hours of reading pleasure.

I read this on my kindle as part of a compilation of Trollope's works. It was the first book I read on my kindle, and I realized the great advantage of it - I had no idea how far along I was at any point, as the kindle only shows me where I am in the entire compilation, not the individual novel. If I had known how far along I was, I would probably have given up on this novel at some point, as it does lag here and there. But I persevered, and it turned out to be a very pleasant read.

It surprised me as being the first Victorian novel I've read where a major plot point (a potential romance) is left unresolved. The happy ending is so common, I was very surprised when I reached the end. As usual, Trollope is a master of realistic (and astonishingly modern) dialogue and character. I think Crosbie is a very realistic character, a rather ordinary man who has to grapple with his inner demons and his English gentleman's conscience. An interesting case of a person who makes a major decision on a subconscious level and the destructive effects it has on his life and those of others.

The Plantagenet Palliser introduction was very awkward, however, and it seemed to me to be a last minute addition. This plot is completely separate from the Crosbie/Eames plot and it really doesn't fit in. I had already read the Palliser series, though, so maybe I suffer from prior-knowledge-itis.