Customer Reviews

La Vendée

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

 

 

Trollope is one of the most prolific writers who ever set pen to paper, surely. For that reason, perhaps, he is underrated. His novels are always lively and understated: he has his sights on a target much harder to hit than mere entertainment. And for readers who want to read well-written stories and, at the same time, be asked to think about serious social issues, Trollope is a must. This novel may be his best.
La Vendée is an historical novel that focuses on the peasant revolt after the French revolution, and, as usual, Trollope works romance into his theme. But his "take" on the revolt, and on war itself, is truly profound. He forces the reader to consider the possibility that war in inherently wrong and that nothing is really accomplished in even the most seemingly justified of wars. He clearly sides with the royalists, though he can see both sides of the complicated political situation. And he wonders aloud, and with increasingly disturbing insights, whether all the death and carnage accomplished anything worthwhile. This is an outstanding novel.