The Eustace Diamonds vol. II

by Anthony Trollope

The Eustace Diamonds is the third of the Palliser sequence of political novels which are considered among Trollope's greatest works.

319 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1873

About the author

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

Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans have included Sir Alec Guinness (who never travelled without a Trollope novel), former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, American novelists Sue Grafton and Dominick Dunne and soap opera writer Harding Lemay. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he regained the esteem of critics by the mid-twentieth century.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_...

Reviews

[Chana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anti Semitic. Jews are described as greasy, hook nosed, squinty eyed, lying, greedy, opportunistic. Lizzie, after all the scheming, ends up with her due evidently, the apostate Jew preacher who marries her for her money. I hope they find happiness together and if they are both schemers they have something in common and it isn't based on race.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol 1 dragged Trollope felt it necessary to use the entire section to introduce important characters, and repeats himself ad nauseam. Vol 2 sets the story in motion and creates anticipation and suspense. The overwhelming preoccupation with just about all of the characters save Frank Greystock's love interest (whose name escapes me ironically or not as she is a most pure kind and good person and frustratingly naive - she is a metaphor and therefore may seem to be quite uninteresting as a character (Lucy Morris)) is money! - how to get money, sponge off people who have it, go into debt trying to keep up, or for the female characters, how to marry it or marry into it if you already have it. Vol 3 resolves the mystery about the 2 attempted robberies of the diamonds, and ties up all loose ends, ie who ends up with whom. Lizzie Greystock gets what she deserves, to marry as conniving and unappealing character, Mr. Emilius, as herself and Lucy gets Frank. How delicious it must be to get to determine people's fates as the author, it's gratifying that Lucy wins her man, even if Frank doesn't deserve her! Reading is escapism and entertainment in the end, but there's enough that rings true for Trollope to be forgiven if he wants to reward goodness, though it may not be so in real life. (Lucy is a minor character!) I loved the last line in Vol 3, that people who have the luxury of not having to worry about money often don't know what to do with themselves and the gift of freedom from the lowly concerns of the laboring class.