The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope

[Anna]

3 stars

I have switched from an active to inactive member of this group often. Last time I was an active member of this group, I had a random reading list and one of the books on it was this one. I started it and like two years later I am now finishing it. Part of my resolution this year is to finish books I have started.

This is my first Trollope. I am surprised that I have never read any other books by him as he is a prominent Victorian era writer. This particular book is the last of six novels about the made up town of Barsetshire.

First, this is a long book. Trollope would best be described as wordy. At times, I felt like I was digging through the novel and was waist high in his sentences. Second, Trollope actually acknowledges the reader throughout the book. He will say things like dear reader you know this but this character does not because they have not checked the mail. Since this was the culmination of an entire series, the last two paragraphs of the book are his thoughts and feelings on it being over. This was strange for me to read. Last, Trollope creates some memorable characters. I feel like I will never forget Mr. Crawley, Mrs. Proudie (I just got her name in terms of her character as I was typing this), and Lily Dale (my heart really goes out to this one). To create such memorable characters (this is just a minuscule amount of characters in this book) shows Trollope's genius in writing.

The premise is whether or not Mr. Crawley, a clergyman, stole a check of twenty pounds. After eight hundred pages the questioned is answered. I am going to leave it at that :)

I would be willing to try another Trollope to compare my experience with this one to another. However, I would prefer a shorter one.

[Diane]

5 Stars
Read August 2017

I loved this book, but it as Anna mentioned, it was very long and perhaps too wordy. I imagine the story could be told in a much shorter book without missing anything. Trollope developed the characters and their personalities well, making it easy for me to identify and come to know them. There are several story-lines going here, but most of them relate to the main story of an alleged theft of a check by an otherwise respected member of the community. I would like to go back and read the other books from the series.

[Amanda]

4 stars for me: really enjoyed this one. Trollope is a great comedic writer (Tristram Shandy was also a list highlight for me), and does a great job here writing an affectionate sendup of the silly incidents that turn into big dramas and events in small towns.


As previously said, all of the characters feel distinct from each other and the niche they play in Barsetshire, and there are many fun interweaving storylines here: the 'stolen' cheque, a couple of young couples struggles to become engaged and marry, a trip to Jerusalem, and more.

It is wordy, but in a meandering chatter-like way that 100% fits the small town intrigue and gossip theme.