The Eustace Diamonds - Chapters 1-8

[Frances, Moderator]

Welcome to the first chapters of our 3rd Palliser novel.

We start with our two female protagonists, Lizzy Greystock (who becomes Lady Eustace) and Lucy Morris. We are alerted that there may be another heroine appearing later.

What do you think of Lady Eustace? Is she an unusual lead character for a Victorian novel? Are we meant to like her?

What do you make of Lucy Morris? Has anyone sorted out her parentage or how she fits into the various families? Was her outburst in defence of Frank Greystock in keeping with her character?

What do you think of the male characters? Is Frank Greystock another Phineas Finn?

There is an elderly aunt who tries to keep the younger women in line, a rather dull and stiff Lord, and a dashing young Barrister. Who recognizes some stock Trollopian characters so far?

Please share your thoughts on these first chapters.

[LiLi]

Have not yet started, but commenting to follow.

[Robin P, Moderator]

I'm not done yet, but I love the asides Trollope gives (very modern) about why he is introducing people and warning us that our actual heroine will appear later. The Lucy and Frank dynamic seemed awfully familiar, even the names are recycled from other books.

[Lori, Moderator]

No, we're not meant to like Lady Eustace. And I don't like her. I really wanted to like her, because she is so atypical, but her arrogance and dishonesty make liking her impossible. I do feel a bit sorry for her, because someone who treats people that way must be very unhappy herself, and I think she is. She has no real friends, which is mostly her own fault. But it seems no one really cared for her when she was growing up either. I wonder if she'd have turned out differently if she'd chosen to stay with the dean's family instead of her aunt. Maybe it was already too late.

The others are definitely stock characters. But Lucy is a bit different. She reminds me of Jeanie Deans from Walter Scott's the Heart of Midlothian.

I got distracted early on by the comma + em-dash construction. I don't think I've seen that before.

[Frances, Moderator]

I thought that Lady Eustace would be an interesting character, however I was surprised to see her accept Lord Fawn as quickly as she did-I thought there would be at least a little drama around that (and some tug of war over Frank Greystock).

[LiLi]

I was also surprised by her quick acceptance: I thought she wanted a Corsair?

[Frances, Moderator]

I wonder if in the end having someone she feels she can manipulate and also continuing to improve her position in Society remains more important to her than passion.

[LiLi]

I think timing is also an important factor: FCFS.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog]

I wonder if she is capable of maintaining a single line of thought for over 30 seconds?

[Frances, Moderator]

Elizabeth wrote: "I think timing is also an important factor: FCFS."

Sorry, but what is FCFS?

[Lori, Moderator]

Frances wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I think timing is also an important factor: FCFS."

Sorry, but what is FCFS?"

First come, first served, i'm guessing.

[Frances, Moderator]

Thanks. Am I showing my age? :)

[Lori, Moderator]

No, I'm horrible with abbreviations too! This just happened to be one of the very few I was able to guess.

[LiLi]

Sorry about that. Lori is right.

[Hilary]

Hello again. I'm afraid I've had time in hospital, urgent spinal surgery and am at home in rehab. I couldn't face another hospital for 6 weeks and more rehab so they didn't push the issue. I've missed reading so I'll hope to catch up eventually! 🤗

[Frances, Moderator]

Welcome back and best wishes for a speedy recovery. We look forward to hearing from you and hope that Trollope has healing powers!

[LiLi]

Hope you feel better soon and that you're able to use some time to read while you're healing.

[Brian E]

I enjoyed Lady Eustace' acceptance of Lord Fawn in the FCFS manner. (I wouldn't have guessed its meaning either) Most characters of her "stock" type are more calculating in their quest to satisfy their desires, while she is refreshingly impetuous.
I like her character, and will enjoy the parts of the book about her, without liking her as a person, albeit fictional.

[Frances, Moderator]

Welcome back, Brian-you've got some delightful reading ahead. Let us know how (or whether) your opinion of Lady Eustace changes as the novel progresses.

[Dan]

Not sure I was distracted by the comma em-dash, but I was wondering what Trollope was trying to do.

[Lori, Moderator]

Dan wrote: "Not sure I was distracted by the comma em-dash, but I was wondering what Trollope was trying to do."

I'm an editor; I get distracted easily by these things. :-)

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

This book certainly started quickly, after the introductory chapters. I am not sure what to make of Frank. Lucy loves him, but I wonder if he is capable of loving anybody. The same can be said of Lizzie. I admire her in a way, because she had to make her own way in the world. On the other hand, she seems to be a "user".
Trollope states that the novel is not going to be about Lizzie, which may be the reason she accepts Lord Fawn so quickly.