My first Trollope book, because of your recommendation, was Rachel Ray. I'm so glad, now that I've read 6 of them, that I started there. It has some of the most beautiful scenes that I've ever read (for example, the 2 main characters first accidental meeting at the stile). It was just the right book for me to become addicted to reading Trollope and reading in general. Thank you for the Rachel Ray recommendation and my becoming aware of such an unknown Master!
I must reread Rachel Ray sometime soon - I haven't read it for probably 15 years! So I'm glad to hear my recommendation still holds true. Trollope is so great.
Thank you for this. I couldn't find anyone I knew who read any Trollope so I ended up here. Very thorough overview! Going to start with with The Warden / Barsetshire Chronicles anyway, because when you warned about the church politics, I instantly thought "don't threaten me with a good time!" ☺
I fell into the trap of starting my Trollope journey with The Warden, which is as gripping as church politics is likely to ever get. Looking forward to The Way We Live Now and I’ll definitely look out that Xmas short story collection for December. Thanks, as always 💖
People should not be misled by either this commenter or this presenter into believing that "The Warden" is only about "church politics". The setting is ecclesiastical to be sure, but at the heart of the book is a very human story of a good man who is reduced to despair by being accused, unfairly, of corruption. The fact that his accuser also wants to marry his daughter adds a very nice element of tension and romance to the narrative. Yes perhaps the 1980s adaption was over-acted in places (especially Nigel Hawthorne as Archdeacon Grantly), but Donald Pleasance's Septimus Harding - the Warden of the title - is as perfect a portrayal of a decent and loving, but tortured and bemused, human being as you are ever likely to see.
Yes, Trollope is a realist, Dickens most decidedly is not. Although, who knows, perhaps when I pick up my 17th Trollope (The American Senator), I will find a character who goes all Bleak House and spontaneously combusts. But I doubt it.😊
As usual, you’ve given us some wonderful insights about Anthony Trollope and how to read his works. I plan to read The Way We Live Now and downloaded the PDF from Global Grey Books from the Internet, where you’ll find loads of classic books. I watched the BBC adaptation of Barchester Chronicles produced in 1982 that kept me riveted to the end. The way Trollope develops his characters causes an intimate connection between them and the reader. He doesn’t seem at all like Dickens to me-but I could be wrong and just don’t see it. Thanks again, Katie, I always look forward to your visits!
I agree about The Way We Live Now. It was my first Trollope (I read it earlier this year) and though it took me a month, it didn't feel like a month. The chapters are short, so it was easy to feel like I was always making progress on it and it was easy to squeeze in a chapter or two when I had a spare minute.
Thanks again for introducing me to Anthony Trollope! I've read 6 or 7 of his books, and he's one of my favorite authors. To say Trollope is "underrated," is putting it mildly.
The Warden was actually the perfect place for me to start because I'm the daughter of a clergyman, so I found it very relatable. But I can definitely see how other people would not find it as interesting.
The Pallisers adaptation is great. Glencora is such an interesting, realistic character. Can’t help but love her with all her charms and flaws. Susan Hampshire’s portrayal is fabulous! We like it so well we bought the DVD.
I started with The Claverlings and loved it. Then I moved into The Barsetshire Chronicles. The American Senator and The Small House at Allington are my favorites. I’ve gifted Doctor Wortle’s School to friends to entice them into Trollope.
I'm currently working my way through all of Trollope's fiction in publication order, which is really fun! I've read quite a few of his books before so there are lots of rereads (and a couple of duds - The Bertrams, I'm looking at you!) and I'm thoroughly enjoying.myself.
After TWWLN, I am reading the Barchester series. I'm on the fourth book. I'm OK with starting with a series. I love lt. Im just like that. Ill keep on slogging along regardless. I just trust the process. And if I ever need a lawyer Ill get Bideawile and Slow.
I hadn't read Trollope, he completely flew under my radar. So at the end of last year, I started with The Warden... and I really disliked it (As you said, I really did not care for the church politics)!! So I decided Anthony Trollope wasn't for me! Thanks for the tips! I will try again, maybe with The way we live now or one of the shorter ones... 🤞😅
So, this section of Victorian web has some useful articles: victorianweb.org/victorian/history/index.html I studied Gladstone and Disraeli, two rival prime ministers, at school, and read a great book called The Lion and the Unicorn, by Richard Aldous. It's been a long time since I read it, but I feel like that would be a pretty decent introduction to 19th century British politics from a historical angle.
I've just realised that I've got Anthony Trollope Doctor Thorne and The Dukes Children on my book shelf😮. Is it not a good idea to just pick it up and read it?
Doctor Thorne has spoilers for The Warden and Barchester Towers, but can be enjoyed as a standalone if you're not fussed about spoiling the plot of those two books. The Duke's Children is the final book in the Pallier series, though, and it really won't have the emotional weight for you unless you read the previous books! It will also spoil the plots of the previous five books in the series.
I'm reading TWWLN. I'm loving it. My first Trollope. No character is minor! This group of men are some of the worst and maybe the average Victorian males of the time. Just wasted lives with maybe the exception of Roger and maybe Paul.
Great tips! You nailed the Dickens vs. Trollope comparison. The group read is I think my 7th Trollope read, which I'm enjoying very much. But for what it's worth, I've gotten along better with his stand alone books, than the two I've read from a series - The Warden and Barchester Towers - which I fully admit to skimming through some sections. My favorites so far have been He Knew He Was Right, Rachel Ray, Lady Anna, and Dr. Wortle's School. 😊
This is so interesting! However, I've already made up my mind and will be starting with The Warden haha. I do know it's not considered his best so I have lower expectations for that one but I only own the Barsetshire Chronicles (the whole set) and I have faith I will enjoy it :D
Susan Hampshire as Lady Glencora Palliser was pretty good (1974). I also feel she was also the only really good Becky Sharp (1967) and Fleur Forsyte (1967). In that last, she deliberately displayed a sort of off putting cockiness, and was not necessarily trying to win the audience over to her side. In a BBC poll in the '60's, the public (by a small margin) favored Soames Forsyte's struggle with his wife.
I read Trollope FOR the politics and the fox hunting! I always found your political system confusing until I read the Palliser novels, and I fell in love with fox hunting because of him. In fact, in working my way through his books I'm disappointed if there's no hunt. This is a great discussion! More people should read Trollope. He's amazing.
I’m so glad that you mentioned dr wortles school as I’m aiming to read it this victober. I have now bought the vicar of bullampton so I may read that next year. This is so helpful thank you 😊
I read Doctor Thorne first, by accident😂 Didn't know anything about the series or the author😊 Now I've read over twenty of his books, and I absolutely love them!! Jane Austen has been my favourit author for several years, but I think I must admit that I love Trollope better😅 I also want to recommand Simon Vance's reading on audiobook. He's the best. Does the voices so well❤👌
This is so helpful, Katie. My first Trollope was Rachel Ray--before I had found your channel--and agree it is a reasonable place to start. Personally, I absolutely loved The Warden, but I absolutely agree with you that most people are not going to have that response to this atypical and relatively quiet novel. I'm thinking about choosing He Knew He Was Right as my next one Trollope. Trollope definitely appeals to me more than Dickens for exactly the reasons you discuss--and I think I might be more suited to his smaller-community novels, too.
I’m obviously in the minority, but I’ve started reading The Way We Live Now, and I don’t love it. I’m a huge fan of Dickens, and hopefully I will eventually warm up to Trollope, but I’m having a rough start.
Good video. Trollope is my favorite author. I’ve read all of his fiction at least once. Another difference between Trollope and Dickens is that Trollope rarely focuses on the destitute, or even the poor working class. The lowest he tends to go for his main characters are either in the more “respectable” professions or on the fringe of the landed gentry. My main complaint with him is his fairly consistent portrayal of the passive aggressive “good” girl. It’s a shame because he is so great when he veers away from these moral paragons.
I've just read The Struggles of Brown, Jones and Robinson by him, which is about upper working class characters, and definitely the Trollope novel I've read so far with the lowest class characters, which was interesting.
Great timing! I was going to start my AT journey with "The Warden", but I am now going to take your advice and read one of the others you suggested. Nice video.
Without any previous heads-up, I started Anthony Trollope with The Small House at Allington and it definitely seemed like a stand-alone novel when I read and it was definitely enough to get me “hooked” on Trollope (I’ve only read two, so far) and Framley Parsonage was also very engaging.
I just finished reading The Way We Live Now ahead of schedule, and as a reward, I am watching the BBC adaptation. The amount of LOLs!!! And I never thought I would see the day where Mr Darcy is sucking face with Moaning Myrtle! Bahahaha. Matthew Macfadyen is a riot!!! David Suchet is hilarious! The whole cast is perfection. Especially Cillian Murphy, swoon!!!
Thank you, Katie - really good. I think Trollope is my second favourite author after Jane Austen. I much prefer him to Dickens who I find a bit much sometimes. I enjoyed the Pallister novels but I can't stand politics, so I skipped those bits!
I started my Anthony Trollope love by watching the Palliser series back in the 70's and then reading the books. I never looked back. Right now I am about 40% through The Way We Live Now and am loving it. Happy Victober!
Thanks for another interesting and helpful video Katie. I'm looking forward to starting The Way We Live Now . I read Can You Forgive Her earlier this year as my first Trollope and was surprised and delighted with it.
Always great advise and recommendations, Katie! However I did start reading Trollope with the Barsetshire Series. My husband bought me a nice older set of the series in Edinburgh-so I did read them in order. I finished the last novel on Audible with Timothy West, very very good! Thank you so much 😊
Wonderful video! Excellent suggestions for enjoying Trollope. I’ve read 14 of his novels so far and obviously love them. You are so right about trusting him. I always feel safe in starting his books because I know that he’s on my side and won’t let me down. I find his books easier to read than most Victorian novels and he seems to understand women. There’s always interesting and varied female characters. Also he can be very funny.
So glad to come away with other Trollope novels to read. I will be reading The Way We Live Now and agree, the adaptation was excellent. I've already read The Barsetshire Chronicles and The Palliser Novels and agree that he should be a much more popular/credited author. I cannot believe that in England they didn't teach him in a course on Victorian literature. Shocking!
hi Katie - thanks for video. Radio 4 has produced quite a few dramatisations of Trollope over the years, which I really enjoyed. They pop up on Radio 4 Extra from time to time 🙂
Looking forward to reading The Way We Live Now this month as its my first Trollope! I've been wanting to start his novels for the past few Victobers so I was glad when I saw the group read this year.
I started with The Warden but I loved it, but I do have a history degree and am a nerd so would agree it's not the best place. I read Dr Wortle's School last week as a bridge from Shorty September to Victober, it was lovely and I do think its a nice condensed Trollope experience. So glad the group read is Trollope and there seems to be many people reading him for the first time.
I started my Trollope journey with The Warden, and it was an excellent choice! It's my favourite alongside with Framley Parsonage. I tend to like his "London book" (parts of Allington and Last Chronicle, Lady Anna) less than his "small community books" (rest of the Barchester Chronicle, Rachel Ray), but I'm willing to have The Way We Live Now prove me wrong.
(Melanie here) Fantastic video!! Your tips for enjoying Trollope, as well as the comparison with Dickens, are expressed so well. I love Trollope and am slowly making my way through his 47 books. Your recommendations have helped me with this. Thank you for another delightful video.
While I love both, I do think Trollope is somewhat more accessible for modern readers than Dickens. Trollope's characters do feel more realistic. I did start Trollope with the Palliser novels because of the adaptation back in the 70's, but I don't think I was a problem for me since I was an English major in college. The books are always better! 😀
Hello hello. I think this is an Excellent video! Anyone getting into Trollope would benefit a lot from this. Im somewhere in the Barcester series but i must say ive also read Dr. Wortle's School and it is my favorite so far! I enjoyed it so much! Early thanks for all the splendid work you do for Victober.
Hello there Thank you very much for the video and for listing the books of the two series Trollope wrote. I read Ayala's Angel some years ago and remember liking it very much. Thank again.
Perfect timing for this video! I've picked up several Trollope books at second hand book shops this summer since you are so enthusiastic about him! So, The Way We Live Now will be my pick for Victober 2023. I should have mentioned this in an earlier video, but I love the blue you've chosen for your walls and can't wait to see a tour of your room when you are done! 📚❤
One day my sister's kid came home from school with a few words the teacher gave to put into sentences,one of them being 'hunt'.I suggested "men in silly hats hunt foxes".The following day he came home dejected as she put him sitting in the bold chair as she obviously wasn't impressed by his offering.Would you say she was a Trollope fan?😂
I’ve only read He Knew He Was Right and it was both brilliant and kind of triggering 😅 Maybe I need to give Trollope another go, after all he comes with the best of recommendations (yours!) 😊
