Barchester Towers by Anthony TrollopeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the second of Trollope's Barchester series of novels and it was a most enjoyable read. The opening chapter asking the question, “Who will be the new Bishop?” is a great start and had my immediate interest since it had been a long time ago when I read “The Warden,” the first book. The easily intimidated Dr Proudie turns out to be the Bishop’s successor, and so the scene is set for this amusing and often comedic novel. What follows is a parade of excellently drawn characters, not all are either heroes or villains, but the lesser characters are each intriguing and essential to the overall story. The overbearing Mrs Proudie and the disingenuous Mr Slope attracted my anger and dislike, while the contrariness of Eleanor Bold, and the diffidence of her father, Mr Harding, caused a few sighs along the way. Trollope does not spend too much time describing the minutiae of the church’s ecclesiastical matters. It is the jostling and squabbling between the clerical hierarchy over who will manage and direct such affairs that commands the centre stage of the tale. The sub-plot about who will succeed to win the hand of the widow, Eleanor, runs alongside this and is equally engaging.
The ‘Signora Neroni’, aka Madeline Stanhope, was easily the most intriguing and delightful character in the book, with her effortless winding around her little finger of any male within hearing or sight. Her beauty and smooth charm, as she lies upon her sofa requesting attention, initially indicate an evil influence, but we are surprised when ‘La Signora’ becomes a heroine later in the book. One of her victims is Mr Arabin, an uninspiring and painfully modest vicar, who has to be urged to declare himself a serious suitor to widow Bold. I found the endless string of archbishops, bishops, deans, masters and vicars very confusing at times, causing me to question the necessity for such a complex hierarchy within the Anglican Church. Trollope’s satirical mirror of the religious establishment during the Victorian era is full of humour together with an occasional side-swipe of cruelty. Although I am a fan of Dickens, Trollope’s novels are just as graphical in their revelations about human nature, but they are less wordy. I am eager to read Dr Thorne, his next novel in the series.
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