The Small House at Allington (Penguin Classics)

I have read this book before, and I was disappointed that the book did not end the way I wanted it to end. But that was in my younger seventies; now that I have matured, I can really enjoy reading it. Trollope does a good job of showing how his characters' stubborn attitudes and ideas can shape their lives in directions they do not expect or desire. Trollope is always great.

i am a Trollopian and belong to the London Club; that being said...ive read this one several times and now Audible...reading this is like a nice mental vacation...a healthy one...Trollope believes in the 'grey' of human nature...even the worst of us can do beautiful selfless actions...i think his point of view...a man raised along the aristocracy and social elite but still believing in an 'aristocracy of ability'...a meritocracy....is most modern and out of his realm. This is a personal book for Trollope: he was the 'hobbletehoy' of young John Eames who couldnt buy the affection of any woman....his love interest, a prig yet with a charming personality, who prefers to crucify herself on her poor judgment and hubris....Trolloppe has a distinct moral universe of which i am sync....he does believe in being kind and decent to one another....and though an Englishman at a time they were starving the Irish...he found his life and success in Ireland in the midst of such horrid famine and death....

I'm sure that I'll like this Trollope novel. Here I want to comment on this edition. I couldn't find one on Amazon from a major publisher that I was sure would be readable as to typeface and page size, and I worry about 'Published independently.' This one lists no publisher, just 'Made in U.S., Orlando FL'. It's large, 8 x 10, with clear type, good paper, glossy cover, and all of the original illustrations. The cover illustration is humorously inappropriate but attractive--a tropical Grecian kind of scene. A good buy, and worth the $17.50.

I enjoyed reading the entire series of novels in what is called the Barchester Chronicles. I'm glad I read the books in order. This is the fifth of six novels. Because the books were released as serials in a magazine, I find them to be a bit repetitive within the novels themselves; a lot of ground is re-covered, which can be frustrating to those of us reading it years later as a novel. It must have been very exciting at the time waiting for the next installment. There are a couple of memorable characters here who make an appearance later in the series (Lily Dale, for example) and some from previous novels. The way Trollope weaves characters in from previous novels while making each story able to stand alone is enjoyable for the reader.

Avid for the Penguin edition of this book on Kindle, once I finally started poring over it I became a rabid censor on account of glaring errors rife in every blooming page. Indeed, although I tend to be lenient towards any such text flubs when minor and rare, it was extremely aggravating to stumble upon a random sentence, or scraps of a sentence, from a passage previous inserted in the middle of another paragraph, plus having to emend in my mind slips where words like 'he', 'she', 'the', 'them', 'then', 'there'; 'on', 'no', 'to', 'or', 'of', 'for'; 'as', 'at', 'and', 'all'; even 'bride' and 'bridge', were arbitrarily mixed up.Chastisement aside, here's my assessment of "The Small House at Allington":As Trollope himself stated in chapter 59 (that is, one before last): "I feel that I have been in fault in giving such prominence to a hobbledehoy, and that I should have told my story better had I brought Mr Crosbie more conspicuously forward on my canvas". I totally agree. Moreover, what from the outset marred this volume for me, a Trollope zealot, were the incidents at, or concerned with, Burton Crescent and its denizens. So, if I ever manage to secure a ticket for a ride in a time machine, I shall go back to the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty two in order to entreat Trollope to expunge the lacklustre scenes of the Roper family, the Lupex couple and that dupe Cradell from this narrative. Of course, if deemed apposite, I may undertake any other comission of that ilk that you bring forth. I'm open to requests now!

Luckily there is another part to this chronicle, otherwise I would be left with many unexplained loose ends. Mrs Dale irritatingly tripped through the pages, infuriatingly tiptoing around her precious offspring...a mass of aquiecence, bending and scraping towards their misguided delusions of grandeur and pandering to their every whine and whimper. The results of her upbringing can be clearly seen in the super spoilt Lily who should have had her ears boxed, as they did then, long ago. Without a father figure, Lily became a proud arrogant force to be reckoned with. Her illness only gratified her delusions of granduer, and Crosbie had a lucky escape from a clinging overprotective madame. Her ridiculous claims on such a man, who had entered the life of such a naive and inexperienced woman, who had immediately sunk her claws without knowing anything about him....like a vampire. No wonder poor Crosbie ran a mile. Too much too soon and way too much adoration for a worldly wise guy. Instead of a holiday romance, she turned it into the event of her life. Again, blame the pathetic, introverted innocent and unworldly mother to even think that way. However, Bell played her cards right. And invariably received her just deserts. If Mrs Dale had taken heed, she also could have reaped what she had sown, as it were, and shown more consideration for her obvious soulmate. As for silly Lily, we shall see if poor John Eames is not once again thrown against the wall , emotionally, and stamped to the ground by cruel arrogant words. For she, apparently, can love to distraction someone who chose to marry another.

I am beginning to learn that with Trollope you just have to get used to him going off at a complete tangent sometimes and just hold onto the main thread of the book for yourself- this is,mostly, endearing rather than irritating....This book is a bit like Jane Austen with sharp teeth and is very readable although a bit too long and drawn out.There are some very sly and beautifully done scenes mostly centring on the lounge lizard that is crosbie but also some pure slapstick (the bull / Eames episode in particular.All in all, this is quite an easy book to read and you always feel in the hands of an epert story-teller who knows exactly what he is doing.love the way that some characters from other books make cameo appearances as this brins back to mind the original story in which they appeared.

Trollope meets Gissing in his description of lodging-life. There’s more going on in the romantic world of the lesser gentry however, and indeed the minor aristocracy, but as ever, it helps to be well connected unless you are the unfortunate Crosbie. Almost felt sorry for the poor chap but if you don’t behave decently in this sort of novel you get what the writer deems is coming for you.

It is not for nothing that so many people have given fulsome praises for this novel. It is a sheer pleasure and joy to read each and every chapter. Anthony Trollope is really a genius who can construct an interesting and gripping tale out of normal incidents occurring in every day life. It is no wonder that Henry James , his contemporary and no less a great novelist, wrote extensively in critical judgement of his novels heaping rich encomiums on his talent.

Don't bother ordering the Kindle version of this great Trollope classic if you want to read the book and not be upset on Every Page because of multiple errors of spelling, word use, punctuation, you name it. I was happily reading the Folio Society print edition until eye surgery made me switch to the Kindle so that I could enlarge the print size. I can't continue with it though - there are just too many errrors, which completely ruins the reading experience. I have asked for a refund.