The Last Chronicle of Barset (The Chronicles of Barsetshire) - Hardcover

Trollope, Anthony

4.18

6,034 ratings by Goodreads

9780241258026: The Last Chronicle of Barset (The Chronicles of Barsetshire)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0241258022 ISBN 13: 9780241258026

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2016

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"He is so scandalously weak, and she is so radically vicious, that they cannot but be wrong together. The very fact that such a man should be a bishop among us is to me terribly strong evidence of evil days coming"

When Reverend Josiah Crawley, the impoverished curate of Hogglestock, is accused of theft it causes a public scandal, sending shockwaves through the world of Barsetshire. The Crawleys desperately try to remain dignified while they are shunned by society, but the scandal threatens to tear them, and the community, apart.

Drawing on his own childhood experience of genteel poverty, Trollope gives a painstakingly realistic depiction of the trials of a family striving to maintain its standards at all costs. With its sensitive portrayal of the proud and self-destructive figure of Crawley, this final volume is the darkest and most complex of all the Barsetshire novels.

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Review:

Anthony Trollope's enduring popularity is extraordinary, but once you start listening to them it is easy to see why Naxos Audiobooks confidently set out on the marathon enterprise of recording all six of his Barchester novels in unabridged form 125 hours in all. The further into the series you get, the more you appreciate the continuous development of its rich gallimaufry of characters. Last Chronicle begins dramatically: I can never bring myself to believe it, John , cries Mary, the Barset attorney's daughter, when she hears that the penurious and pitifully proud curate Josiah Crawley is accused of stealing a cheque. In fact, the plot is rather drawn out, but the journey to its completion is rich in incident, rounded off by news of the series most loveable character, Warden Harding. - --Christina Hardyment, The Times

Trollope's final Barsetshire novel brings back many characters in an audiobook that combines mystery and romance. Narrator David Shaw Parker uses his rich, resonant voice to establish and differentiate those characters through tone and accent, giving the impression of a full-cast performance. He excels naturally at male voices; women's voices are not as distinctive and are occasionally unconvincing. He effectively establishes a personality for the story's narrator ingratiating, tolerant, amused who is also a character. Occasional slowness and repetition in the text are offset by Shaw Parker's acting ability, his expression of sense and feeling, and his ability to imbue his reading with emotional warmth. The story, and Shaw Parker's performance, are deeply involving. Most listeners will find themselves caught up and entertained throughout this long audiobook. --W.M., AudioFile

From the Back Cover:

I can never bring myself to believe it, John; said Mary Walker, the pretty daughter of Mr. George Walker, attorney of Silverbridge. Walker and Winthrop was the name of the firm, and they were respectable people, who did all the solicitors' business that had to be done in that part of Barsetshire on behalf of the crown, were employed on the local business of the Duke of Omnium, who is great in those parts, and altogether held their heads up high, as provincial lawyers often do.

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