The perfect novel. Wonderfully well drawn characters, careful plot development, very funny and hugely enjoyable. Demonstrates how much shading there is in what might appear to be a black and white issue. Of course the Church of England today is nothing like the church Trollope portrays... ( )

914 The Warden, by Anthony Trollope (read 29 Aug 1967) I did no post-reading note on this but remember I greatly enjoyed it and its superlative sequel Barchester Towers. Wikipedia has an article on this novel, which gives a synopsis of it.. ( )

Wonderful story of Mr. Harding the kindly old warden of a hospital (almshouse) for elderly, disabled men. Mr. Harding finds himself enmeshed in a lawsuit regarding the money he receives as warden but as events unfold within the story we discover that the warden truly represents what a good man should be. Inspiring. Looking forward to reading additional books in the series. ( )

The Barchester novels are always fun to re-read: this time around I was struck by the resonances between Trollope's mid-Victorian satire on the process of reform and the scandal-of-the-moment in England. Obviously, it was at least as reprehensible for some Victorian clergymen to live in luxury off the fruits of medieval charities as it is for some MPs fraudulently to claim vast sums in expenses, but when the newspapers and the lawyers get involved then no-one troubles to distinguish between the real villains and the unfortunate majority who just get caught up in the system.

Since there isn't much of a story to be interrupted by them, I don't think Trollope's sometimes rather lengthy asides to the reader are a problem: we can just enjoy them for their own sake. I particularly like the little send-up of Dickens (as "Mr Popular Sentiment"), complete with a thumbnail sketch of how he would have written the story. ( )

First in the Chronicles of Barchester series and his first book to achieve popular success. Not as polished as THE SMALL HOUSE AT ALLINGTON which I read earlier. More direct asides to the reader, some plot distractions into topical issues, and some variable pace – but a good book that shows the potential later realised. But, as in T.S.H.A.A., the plot has a basic improbability – why would Dr Bold take legal/public action against the father of the woman he was pursuing, and later married? (In TSHAA, the villain proposes, with no real explanation, to a second woman in the week after proposing to the heroine.) ( )