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Loading... The Belton Estate (original 1866; edition 1985)by Anthony Trollope
Work InformationThe Belton Estate by Anthony Trollope (1866)
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This book is classic Anthony Trollope Clara Amedroz, beautiful young girl is forced to make an "excellent marriage" after her father and her brother fritter away their estate and the money she should have inherited. Luckily, she has two suitors: Will Belton, the new heir to the estate and Captain Frdederick Aylmer, MP. Unlike Dickens' female characters, Trollope's heroines are intelligent and full of pluck, and Clara is no exception. She refuses to beg for a place in a wealthy family as a pitiful, poor girl and would rather live on her own wits than debase herself to rich in-laws. How she manages to make her choice makes for a delightful Victorian novel. Clara's brother ruins the family financially and then commits suicide. On her father's death she will be left penniless and Will Belton, a distant cousin, will inherit. Will comes to visit and wins her and her father over with his cheerful honesty and goodness. He falls in love with Clara and proposes, but she refuses as she loves Captain Aylmer. She goes on to become engaged to Captain Aylmer, but soon comes to draw unfavourable comparisons between Aylmer's cool calculation and lack of passion and Will's forthright passion and straightforwardness. Trollope cleverly juxtaposes the two men throughout, showing their attitudes to money, love and how a formerly "immoral" woman should be treated. Lady Aylmer is a fantastic baddie and the book if fairly tightly plotted. I found it a bit sad that even Trollope felt that Mrs Askerton should have been "coarsened" by the tragedy of her past life and I got a bit tried of Clara's persistence in cutting off her nose to spite her face, but on the whole it was excellent. Though I started out quite interested I finally just grew heartily sick and tired of the lot of them. Fautous Captain Alymer and pining, lovesick WIll and Clara, who had my pity at first from the horrible lot of people she had to deal with but eventually lost it for just being so petulant. When it finally ended, I didn't want anyone to marry anyone! B-list Trollope, maybe even a C+. AT gets off to a slow start with a repetitious first chapter, then plunges into the story: a most satisfactory love triangle, with an inheritance gone wrong to boot. The plot seems more straightforward than many other AT novels, with fewer side excursions (I make no complaint in either direction - merely an observation). These convoluted or opaque first chapters put me in mind of someone who is getting settled to tell a story- slapping pockets looking for his cigar, loosening his tie, searching for matches - all the while paying only half-attention to the tale he's begun (thanks, I will have a glass), leaving his listeners impatient around him. Much "now where was I" and "as I was saying," false starts, and no one wanting to interrupt because he'll lose his place again. The hero is much too perfect and WAY too conveniently falls for the heroine, but there is good give-and-take between the friends and a breath of scandal for relief no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inContainsHas as a study
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
Romance.
Historical Fiction.
HTML: Although his literary reputation has waxed and waned over the years, Anthony Trollope's work has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years, and may prominent writers and thinkers are professed fans. The Belton Estate is linked thematically with many of his previous works; it follows the family relationships that are rent asunder in the aftermath of several relatives' deaths as the estate is settled among the survivors. .No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.8Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Victorian period 1837-1900LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I had a lot of sympathy for Clara in her isolation. The one confidante available to her is morally compromised. Clara has no one to turn to for guidance. Fortunately, she has enough strength of character to weigh her options for herself and make her own decisions.