The Last Chronicle of Barset (Chronicles of Barsetshire #6)

Anthony Trollope favored this novel over all his others, and I can’t disagree. If you have the time or interest to begin a six-novel series about the Anglican clergy and provincial English society in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s, you should begin the Chronicles of Barsetshire at once. The payoffs in this sixth and final volume are too many to count, as Trollope brings together all the major characters of the first five novels and resolves so many of their stories, loves, and trials. I think that what strikes me most about Trollope is not simply the multitude of his characters (Dickens had as many) but the complexity of the motives that drive themhow Trollope is able to keep them all moving forward in parallel without ever losing sight of a single quirk or idiosyncrasy or (especially) self-contradiction. Even the most villainous of Trollope’s charactersI mean you, Mrs. Proudieare given light touches and glimmers of self-awareness.

The book was a quiet pleasure, as was the rest of the six-book series. As much as I like Dickens, I like Trollope better, the characters being characters and not caricatures.

This being the last book of the chronicles of Barset seemed to wrap everything up nicely. It was a little slow and one minded, dealing with the clergyman accused of stealing 20 pounds. It did include some romance and feminine wiles which added interest.

It is over 20 years since I started reading the Barchester series. I love The Warden and Barchester Towers and have read each multiple times. Doctor Thorne has also held my interest but I struggled to get through Framley Parsonage. Finally this year I committed myself to completing the final three books. Of the three I most enjoyed The Last Chronicle. It was fun, brought back characters from all of the earlier books, and even killed off some characters in an unexpected way. All in all I am glad I made it to the end.

Great Classic. Loved the character & plot development. So many back stories taking place, expertly woven. I would rank this among Trollope’s best. Would love to see this turned into a 12 part mini-series. Amazon Prime is running Dr Thorne which was fantastic. Julian Sands could turn this into something truly great.

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