This edition published 13th November 2014 by Oxford University Press.
Audio book narrated by Timothy West.
From the cover of the book:
The squire of Greshamsbury has fallen on hard times, and it is incumbent on his son Frank to make a good marriage. But Frank loves the doctor's niece, Mary Thorne, a girl with no money and mysterious parentage. He faces a terrible dilemma: should he save the estate, or marry the girl he loves? Mary, too, has to battle her feelings, knowing that marrying Frank would ruin his family and fly in the face of his mother's opposition. Her pride is matched by that of her uncle, Dr Thorne, who has to decide whether to reveal a secret that would resolve Frank's difficulty, or to uphold the innate merits of his own family heritage.The character of Dr Thorne reflects Trollope's own contradictory feelings about the value of tradition and the need for change. His subtle portrayal, and the comic skill and gentle satire with which the story is developed, are among the many pleasures of this delightful novel.
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The squire of Greshamsbury has seen his fortune dwindle under the constant pressure of keeping his family in the style which his wife Lady Arabella's aristocratic De Courcy family considers necessary. Having sold what he can and borrowed as much as he dare, it now falls to his only son and heir Frank to marry for money and save the Gresham name.
However, young Frank is in love with the squire's friend Doctor Thorne's niece Mary, a girl he has grown up with in the company of his many sisters, and he insists that she is the only woman for him despite the mystery surrounding her birth and the fact that she does not have a penny to her name.
And so begins a souring between the Gresham and Thorne households, as Lady Arabella does all she can to keep her darling son away from the young woman who she thinks is determined to bring them all to penury. As Frank is sent away to places where his parents hope he will rub shoulders with heiresses that may tempt him away from his ideas of marrying Mary, she is confined to suffer social isolation at home in Greshamsbury, cut off from the friends and pursuits she has been used to enjoying.
Meanwhile, steadfast Dr Thorne, who loves his niece dearly, has a secret that would solve all their problems and allow the young lovers to have the happy marriage they both desire... but he finds himself in a dilemma about the wisdom of confessing to what he knows...
It has been a long time since I picked up an Anthony Trollope book, to my great regret, as I absolutely adored returning to Barsetshire in Doctor Thorne, the third book in the delightful Chronicles of Barsetshire.
My favourite of the Barsetshire novels I have read and reread has always been the second book in the series, Barchester Towers, which continues the story of the ecclesiastical side of Barchester life that begins in The Warden. Doctor Thorne shows a more rural side of life in the county of Barsetshire away from the matters of Cathedral Close, instead focusing on the troubles of a down-at-heel squire and his family as they look for a way to improve their fortunes.
This story revolves around issues of class, blood and money, and the contradictions that arise when the pursuit of fortune in marriage leads to former principles being put to one side. Frank Gresham's family need money and they are determined to overlook the question of birth if the coffers of the potential marriage partners of their children are full enough - however, beware a marriage partner who offers neither, as in the case of lovely Mary. This leads to some heart-rending and humorous situations throughout the story, with Trollope breaking the fourth wall on numerous occasions to make us aware of his own views on the matter, which I enjoyed very much.
There is a delicious element of suspense that arises from you being party to the secret that Doctor Thorne is keeping about Mary's prospects, and his struggles of conscience throughout the story. There is also much humour to be derived from the interactions between many of the characters, especially between both the Thornes and the deeply hypocritical Lady Arabella.
Despite there being a lot of very entertaining scenes in these pages, there are moments when the pace of the story becomes painfully slow, and Trollope does not really give his characters enough to do in the lulls when Frank is off gadding about while Mary languishes back in Greshamsbury. There comes a point where the destination of the story is patently obvious, but it takes Trollope such a long time to get there. I also have to say that when it comes to the young lovers Frank and Mary, I was not entirely convinced about their suitability, as Frank is too flighty and Mary so annoyingly passive at times when you want her to have courage. However, there are still scenes which resonate with all the things I love about Trollope in the way he reminds me so much of a cross between Austen and Dickens with a side-order of Thackeray - I just wanted more of them!
I did love the characters in this tale. There are heroes, heroines and villains and Trollope does not stint on giving us a look at the debauched side of life through some of them, which is rather revealing in terms of his own views of the demon drink. There are some delicious cameos from familiar faces from the earlier books in the series too - it was a joy to see the Proudies putting in an appearance (oh Bishop Proudie how I chuckled at your mockery of a man deemed henpecked in an amusing moment of complete self-awareness), and mentions of the Thornes of Ullathorne (distant cousins to the Thornes in our story), the Grantlys and the newly installed Dean's wife Mrs Arabin (formerly Mrs Bold). I found myself missing them all.
I am glad I have decided to take up Trollope once more as there was a lot to enjoy in these pages, but Barchester Towers remains my firm favourite. Doctor Thorne does not approach its dizzy heights, but I have revelled in consuming Trollope's writing once again and am looking forward to more in the next book in the series Framley Parsonage, which I will be reading in April. I have high hopes in terms of meeting some more of my friends from the environs of Barchester cathedral!
Doctor Thorne is available to buy now in multiple formats.
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