This edition published 11th December 2014 by Oxford World Editions.
From the cover of the book:
Josiah Crawley lives with his family in the parish of Hogglestock, East Barsetshire, where he is perpetual curate. Impoverished like his parishioners, Crawley is hard-working and respected but he is an unhappy, disappointed man, ill-suited to cope when calamity strikes. He is accused of stealing a cheque to pay off his debts; too proud to defend himself, he risks ruin and disgrace unless the truth can be brought to light. Crawley's predicament divides the community into those who seek to help him despite himself, and those who, like Mrs Proudie, are convinced of his guilt. When the Archdeacon's son, Major Grantly, falls in love with Crawley's daughter Grace, battle lines are drawn.The final volume in the Barsetshire series, The Last Chronicle draws to a close the stories of many beloved characters, including the old Warden, Mr Harding, Johnny Eames, and Lily Dale. Panoramic in scale, elegiac and moving, it is perhaps Trollope's greatest novel.
***********
Back to Barsetshire we go, into the home of the Crawleys, who we first met in Framley Parsonage. They are still living in poverty in the tiny hamlet of Hogglestock, where Josiah Crawley is the perpetual curate. Josiah has got himself into a sticky situation by presenting a cheque of doubtful origin to cover their mounting debts. Josiah has been charged with theft, and his muddled mental state means he cannot remember the exact circumstances of how it came to be in his possession.
The Crawley's eldest daughter Grace, now grown into womanhood, is in love with Archdeacon Grantley's eldest son, widower Major Grantley. He would dearly like to marry her, but the disgrace of her father is a sticking point for his upright father. In Barchester itself, Mrs Proudie is on the war path, and convinced of Josiah's guilt will stop at nothing to see him stripped of his position, parish and home - much to the frustrstion of her henpecked husband, Bishop Proudie.
Josiah is a proud man, as we know from our earlier meeting with his family, and he is unwilling to accept help, even though it could mean jail and destitution for his family. But all hope is not lost, because there are still those who believe him to be innocent and they are willing to act behind the scenes to get to the bottom of the matter, whether he likes it or not.
Meanwhile adventures abound for many of our other old friends including dear Mr Harding who is now reaching the end of his gentle life; faithful Johnny Eames, who is still trying to woo foolish Lily Dale, while becoming involved in another little intrigue of his own; the family of the former Miss Dunstable, now Mrs Thorne; and a bevy of other familiar faces from Barchester, Allington and Framley - including the return of the dastardly Adolphus Crosbie!
The action centres on the problem of how to prove Josiah Crawley innocent of the charges against him, so the lovely Grace can be free to marry Major Grantly, while Mrs Proudie plots to see her own brand of justice done for the sake of 'the souls of the people'. This results in a typical Trollope-style amble around various sub-plots, some of which directly relate to the Crawleys' plight, before a mad dash to the continent brings about an epiphany in the case.
There are some excellent scenes across Barsetshire and in London, bringing us up to date with the fortunes of lots of characters from the other books. Although, I was not a big fan of the crowd in Framley Parsonage (and self-righteous Josiah remains extremely difficult to warm to in this last book too), it was an absolute joy to be back with many of my favourites. The best parts of the story for me are actually those which take place in London, bringing in some new characters around Johnny Eames, who embroils himself in another frivlous romantic aside, while still hoping to get Lily Dale to marry him. Johnny always seems to collect an interesting crowd around him and this is true once more with the nouveau riche social climbers and artistic oddities that abound in this book. There is lots of fun to be found in their goings on, as well as some real gritty drama around financial and flirtatious matters, which ramps up the power of this novel. Even Cathedral Close in Barchester has its share of surprising twists, which knocked me sideways (my lips are sealed, but it involves a very surprising conclusion to one of the most entertaining marital dymanics in the series).
I loved this final book, although Barchester Towers remains my favourite instalment overall. Trollope manages to round everything up nicely with a satisfatory tying up of (most of) the threads from the epic series, and it has a sense that he is saying goodbye to characters he has totally fallen in love with - I know I have.
I do feel a bit sad to have finished reading all six wonderful Barset books, but it has been a very enjoayble experience alongside the fabulous other members of #TheGreatAnthonyTrollope2023 readalong gang. It is onwards to the Trollope's Palliser novels next, which are a whole new adventure for me. I cannot wait.
The Last Chronicle of Barset is available to buy now in multiple formats.
About the author:
No comments:
Post a Comment