Christmas At Thompson Hall And Other Christmas Stories by Anthony Trollope

 

Christmas at Thompson Hall and Other Stories by Anthony Trollope.

This edition published 6th November 2014 by Penguin Classics.

From the cover of the book:

Anthony Trollope's heartwarming tales of Christmas, presented in a beautiful hardcover edition perfect for giving as a gift.

Christmas at Thompson Hall collects the best Christmas tales of Anthony Trollope, the enormously popular author of the Chronicles of Barsetshire and Palliser series of novels. 

Mostly set in Trollope's imaginary county of Barsetshire, the stories depict the festive period with all Trollope's trademark zest, humour, and cheerfulness, and offer rich and psychologically acute portrayals of the middle class and gentry of Victorian England at Christmas time.

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Christmas at Thompson Hall is a charming collection of festive short stories from one of my favourite classic authors, Anthony Trollope.

The book begins with the pick of the bunch, Christmas at Thompson Hall, after which the collection is named. This follows the marital shenanigans of one Mr and Mrs Brown over a mustard poultice in a Parisian Hotel, on their way to a long-awaited family reunion in England... and the hilarious consequences once they arrive at Thompson Hall. This story is the main event perfectly represents everything I love about Trollope, and it really made me chuckle.

Following on from this tale, Trollope delves into traditional Victorian family Christmases in Christmas Day at Kikrby Cottage and The Mistletoe Bough, which both evoke his full-length novels nicely by focusing on marriage, money, and romantic misunderstandings, and one even has a Barchester-esque ecclesiastical setting. Both are lovely reads, with just the right amount of emotional content, although Kirkby Cottage is perhaps a little long-winded before it arrives at its happy ending.

Next comes The Two Generals, and for me, this is where things go a little awry in this collection. The story follows the family breakdown of two brothers who find themselves on opposite sides of the American Civil War, and rivals for the hand of an heiress. This does not sit well with the cosy vibes of the other stories, and although it does show Trollope's political and moral sides, it seems out of place. Nevertheless it is an interesting study if you have not read Trollope before, even if it does not hit the same festive sweet spot as the other stories.

Finally, the collection rounds off with another humorous festive offering in a short and sweet, side-swipe about family fallings out over money in Not If I Know It, which picks up perfectly on the financial themes of Trollope's novels. This one will certainly leave you with a smile on your face - and I hope a hankering to read more Trollope.

I thorough enjoyed reading this collection with the Trollope readalong gang, and it has opened up an avenue into Trollope's work that I have not considered before. I see more Trollope short stories on my horizon, after I have worked my way through the Palliser novels in 2024! 

Christmas at Thompson Hall is available to buy now in multiple formats.

About the author:

Anthony Trollope (1815-82) became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire, but he also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues and conflicts of his day.