Mr and Mrs Brown are keen to make it to Thompson Hall for a cosy family Christmas the first they will be spending in England instead of France for several years. When Mr Brown is taken ill in Paris en route home, it seems their Christmas wishes may not be coming true. Christmas at Thompson Hall is a festive short story full of humorous mishaps from the much-loved Victorian author, Anthony Trollope.
"Doctor Thorne" is the third of Trollopes Barsetshire novels and unlike some of the others has little to do with politics and religion. The plot revolves around Mary Thorne, an illegitimate child who has been lovingly raised by her uncle, a country doctor, and who, as she comes of age, finds herself wondering whether she is a lady, or to which social class she truly belongs. Frank Gresham, son of the squire of Greshamsbury, is in love with her (much against the wishes of his noble de Courcy relatives at the Castle), but she dismisses his affection at first as mere puppy love, thereby setting the scene for a series of entanglements, both social, romantic, and financial. One critic has remarked that in "Doctor Thorne," Trollope succeeds in one of the most difficult tasks an author of fiction can face: how to make genuinely good people genuinely interesting, so that they engage not only the sympathies but also the interest of the reader.
"The Warden" is the first novel in "The Chronicles of Barsetshire" series and was also Trollopes first breakthrough novel. It is the story of a devoted priest, beloved by all who know him, and who is racked by fear that he is accepting money to which he is not entitled. His antagonist is his prospective son-in-law John Bol, whilst his (somewhat unwelcome) ally is the characterful Archdeacon of Barchester, Dr. Theophilus Grantly.Based on real events that rocked the mid-nineteenth century and the Church of England, Trollope uses these historical events as a background to explore love, relationships, and morality.
Published posthumously in 1884, An Old Mans Love was Anthony Trollopes last completed work. A classic tale of romance and rivalry, it follows the intertwining stories of young orphan Mary Lawrie, the object of her romantic affections the penniless John Gordon, and elderly bachelor William Whittlestaff. All heartsore from being jilted at some point in their lives, will any of the three find love and happiness again? A love triangle with a twist, there is plenty of humour as well as anguish and romance in this simple short story from Trollope.
