Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite

by Anthony Trollope

Overview

Since its first appearance in 1870, this has been regarded as one of Trollope's finest short novels. Trollope describes the vacillations of a conscientious father, torn between the desire to marry his daughter to a cousin destined to inherit the family title, and his fear that the cousin, reportedly a scheming wastrel, is unworthy of her. (Goodreads)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783965376359
Publisher:	OTB eBook publishing
Publication date:	01/01/2019
Sold by:	CIANDO
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	786 KB

About the Author

Anthony Trollope (24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. He also wrote novels on political, social, and gender issues, and other topical matters. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he had regained the esteem of critics by the mid-20th century. In 1851, Trollope was sent to England, charged with investigating and reorganising rural mail delivery in south-western England and south Wales. The two-year mission took him over much of Great Britain, often on horseback. Trollope describes this time as "two of the happiest years of my life". In the course of it, he visited Salisbury Cathedral; and there, according to his autobiography, he conceived the plot of The Warden, which became the first of the six Barsetshire novels. His postal work delayed the beginning of writing for a year;[29] the novel was published in 1855, in an edition of 1,000 copies, with Trollope receiving half of the profits: £9 8s. 8d. in 1855, and £10 15s. 1d. in 1856. Although the profits were not large, the book received notices in the press, and brought Trollope to the attention of the novel-reading public. (Wikipedia)

Editorial Reviews

In this finely crafted 1870 novel, Sir Harry does every honorable thing in his power to prevent the union of his beloved daughter and the despicable fortune hunter who courts her. Irony abounds as Sir Harry’s own victory defeats him. No writer observed more closely or more wryly the ruling classes of Victorian England than Anthony Trollope--nor wrote about them with such consummate craftsmanship. This tale, if not his happiest, is nonetheless one of his most absorbing, and Tony Britton superbly delivers its richness. In him we have one of those voices that gently compels us to listen, plus a keen intelligence and mastery of technique. He expresses every nuance of the lines with effortless precision. If he errs, it’s in having more empathy with the characters than their author did. Even so, he restrains the impulse enough to spare us the tears of the heartbroken daughter, or the full thrust of Sir Harry’s ire at her profligate suitor. By so doing, he dilutes the force of the climactic passages but greatly adds to the overall poignancy. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 01 - AudioFile