Barchester Towers

Unabridged
Author: Anthony Trollope
Narrator: Simon Vance
Genres: Literature, Classics
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Date: August 2006
Length: 19 hours
Ratings:
Formats:
  • CD

Overview

This magnificent novel, sequel to The Warden and second in the Chronicles of Barsetshire, satirizes the struggle for ascendancy among the clergy of a cathedral city. The contest is between the outgoing church authorities led by Archdeacon Grantly and the newcomers led by Mrs. Proudie and her protégé, the ambitious Mr. Obadiah Slope. Each wishes to become the dominant voice in the quiet diocese of Barchester, and they contend for the newly vacant post of warden of Hiram’s Hospital.

The truth is that Barchester’s leadership is really concerned with social rather than spiritual or moral issues. These intrigues, entwined through the lives of many memorable characters, provide a humorous backdrop for exploring the clash between the old and new ways in Victorian England. Short copy

This second novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire satirizes the struggle for ascendancy among the clergy in a cathedral city. The social intrigues of the many memorable characters vying for the vacant warden’s post provide a comic and ironic look at universal power struggles.

Reviews (1)

Barchester Towers

Written by Eve Howard on May 21st, 2007

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Beautifully descriptive, wonderfully humorous, luxiuriantly sentimental and from a social point of view, fascinatingly intricuit. I generally prefer 18th to 19th century novels but delving into this book has awakened an interest in Trollope that can only be satisfied now by reading all he produced.