Phineas Finn Anthony Trollope 9781541032477 Books
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Anthony Trollope was one of the great English writers of the famous Victorian era. Trollope was prolific and his books often centered around the important political, social, and gender issues of his time. Trollope wrote the classic Chronicles of Barsetshire novels as well as The Way We Live Now, a satirical novel that is often ranked as one of the finest in Victorian era literature. Phineas Finn is the second novel in the Palliser series. The book tells the story of the title character, the youngest son of an Irish doctor, who is sent to London in the hopes that he will become a lawyer. Phineas is a lousy yet charismatic student who makes many friends, including an influential politician.
Phineas Finn Anthony Trollope 9781541032477 Books
Maybe 3.5 stars for "I really liked it" for the most part - a bit heavy on the parliamentary procedure and politics but thank you Trollope for sparing us the hour-long speeches! Since historical fiction and mysteries are my favorite genres to read, especially those set in Britain, I know a bit about British history but have never fathomed the parliamentary system of government, so parts of this novel were a struggle for me.I read the Barsetshire series and am now reading the Palliser novels in order (slowly but surely!), and as always I enjoyed Trollope's sympathetic, complex and insightful portrayal of Victorian upper-class women and the frustrations, limitations and heartaches they struggled with; I have to say, though, that I am fed up with these sisters with martyr complexes sacrificing themselves (and their "dearest friends") for their n'er-do-well brothers! First Kate and George Vavasor in "Can You Forgive Her?" and now Lady Laura and her wildman brother Lord Chiltern in "Phineas Finn" - both men are described as selfish, violent, dangerous, etc., and their sisters not only show them slavish devotion and throw away (in Laura's case) a fortune to pay off her useless brother's debts, causing her to marry a man that gives her nothing but misery, but they think nothing of hounding their best friends to throw themselves away in marriage to these psychos! That got old...
As for "our hero" Phineas, I'm not sure how I feel about him and look forward to seeing him mature in "Phineas Redux"; he seemed like a decent, hard-working, likeable fellow, and yet he could NOT get the ladies to commit to him, making him at times seem like a shallow fortune hunter flitting from true love to true love...but as always in Trollope's skilled hands, Finn was real and complex and authentic, an easy-going but sincere if somewhat unaware and self-centered young man - in other words, as the mother of a nineteen-year-old college freshman male, I can say that for me he came across as a typical young man with a good heart, naturally selfish instincts and a lot to learn! And he does begin to learn those important life lessons, especially the above point about a "small (read poor) man" trying to make his way in the rough and tumble world of politics, then (indeed, as now), a rich man's game, and how it leads to some very tough decisions for our hero (no spoilers!)
Finally, Trollope did an excellent job, as always, of making it clear how fortune or lack of it really could make or break a young man's chance at a successful match, career, friendships, etc. - indeed, any endeavor in life that could improve one's fortunes or chances at happiness seemed predicated on already possessing a fortune, the prospect of inheriting a fortune, or at the very least, an income. A sad and pertinent tale, indeed, in many ways as relatable today as the day it was written - which is why I'm always drawn back to Trollope and look forward to diving into "The Eustace Diamonds"!
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Phineas Finn Anthony Trollope 9781541032477 Books Reviews
Whereas the landscape is often a character in English novels of the 19th century, in this case Parliament is a character. In fact, the politics are better explicated than the human characters. There are many " voices" in this book but no real character development among the principals; they remain much as we meet them with subtle changes determined by minor plot twists. They are essentially refracted through the lens of politics. Phineas comes across as a callow and very young man who nevertheless, gains some social standing, political savvy and self-awareness, but even at the end of the book he doesn't really know who he is. Once character, Violet, sums up my opinion of him "Mr Finn, when I came to measure him in my mind, was not small but he was never quite tall enough. One feels oneself to be sort of a recruiting sergeant, going about with a standard of inches. Mr Finn was just half an inch too short. He lacks something in individuality. He is a little too much a friend to everybody ."
To be a little more fair to Phineas and his shifting affections and identities, I think he is just horny.
And this is not said too glibly. The deeply engrained social and political class systems and the mores of Victorian England interfered too deeply with
talent, ambition and the fervor of youth. The main characters Phineas, Violet, Lady Laura, Lord Chiltern and Madame Max are all young and ardent and all but Lord Chiltern are also ambitious. While Phineas' ambition is partially rewarded, we see the women's shrink and we watch their self
confidence diminish , even as they bluster or feint or defy. I found myself thinking and caring the most about them.
I especially see Violet as a Jane Austen character.
I imagine that of I were of Trollope's time and could recognize the contemporary political events and human counterparts to Trollope's portraits or even had I studied British political history better, I would take away more from this book. Nevertheless, I got it and found myself both caught up in some degree of suspense and making decisions about what Phineas should do about everyone of his conundrums. And so, I am curious and intend to read "Phineas Redux" ( as well as the first in the series, "" Can You Forgive Her?"because I am interested in the Lady Glendora character and
because I care about Phineas and want to see if he ends up figuring out who he is.
This is part of the "Palliser" series by Anthony Trollope, but it can be read by itself. It's a wonderful book on many levels. It seems a bit daunting at the beginning, because so much is concerned with the British political situation in the time of Queen Victoria, but his descriptions of the machinery of party politics could have been written today and offer insights into what is going on today. The characters are beautifully drawn, and one gets an education about the role of women that rivals anything found in Jane Austen, to my way of thinking. There are times when you do wish that Trollope's daily writing goal had been a few less words, but this really the perfect book for anyone who wants to spend time in another era that is as contemporary as today.
This was part of a course in novels written when there was little competition for casual entertainment and we read it with the knowledge that the wonderful European Culture of the 19th Century will destroy itself in 1915. The class structure that had built up over 500 years was filled with petty concerns of dinners and fox hunting that the technoloy of Maxim's gun would show us how thin the veneer of Empire is when confronted with an opponent that fails to conform to the rules of Polite Society. Give Working Men the Vote and Suddenly We Know that Women are Prime Ministers.
Maybe 3.5 stars for "I really liked it" for the most part - a bit heavy on the parliamentary procedure and politics but thank you Trollope for sparing us the hour-long speeches! Since historical fiction and mysteries are my favorite genres to read, especially those set in Britain, I know a bit about British history but have never fathomed the parliamentary system of government, so parts of this novel were a struggle for me.
I read the Barsetshire series and am now reading the Palliser novels in order (slowly but surely!), and as always I enjoyed Trollope's sympathetic, complex and insightful portrayal of Victorian upper-class women and the frustrations, limitations and heartaches they struggled with; I have to say, though, that I am fed up with these sisters with martyr complexes sacrificing themselves (and their "dearest friends") for their n'er-do-well brothers! First Kate and George Vavasor in "Can You Forgive Her?" and now Lady Laura and her wildman brother Lord Chiltern in "Phineas Finn" - both men are described as selfish, violent, dangerous, etc., and their sisters not only show them slavish devotion and throw away (in Laura's case) a fortune to pay off her useless brother's debts, causing her to marry a man that gives her nothing but misery, but they think nothing of hounding their best friends to throw themselves away in marriage to these psychos! That got old...
As for "our hero" Phineas, I'm not sure how I feel about him and look forward to seeing him mature in "Phineas Redux"; he seemed like a decent, hard-working, likeable fellow, and yet he could NOT get the ladies to commit to him, making him at times seem like a shallow fortune hunter flitting from true love to true love...but as always in Trollope's skilled hands, Finn was real and complex and authentic, an easy-going but sincere if somewhat unaware and self-centered young man - in other words, as the mother of a nineteen-year-old college freshman male, I can say that for me he came across as a typical young man with a good heart, naturally selfish instincts and a lot to learn! And he does begin to learn those important life lessons, especially the above point about a "small (read poor) man" trying to make his way in the rough and tumble world of politics, then (indeed, as now), a rich man's game, and how it leads to some very tough decisions for our hero (no spoilers!)
Finally, Trollope did an excellent job, as always, of making it clear how fortune or lack of it really could make or break a young man's chance at a successful match, career, friendships, etc. - indeed, any endeavor in life that could improve one's fortunes or chances at happiness seemed predicated on already possessing a fortune, the prospect of inheriting a fortune, or at the very least, an income. A sad and pertinent tale, indeed, in many ways as relatable today as the day it was written - which is why I'm always drawn back to Trollope and look forward to diving into "The Eustace Diamonds"!
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