The Warden by Anthony Trollope

Discovering Anthony Trollope is a wonderful experience - The Warden by Anthony Trollope is the first of his Barsetshire novels and only my second ever Trollope read.  Having been a life-long fan of Dickens, I admit to being a little biased and resisting Trollope for some time.  I'm so glad that I decided to go against my better judgement and give Trollope a chance.  His writing is just wonderful and his characters more than compare to Dickens.

The Warden tells the story of Septimus Harding who is the warden (no surprise there) of an almshouse in Barchester.  The plot centres around a legal action against Mr Harding, challenging the living he makes from the wardenship.  Trollope examines the effects of investigative journalism on those involved and how it colours opinions and can damage reputations.  There is biting satire  - Dickens is lambasted as Mr Popular Sentiment, an author writing novels pandering to the masses and manipulating their emotions.  But it is also a story about human relationships and what brings us happiness.

Anthony Trollope

What I find so intriguing about this novel is how it has remained so fresh and applicable to society today.  Journalism and publishing still influence opinion and can manipulate the general public.

Mr Popular Sentiment

While I will never turn my back on Dickens, I can now appreciate that Trollope is a writer of equal importance and possibly greater talent.  While Dickens embraced and shaped popular thought and opinion Trollope questioned and challenged them and in some ways this makes Trollope's work more universal and lasting.  I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the Barsetshire novels and am grateful that Trollope was as prolific as Dickens!

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

Having read my first Georgette Heyer crime novel a couple of weeks ago, I thought I knew what to expect from Footsteps in the Dark and it started off true to form.  Celia, her husband Charles and siblings Peter and Margaret have moved into the Priory which the Fortescue children have inherited from their Uncle.  The locals are full of tales about The Monk - a mysterious ghost that haunts the Priory and its surroundings.  So the Edwardian country house is there, as are the upper class heroes - but this novel has more than a touch of the supernatural about it and for much of the first half of the book I was convinced this was more of a ghost story than a crime fiction.

Heyer is so readable and perfectly draws you into the story - and that is what I love about her books.  They are complete escapism and while the mysteries are not the most complex (I confess to guessing the ending, although not that much before it was revealed!) and yet it remains a real page-turner.  Thank heavens she was such a prolific writer - these are the sort of novels I love to have 'on standby' for those times when I want an easy, enjoyable read.

Anthony Trollope

Putting aside Heyer, I have now thrown myself into the world of Barsetshire and begun The Warden by Anthony Trollope.  I have only previously read one Trollope, The Way We Live Now, and I thought it was wonderful and I am very hopeful that The Warden will also deliver!  Trollope's characters are so vividly created and his writing so smooth that it makes his novels an absolute joy to read.  Much as it pains me to say, I may even end up preferring Trollope to Dickens...