Part of Chronicles of Barsetshire, book 5
First published 1864
In the village of Allington, the Dale family faces upheaval when young Lily Dale falls for the charming but unreliable Adolphus Crosbie. Her sister Bell also navigates matters of the heart while their mother Mrs. Dale contemplates leaving their beloved Small House. Meanwhile, the ambitious Crosbie finds himself torn between his feelings for Lily and the social advantages of marrying Lady Alexandrina de Courcy. As the Dale women struggle with questions of love and security, their choices ripple through the close-knit community. Trollope weaves together multiple storylines involving the residents of both Allington and nearby Barchester, creating a rich tapestry of Victorian social life. The novel explores how personal desires clash with social expectations, examining the costs of both following one's heart and abandoning it.
Genres: fiction, classics, classic-literature, romance, historical-fiction, british-literature, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Allington, Barchester
Period: Victorian Era
695 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics