Thursday, May 24, 2012

Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope

Where to even start on 'Can You Forgive Her' - it's a monster of a book, thanks to small print my copy is squeezed into about 900 pages (it also weighs 1lb 5oz) and none of that space (or weight) is wasted. Apparently Stephen King once referred to this book as 'Can You Finish It?' but I always think the challenge is in starting, there's a point somewhere in the first 100 pages when you know you've been hooked and after that finishing is only a matter of time. In this case it took me about 10 days, most of that steady holiday reading, and that's another thing, a book like this doesn't want to be finished quickly; it contains a whole world covering a period of time akin to the 18 months over which it was first published in serial form, rush and you'll miss things and though I'd honestly love to read this book again who knows when I'll next find the time, so why rush the opportunity whilst I have it (also my copy is exceptionally battered after it's trip round Scotland, pages are even trying to escape)?

First impressions of the Palliser series are overwhelmingly positive; 'Can You Forgive Her?' is my favourite Trollope so far, I like him best with a big multi stranded story, it leaves less scope for repetition, and where it does occur it's useful. The central plot concerns Alice Vavasor and how she'll dispose of herself in marriage; there was once an understanding with her cousin George but it didn't prosper and as the book opens she's engaged to another man - John Grey but has her doubts about him too. She loves him but having spent her adult life enjoying an unusual amount of independence (an uninterested father plus her own money) she's frightened of giving that up, more especially because Grey is generally unbending in his opinions (he insists on treating Alice's attempts to separate herself from him as some sort of temporary brainstorm which can be cured by a change of scene). Alice's cousin, and George's Sister, Kate is determined to bring the two back together she worships George and considers that Alice, along with her money, would be good for him. 

George is a curious character, a talented drifter with a mixed reputation and a determination to get into parliament. Initially his character is ambiguous, there's a ruthlessness about him that's not unattractive, it seems he could offer Alice a marriage of equals and one moreover where she would keep her own name. However as the novel develops he becomes a darker character until by the end he's a full blown villain estranged from all who have cared for him.

Meanwhile Kate and Alice's aunt has been left a wealthy young widow after the death of an elderly husband. She takes herself off to Norfolk with Kate and soon has a pair of potential suitors; the impecunious but attractive Captain Bellfield, or the altogether well off, but rather unattractive, farmer Cheeseacre. Mrs Greenow can afford to do what she likes but whatever she does she determines that she'll keep the purse strings in her own hands. Kate who has no fortune has determined to live for her brother and not pursue marriage as an option.

The third strand of the novel is taken up with Lady Glencora and Plantagenet Palliser. Plantagenet is a rising star in parliament, tipped as the next chancellor of the exchequer but to get there he needed access to a fortune even vaster than his own considerable expectations as the heir to a Dukedom. The answer is Lady Glencora, heiress to fabulous wealth. Glencora's money doesn't give her independence, the husband she would have chosen has already wasted his own fortune, her family do not consider him suitable and she's been all but forced into marriage with Plantagenet. He finds himself happy with his wife but she isn't as content and her former love is still a tempting proposition.  

'Can You Forgive Her?' refers to Alice and her supposed crime in jilting John Grey. For the modern reader  it's difficult to see why she should need forgiveness, when marriage meant giving up property rights and divorce was socially unacceptable you wouldn't want to make a mistake, nor does Trollope make it feel like a crime. What I didn't expect was a book that dealt so much with women's choices, marriage is still presented as the only legitimate career for a woman but I don't think Trollope is blind to the negative side of that particular bargain even whilst he obviously approves of the status quo - after all he observes:
...Lady Glencora shrugged her shoulders, and made a mock grimace to her cousin. All this her husband bore for a while meekly, and it must be acknowledged that he behaved very well. But, then, he had his own way in everything. Lady Glencora did not behave very well,- contradicting her husband, and not considering, as, perhaps, she ought to have done, the sacrifice he was making on her behalf. But, then, she had her own way in nothing.
It's a wonderful book with so much going on in it, never mind that it's the gateway to the rest of the Palliser series which looks like being even better than the Barchester chronicles. Victorian Geek wrote about 'Can You Forgive Her?' here and should you have missed her post go and read it.

14 comments:

  1. Stephen King has no room to complain that anyone else's books are too long! I think Trollope is perfect holiday reading, with the different story-lines to follow, and just enough repetition left over from the series to help you remember what happened before. This isn't my favorite of the Pallisers (I love both of the Phineas Finn books), but it's still a great book.

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    1. I'm really quite excited by the Pallisers - the consensus seems to be that the best is yet to come. I think Trollope really is perfect holiday reading especially in sweeping epic mood!

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  2. Thanks for this! I have tried to finish this twice and not succeeded. Interesting that it's your favourite Trollope as it is so far from mine. I've got about half or two thirds through but never did find out which of the men she married in the end (if any). Your comments about women's rights make me think I should really try to get to the end. But I was irritated by Alice and thought both the chaps were not up to the mark anyway. Hope she didn't end up with John Grey -- what a bore he was. But the other guy was so flaky...

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    1. I preferred the Plantagenet and Glencora story line of the tree but loved the book. I did have a false start a couple of months ago - but being on holiday with nothing else to read got me started after which there was no looking back.

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  3. Brilliant review Hayley! Thank you for reminding me that it has been too long since I've read this one. I love the Palliser series. I find my reactions to Alice and her choices have changed as I've got older. I used to be impatient with her dithering! I suppose realistically for women of Alice's background the only real option for a young woman in that society was to marry. It was obviously a lot easier to be a wealthy independent widow than a wealthy independent spinster, even without the point (and Trollope does this so well) that young women especially are prone to fall in love with even a totally unsuitable choice if that's all that presents itself. I do love Lady Glencora!

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    1. I loved Lady Glencora too. I found it easy to sympathise with Alice - and Kate who I think wanted the marriage so much because it might have secured her own future place in a household - her fate looks pretty bleak for most of the novel. Alice's relationship with her father is interesting too - Trollope certainly makes it clear what he thinks of his neglect.

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  4. Lots to look forward to - some of the later books are better than this one :) Trollpe was quite astute when writing about the plight of married (and unmarried) women; 'He Knew He Was Right' is an excellent example of this.

    I've read the series a few times, and my favourites are probably 'Phineas Finn' and 'Phineas Redux', but if the politics leave you cold, this one is just as good.

    I've just posted my review of the fifth in the series, 'The Prime Minister', and I've also read all the Barchester books and a few others. Trollope certainly wrote a lot of books...

    If you're interested, my Palliser posts can be found here:

    http://tonysreadinglist.blogspot.com.au/search/label/The%20Palliser%20Novels

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    1. A few times?!? Crikey. I think I'm in for a treat. I enjoyed the Barset books and think they were the right place to start with Trollope - it's heartening to know he gets better when some of the books represent such an investment of time.

      I follow your blog and have enjoyed the Trollope posts - it's useful to have a specific link though, so thank you.

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  5. Great review. I have this one to read as part of the Classics Club challenge and I keep thinking it might be a picnic book some sunny afternoon, just me, this armbreaking book, some nibbles and a glass or two of pimms... :)

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  6. I just started rereading this a few days ago -- I have read some of the Trollope Palliser novels, but not all of them, and have decided to start from the beginning and read them all in sequence. To me, the writing in this one seems a little raw -- as I remember it, the later Palliser novels I read flow a bit better (I remember liking "The Duke's Children" very, very much). As always, I am absolutely captivated by the psychology of characters. Alice is so complex -- in a way, she is a female hobbledehoy, trying to grow up by developing her own sense of honor while taking some missteps along the way and being misunderstood by people who care about her. If you get a chance, be sure to watch the Pallisers BBC miniseries from the 1970s. It is out on DVD and is very, very good -- true to the novels and the casting is excellent.

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    1. I'll keep an eye out for the DVD's, though I would like to read all the books first. Alice's predicament is interesting, there are echo's of Pride and Prejudice I think, and yes a hobbledehoy element in her lack of social success, interestig that when she goes to stay with the Palliser's the combination of good family connections and reasonable fortune make her very eligible - something that her pride won't let her capitalise on in London.

      What made this book so interesting to me was definitely the way Trollope considers marriage from a woman's point of view, and not least because his view is also such a conservative one.

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  7. I am determined to read Trollope this year--I've somehow managed to avoid him (though my intentions are good, of course)--maybe due to the length of some of his books. I've not done well at all with the classics I've picked up this year (my fault not the books!), but I do have The Warden on my list of must reads--maybe I should start with the Pallisers rather than the Barsetshire books...

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    1. I know that struggle - it took me years to get round to Trollope for the same reason. In my limited experiance the shorter stand alone books (of which I've only read 2) have been repetitive to the point of being hard work. The Barsetshire books were good, though everyone seems to agree the Palliser's are better. I personally like Trollope most when he's got several plots in hand, partly because at least one will work for me even if not all of them do, and because his habit of saying the same thing over and over becomes less noticeable and more useful.

      If all that's off putting I should add that he's now one of my favourite writers; when he's on form he has a lot to offer the reader who can spare the time to plod through those monster size books.

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