"The Bertrams is one of Trollope's more remarkable novels, drawing on his experiences in Egypt and the Holy Land, and has an unusually exotic flavour, particularly for readers familiar only with the English rural world of his Barsetshire series."

It's quite strange that this book, of all Trollope, is so hard to find. Reviewers didn't like it when it was originally published in the late 1800s, and it never shook its reputation as ultra-tedious. This mystifies me. The melodrama between politically radical Lord Jack Hampton and Marion Fay, a non-aristocratic young Quaker woman who's more of a lady than several of the "ladies" in the book, is flirtatious, accessible and fun (Hampton repeatedly teases Marion that he fell for her when she "poked his fire," i.e. tended his fireplace with a poker--a bolder play with innuendo than Trollope usually engages in). It then turns passionate when Marion won't marry Jack because of a secret trouble involving life-threatening illness. T. uses the situation to examine with great depth and sensitivity the desire to consummate the spiritual union of two souls via marriage. This is the most careful look at what marriage means in T.'s ideal world that I have read in his work yet. He makes it exciting and suspenseful, since we're waiting to see if Marion will really get to poke Jack's fire--or if an unthinkable separation will occur. As in all T., there is a hilarious cast of characters who toe the line that separates the comically pathetic from the dangerously antisocial--for example, will Jack's archetypical evil stepmom just grumble her way through life, or will she scheme to kill Jack? The multiple marriage and family plots are very well integrated, unlike in some other T. novels.

Warning: if you have any abdominal problems - for your own sake do not read this book cause you will die laughing! There are some great books, and then there are some all-time best. Three Men In A Boat unquestionably belongs to the latter category. This is easily one of my all-time favorites, and since I first read it when I was 11, I have re-read it well over 10 times, every time discovering new layers of Jerome's humor. It's a very different type of humor from the one we are used to from the contemporary sit-coms. This humor is very refined and sharp, always on the boundary with acid sarcasm. The characters in the book are so real and alive that you will definitely recognize in them someone that you know, or maybe even yourself at times. The overall quality of writing is incredible, and I must reiterate - hours of non-stopping laughter are guaranteed! If you haven't read it, you can't imagine what you are missing!

Warning: if you have any abdominal problems - for your own sake do not read this book cause you will die laughing! There are some great books, and then there are some all-time best. Three Men In A Boat unquestionably belongs to the latter category. This is easily one of my all-time favorites, and since I first read it when I was 11, I have re-read it well over 10 times, every time discovering new layers of Jerome's humor. It's a very different type of humor from the one we are used to from the contemporary sit-coms. This humor is very refined and sharp, always on the boundary with acid sarcasm. The characters in the book are so real and alive that you will definitely recognize in them someone that you know, or maybe even yourself at times. The overall quality of writing is incredible, and I must reiterate - hours of non-stopping laughter are guaranteed! If you haven't read it, you can't imagine what you are missing!

J.K.J.'s Three Men in a Boat is a hillarious story about middle class Victorians travelling on a boat on Thames. The book is filled with many humorous stories about the "tribulations" and "disabilities" they have and had experienced. One the most comical moments is the trio packing their luggage. Unfortunately, to the end of the story, the author evidently runs out of humorous scenes to narrate. Still, this book is a comical classic.
The sequel to Three Men On A Boat, Three Men On The Bummel is less succesful. Despite, this it is still amuzing to to read J.K.J. describe the laws and customs of German people.
Both Three Men On A Boat and Three Men On The Bummel are comical, clasical gems. It is amazing how J.K.J. combines history, humor, philosophy, and descriptions together. Some of the greatest books ever written.

I got hooked on John Galsworthy's Forsyte novels when I saw the BBC TV series in 1969. At that time I sympathized with Irene and Bossinney and hated Soames for what he did to them. Now that I am older I can relate to the Forsytes more and see Irene as a selfish woman who wrecked an entire family - primarily Soames, June, Old Jolyon and her own son, Jon - and whose only redeeming feature was her beauty. And I find it incredible that Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize when so many greater writers - Tolstoy, Twain and Proust, just to name a few - were ignored. Still, as soap opera, "The Forsyte Saga" is fun to read, especially when followed by Gaslworthy's "Modern Comedy" and "The End of the Chapter" and even Suleika Dawson's vastly inferior "The Forsytes". And that is not too shabby.

Upon the release of ML's 100 greatest English-lanuage novels of this century, it was to my great sadness to find "The Forsyte Saga" missing from the list. It seemed to confirm what I'd feared for the last several years: even critics have left this spectacular collection behind.

Perhaps it is the fact that of the book's length that frightens off so many readers: at 800+ pages it doesn't exactly make for easy beach reading. Keep in mind, however, that the book is comprised not only of three separate novels but also of connecting interludes.

If you want to read truly great literature of such a standard that earned John Galsworthy a Nobel Prize for Literature, you need look no further than "The Forsyte Saga."

I read the Forsyte saga while I was in college - and was instantly hooked. John Galsworthy wormholes you into a different
world and time, but as the essence and humanity of his characters unfold, they are extremely familiar even in todays world. What is it about a grand passion that weakens a man of formidable integrity,rigid morals and conservative politics? Irenes forced subjugation to the marital bed leaves pangs, but her beauty is a sinister seduction to all who encounter it, so one falls short of empathy with her... A booming economy, a strong parliament, living in the lap of luxury in the worlds premier city of the time.. can you say AMERICA today? And yet,
are we not prisoners of our societal mores? Soames and Irene were
both prisoners in a marriage - Irenes captivity was more obvious,
but he was no less a prisoner - trapped in a passion -shared by
most men - looked at her he really could not see why she did
not return his feelings, and was terrified of losing her, because he was scared of being lonely. Montague and Winifred, Jolyon and Helen - all of them kind of in the same boat. And in the end, the man with the strongest character committed the biggest crime. Or did he? Did Jolyon and Irene not commit a larger crime when they wilfully transferred the feud down to a
generation? Soames and his daughter in the end came to terms with
their life much better than the more "likeable" characters. John Galsworthy and all his books on the Forsytes read like a treatise on marriage, relationships and a life in society that we must all live in. Ostracism was terrible at the time - it could really ruin lives, and it can even today. He writes about it in its true light and heinousness. I love this series and the
ensuing trilogy - The White Monkey, The Silver Spoon and Swan Song. It gives me great pleasure to post this review. For a decade almost, John Galsworthy was a staple of my reading "diet".

This is the first book in Trollope's 6 part Barchester series. While the subject matter, the intrigues surrounding clerical life in a fictional English cathedral town, might put you off, don't let it. Trollope wrote fantastic characters. While it's sequel, Barchester Towers, is even better, this is an excellent short introduction both to the series and to Trollope's writing as a whole. (Incidentally, the BBC TV series `Barchester Chronicles' is a really good adaptation of both `The Warden' and `Barchester Towers'.)

This is a simple, short novel dealing with the ethical dilemma of a virtuous man. The Reverend Harding is the warden of a small home providing quarters for 12 retired, indigent workers. The facility is provided for by a trust set up by its founder over two hundred years ago. Income off the land provides revenue for the maintenance of the home and a living for the warden.. The warden has traditionally been the benefactor of this income which has increased over the years. The Rev. Harding is a gentle, honest man who has never given thought to his 800 pound annual revenue until a young reformer files suit, claiming the intent of the will is being violated. Harding thinks about the matter and is inclined to resign. The Bishop and Archdeacon argue that he is entitled to the income.

This book certainly would be a good one for a book club read and discussion. The reformer, the lawyers, the church hierarchy and Reverend Harding all have their views on the matter. Author Trollope does not really pass final judgment on his characters; none of them are cast in black and white terms. In fact Trollope makes the unusual move of bringing a criticism of both the press and Charles Dickens into the novel. The press makes strident value judgments about issues without bothering itself with all the facts or considering the effect their articles will have on the people involved; Charles Dickens treats people as being all good or all bad. Indeed, I found myself arguing with myself for several days after reading The Warden. What should the Rev. Harding done? Was the issue shrouded in shades of gray, or was it clear cut one way or the other?

Many critics consider this to be one of Trollope's lesser works, yet to me it is a very interesting, valuable presentation of an ethical dilemma. And for readers who are reluctant to pick up Victorian novels because of their common 700+ page lengths, this is a little gem at less than 300 pages. Criticism? Well I did a bit of eye-rolling during some of the melodramatic passages. All and all, though, this is an excellent read. From an historical standpoint there was considerable attention being paid to clergy income during this period in England. Trollope's tale was very timely in this regard.

One final note. There are many outstanding Victorian novels that I would give a five star rating to. This book doesn't quite fit into that hall of fame so I have given it just 4 stars, which shouldn't be interpreted as a slight to Mr. Trollope or The Warden.

I first read Anthony Trollope's book "The Warden" in 1995 at the age of 54; three years later I had finished all forty-seven Trollope novels, his autobiography, and most of his short stories. "The Warden" provides a necessary introduction to the Barsetshire Novels, which, in turn, provide a marvelous introduction to rural Victorian society, and its religious, political, and social underpinnings. However, "The Warden" is a small literary masterpiece of its own, even though the more popular "Barchester Towers" tends to obscure it. "The Warden" moves slowly, of course, but so did Victorian England; soon the reader is enveloped in a rich world of brilliantly created characters: in the moral dilemma of a charming and innocent man, Reverend Septimus Harding, who is probably the most beloved of all Trollope's characters; in the connivings of Archdeacon Grantly, who will become a significant force in the later Barsetshire novels; in Eleanor, an example of the perfect Victorian woman, a type that appears in many of Trollope's subsequent novels; and in the sanctimonious meddling of John Bold, whose crusade for fairness throws the town into turmoil. In modern terminology, "The Warden" is a "good read" for those readers with patience, a love of 19th century England, and an appreciation of literary style. Trollope's sentences have a truly musical cadence. "The Warden" was Trollope's fourth novel and his first truly successful one. It provides a strong introduction to the other five novels of the Barsetshire series, where the reader will meet a group of fascinating characters, including the Mrs. Proudie (one of Trollope's finest creations), the Reverend Obadiah Slope, and the Grantly family. The reader will soon find that Trollope's well-developed characters soon become "friends," and that the small cathedral town of Barchester becomes a very familiar and fascinating world in itself. It is a wonderful trip through these six novels. (I read all six in about three weeks.) But one must begin with "The Warden." Brew a cup of tea, toast a scone on a quiet evening, and begin the wonderful voyage through Trollope's charming Barchester. When you have finished the six novels, you may, like me, want to commence reading the Palliser series (another six novels) and follow Plantagenet and Glencora Palliser through their triumphs and travails! However, that remains another story.