I notified the seller and he issued a credit. Probably got lost in the mail.
Phineas Quam Primum (
David Cady)
This is one of Trollope's more politically minded novels, but one that's no less enthralling for that focus. As others have noted, it revolves around the rapid ascendency of Phineas Finn, an Irish country doctor's son whose life is transformed when he wins a seat in Parliament. How Phineas deals with his sudden change in circumstances (or doesn't quite), and whether or not his moral fiber will begin to unravel accounts for the bulk of the story. Some wonderful new characters are introduced, including Madame Max Goesler, a charming widow of dubious provenance, and the Kennedys, a rather passionate, unbalanced couple with distinctly different opinions of our hero. It's all presented with tremendous style, humor and insight (this is Trollope, after all), and makes for delightful reading. Most importantly, it's a set-up for "Phineas Redux," which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest literary entertainments ever produced. So, by all means, dig in. If you haven't read Trollope before, this is the perfect place to start; if you have, and enjoy his writing, you won't be disappointed.
Phineas Finn: The Irish Member (Oxford World's Classics). By Anthony Trollope
Great romance (
Kerry in Hawaii)
If I were going to be stranded on a desert island with only one novel to read for the next 50 years, this would be the one I'd want. The world picture it paints is finely detailed and entirely believable; and taken together with Phineas Redux it comprises the most nuanced exercise in character development I've ever seen in English fiction.
Trollope's London is thickly populated with memorable characters, but two women stand out in particular: Lady Laura Standish and Marie Max Goesler. Both are gifted, charming, and in love with the eponymous hero -- a handsome (but poor and socially inconsequential) Irish barrister who finds himself swept up into the world of parliamentary politics.
Without giving away too much, Lady Laura becomes a kind of study thwarted passion. She is riveting; a sad, tragic figure but one the reader never stops caring about. Trollope considered her to be the best character in the novel, and one of his finest literary achievements. Phineas proposes marriage to Lady Laura, and she rejects him, pledging herself instead to a rich man she does not love. This rejection happens quite early in Phineas Finn, but it haunts the characters through both Phineas novels like original sin and propels the entire plot.
About Madame Max I feel I can't safely say too much without spoiling everything, but she is, to my mind, utterly captivating and the actual best character in the books. The scene in which she seduces the Old Duke by allowing him to catch a glimpse of her perfectly turned ankle is the best written seduction scene I've ever had the pleasure to read anywhere. One doesn't usually think of Trollope as a steamy sort of writer, but this is certainly very very erotic stuff.
Another reviewer states that many feel the conclusion of Phineas Finn to be rather weak. Perhaps. But Trollope says that Phineas Finn and Phineas Redux should be understood to comprise but a single narrative. I suspect that many readers who've had the patience to read through both novels will agree with me in stating that the conclusion to the latter novel is probably the most gratifying they have ever read, but it wouldn't be so had the first novel ended in any other way.
Phineas Finn: The Irish Member (Oxford World's Classics). By Anthony Trollope
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Don't Buy This Edition (Mark S. Anderson)
