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The Small House At Allington

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The Small House At Allington

By: Anthony Trollope
Narrated by: Timothy West
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Summary

Exclusively from Audible

The spirited Lily Dale, who longs to be loved, is devastated when her fiancé, the self-interested Adolphus Crosbie, jilts her for the aristocratic Lady Alexandrina. Although heartbroken, Lily still loves Crosbie and believes she must remain single despite him being unworthy of her affections. Even when the more deserving John Eame presents himself, she is still unable to see past her feelings for Crosbie.

Meanwhile, Lily's sister Bell is also under pressure to marry for money, not for love. With an array of wonderful subplots, this audiobook is full of subtle humour as well as heartbreak.

The Small House at Allington is the fifth audiobook in the series known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire and as usual, Trollope shows his skill at analysing the thoughts and emotions of his characters, a craft that makes them appear truly life-like. Each character feels human, even Crosbie who also suffers himself for the mistakes he makes. Trollope possesses the ability to take everyday events and turn them into a gripping tale.

The novel was written at the height of Trollope's popularity and contains one of his most admired heroines, Lily Dale. Former British Prime Minister, John Major, declared it his favourite book, propelling it back into the limelight in the 1990s.

Narrator Biography

Timothy West is prolific in film, television, theatre, and audiobooks. He has narrated a number of Anthony Trollope's classic audiobooks, including the six Chronicles of Barsetshire and The Pallisers series. He has also narrated volumes of Simon Schama's A History of Britain and John Mortimer's Rumpole on Trial.

Timothy West's theatrical credits include King Lear, The Vote, Uncle Vanya, A Number, Quarter, and Coriolanus and his films include Ever After, Joan Of Arc, Endgame, Iris, and The Day of the Jackal. On television, Timothy has appeared in Broken Biscuits (BBC), Great Canal Journeys (across 3 Series), and the regular role of Stan Carter on EastEnders (BBC).

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
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Where does The Small House At Allington rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Amongst the best - Timothy West is a master at narrating these stories. His performance has ensured that I have 'read' the books in this series almost back-to-back. I loved the story too - all except the character of Lily Dale, whom I just found annoying (hence the missing star).

What did you like best about this story?

Apart from the wonderful narration, I liked the way that Trollope weaves the old stories into the new. I really wanted to know what happened to these characters.

What does Timothy West bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He bring the whole tale to life. He is so excellent that now I search for other novels that he has narrated, rather than for the authors or titles! He manages to give every character a different voice that fits the personality given to them by Trollope. My favourite 'voices' are the Bishop and Mrs Proudie.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - although unfortunately it is so long this was not possible.

Excellent book - book 5 of this series

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Is anyone as good as Timothy West? The way he conveys the different characters is truly miraculous. All the Trollope novels are very enjoyable because they are read by him.

Brilliant narrator

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I love Trollope. Timothy West is an excellent narrator but this one aggravates me. I have read it and now i have listened for a second time but it doesn’t do it for me. I think it is Lily Dale who is just too much of a Victorian stereotype even though she has a great many fans.

Not my favourite Trollope.

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I love Trollope and this must be one of his best books. No let me take it further. One of the best books of the Victorian era writers. It is story telling at its finest. I will not mention the plot as you can read the description yourself and I do not want to spoil it for you. Timothy West is a fantastic narrator as always .

Just the best. Buy it.

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Anthony Trollope adopts a wryly sarcastic tone for this fourth novel in the Barcetshire series. It is a tale of love and not-love with enjoyable characters and fun scenarios. Timothy West's performance is, as ever, magnificent.

We meet a few of the characters from the previous novels but they play a very small role and it is not necessary to have read those books. We are also introduced to Plantagenet Palliser- Mr Trollope presumably wishing to advertise that other series of novels. That side-story doesn't go anywhere and feels unnecessary.

The longest book in the series so far does outstay its welcome a little towards the end but, overall, is very enjoyable. I liked it even better than Framley Parsonage.

Now it is onto the last in the series. At 30 hours I am daunted by the prospect and hope it is told with the same dry humour as this one.

Hugely Enjoyable

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