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Doctor Thorne Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,228 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Anthony Trollope once said, "A novel should give a picture of common life enlivened by humor and sweetened by pathos." Trollope admirably fulfills his own criteria in this charming third novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire.
When Doctor Thomas Thorne adopts his niece, Mary, he chooses to keep secret her illegitimate birth as he introduces her to the best local social circles. There she meets and falls in love with Frank Gresham, heir to a vastly mortgaged estate. With such a deeply depleted fortune, Frank is obliged to find a wealthy wife. And so, at the behest of his mother, Mary is banished and Frank proposes to woman deemed financially appropriate, despite his unfailing love for Mary.
Only Doctor Thorne knows that Mary is to inherit a large legacy that will make her acceptable to the otherwise disapproving middle-class society to which Frank belongs. The question is, will he reveal the secret before it's too late?
Where fiery passion fails, understated English virtues of patience, persistence, and good humor prevail in this most appealing of Trollope's novels.
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"Doctor Thorne kept me company during a hurricane. I don't really understand how anyone could possibly not love Anthony Trollope. This 624 page novel went incredibly fast. Trollope is more courteous, more solicitous, gentler and kinder to his readers than any other author I know. I almost thought he might even pour my tea. The story, that of a romance complicated by societal predjudice, has been told by many authors, in many times and places. But the way he tells the tale is just incomparable."
— Patty (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Trollope did not write for posterity; he wrote for the day, the moment; but these are just the writers whom posterity is apt to put into its pocket.”
— Henry James -
“Trollope’s 1875 tale of a great financier’s fraudulent machinations in the railway business, and his daughter’s ill-use at the hands of a grasping lover…is a classic in the literature of money and a ripping good read as well.”
— Amazon.com -
“We are heartily disposed to place the author of Doctor Thorne among the extremely select few who shine out like a constellation among the unnumbered lesser luminaries of the ‘circulating’ firmament. Indeed, we are prepared to name him among the illustrious living writers of fiction whom we are able to count off upon our fingers…Mr. Anthony Trollope’s style is decidedly improved; it was always masculine, vigorous, and free from any mincing affectations and foreign fripperies…in Doctor Thorne it has lost none of its vigour and clearness.”
— Leader, 1858 -
“There is genuine humour in Doctor Thorne…arising from the natural play of the characters. The characters are real creatures of human nature, flesh and blood, vigorously and broadly drawn, but not caricatured.”
— Athenaeum, 1858
Doctor Thorne Listener Reviews
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" How romantic, even if the main characters were not that personable in my opinion. "
— Risa, 2/17/2014 -
" #3 of the Barsetshire Chronicles "
— Amanda, 2/9/2014 -
" Love the deep character development and expression of the inner person in the classics. It reminded me of the BBC production of Wives and Daughters. "
— Yvonne, 2/6/2014 -
" My edition is actually the 1968 Pan edition,which has an almost 'Mills & Boone' style cover. Far from being a romance, Trollope is again looking at the hard up upperclases. The Mary Thorne plot is strained but he rises above it (& could she have inherited, being illegitimate?) Still a pleasure, though "
— Keith, 1/22/2014 -
" I would give this 5 stars, but I try to save that for books that change me. It was 5 stars worth of fun, though. "
— Annalisa, 1/18/2014 -
" What can one say about a novel with a protagonist by the name of Dr Thorne with a nemesis named Dr. Fillgrave other than delicious. "
— Alan, 1/9/2014 -
" True to the formula, and therefore ultimately uninspired. This is hardly the Trollope who wrote the charming book "The Warden" or the Palliser books, which r were so filled with political machinations and complex characters. "
— Lisa, 1/7/2014 -
" Third in Barset novels. Centers around Dr. Thorne and Mary, an illegitimate ward of the doctor. "
— Suzanne, 12/10/2013 -
" Another Trollope Gem in the Chronicles of Barchester series. Barchester Towers is still my favorite. "
— Claudia, 3/25/2013 -
" Re-reading these best of all Trollope novels. This one is not the best of the series, but the characters are especially lovingly drawn. "
— Guy, 2/1/2013 -
" My favorite in Trollope's Barchester series. The best of the love stories, though some may argue for Lilly Dale and John Eames instead. But Mary Thorne has it all over Miss Dale! "
— Divina, 6/22/2012 -
" What did I learn from this book? Be an heiress. Even a secret one. Life turns out better when all is revealed and everyone is elated. Oh those krazy Victorians for reals. "
— Nathan, 2/24/2012 -
" Excellent - # 3 in Barsetshire series. "
— Bill, 2/18/2012 -
" Excellent - # 3 in Barsetshire series. "
— Bill, 6/6/2011 -
" Excellent - # 3 in Barsetshire series. "
— Bill, 6/6/2011 -
" How romantic, even if the main characters were not that personable in my opinion. "
— Risa, 4/13/2011 -
" How romantic, even if the main characters were not that personable in my opinion. "
— Risa, 4/13/2011 -
" Another Trollope Gem in the Chronicles of Barchester series. Barchester Towers is still my favorite. "
— Claudia, 3/5/2011 -
" Another Trollope Gem in the Chronicles of Barchester series. Barchester Towers is still my favorite. "
— Claudia, 3/5/2011 -
" You can't go wrong with Trollope. Loved the way the you know exactly what's going to happen and yet it's so engaging you can't wait for it to happen. "
— Bruno, 1/1/2011 -
" You can't go wrong with Trollope. Loved the way the you know exactly what's going to happen and yet it's so engaging you can't wait for it to happen. "
— Bruno, 1/1/2011 -
" I hope to read more Trollope in future, I'm surprised I've never come across him before. This book helped me to gain more insight into the class structure of England. It was fun. "
— Karen, 12/8/2010 -
" I hope to read more Trollope in future, I'm surprised I've never come across him before. This book helped me to gain more insight into the class structure of England. It was fun. "
— Karen, 12/8/2010 -
" Another wonderful novel, the first of the Barchester series. I meet Mary and Frank, Lady Arabella, Mr. Gresham, Miss Dunstable, and so many characters. Great scenes with Dr. Thorne and Dr. Fillgrave, Dr. Ominicron Pie and Lawyer Mortimer Gazebee...On to the next... "
— Flora, 5/10/2010 -
" Another wonderful novel, the first of the Barchester series. I meet Mary and Frank, Lady Arabella, Mr. Gresham, Miss Dunstable, and so many characters. Great scenes with Dr. Thorne and Dr. Fillgrave, Dr. Ominicron Pie and Lawyer Mortimer Gazebee...On to the next... "
— Flora, 5/10/2010
About Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) grew up in London. He inherited his mother’s ambition to write and was famously disciplined in the development of his craft. His first novel was published in 1847 while he was working in Ireland as a surveyor for the General Post Office. He wrote a series of books set in the English countryside as well as those set in the political life, works that show great psychological penetration. One of his greatest strengths was his ability to re-create in his fiction his own vision of the social structures of Victorian England. The author of forty-seven novels, he was one of the most prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.