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Phineas Finn: The Irish Member Audiobook
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(4.01) - 2,048 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Phineas Finn is an Irish MPA who is climbing the political ladder, largely through the assistance of his string of lovers. The questions he is forced to ask himself about honesty, independence, and parliamentary democracy are questions still asked today.
Phineas Finn is the second of Anthony Trollope's six Palliser novels, which together comprise a large, coherent composition that captures the fashions, manners, and politics of two decades of society in the high Victorian period. Trollope's unrivaled understanding of the institutions of mid–Victorian England and his sympathetic vision of human fallibility are informed by an unobtrusive irony that shines in these stories.
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"Great story, fascinating central character who could have risen to the top, but was a man of principle. Not as simple as that, of course - and the hero returns in Phineas Redux, further on in the series. Clearly Trollope liked this character too much to leave him out of further Palliser volumes, and I'm looking forward to reading about his return to politics and the upper echelons of society. Even though I've forgotten everything I ever learnt about Victorian politics at 'O' level, I was still interested in the debates and the various policy questions in the House, and there was enough momentum in the story of Phineas' life and loves to speed the narrative along."
— Jo (4 out of 5 stars)
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“The polished excitement that animates [Vance’s] reading comes across richly and compels the listener’s attention.”
— AudioFile -
“This gracefully written work is perfectly read by [Vance], who successfully evokes the Victorian era.”
— Booklist -
“The central tension in Trollope’s novel Phineas Finn is between independence and service. The title character is an Irish outsider who comes into Parliament vowing to be true to his individual conscience…Finn has to either chart his own course or allow himself to be put in harness for the good of the common effort.”
— New York Times -
“Phineas Finn's engaging plot embraces matters as diverse as reform, the position of women, the Irish question, and the conflict between integrity and ambition...Trollope explores the realities of political life, and the clash between compromise and conviction, that is as topical today as it was in the 1860s.”
— Oxford University Press
Phineas Finn Listener Reviews
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Kees Elsinga, 11/1/2016
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" Part of the Palliser novels and I loved all six. "
— Laura, 2/15/2014 -
" I will complete the Palliser series! "
— Alexis, 2/11/2014 -
" The Irish member, indeed. Phineas is a yummy literary heartthrob with all the sex appeal of Mr. Darcy, but none of the snobbery. "
— Angela, 1/30/2014 -
" I have previously enjoyed other Anthony Trollope novels, but this one really challenged me. It concerns a young Irishman who secures a place in Parliament, and the adventures that happen to him, involving various Lords, Ladies, duels and broken romances. There is entirely too much of Trollope's political theories involved to make it much of an entertainment to read. The plot takes a back seat to the political machinations, most of which I did not fully understand. I'm not sure why I even finished this book, but it did get a little more interesting towards the end. I think I would recommend other Trollope novels before this one. "
— Melodee, 1/27/2014 -
" I skipped over initially thinking it would be too political but it gets to the crux of that question: do we live for money or love. Trollope's answer is very clear and he punishes those who marry for money and status "
— Riodelmartians, 1/18/2014 -
" The more I read of Trollope the more I realize how deeply feminist an author he is. "
— Jenny, 1/18/2014 -
" Complex, intelligent and I loved it. I'll get around to writing a proper review eventually! But recommended "
— Chris, 1/13/2014 -
" Better than Dickens! Really enjoyable characters with a storyline that keeps you reading on. On top of this, Trollope truly is a state of the nation writer who draws the reader into an atmospheric 1860s England. "
— Marcus, 1/10/2014 -
" Kathie has this one. "
— Heather, 1/10/2014 -
" I'm not a fan of politics but this treated the subject quite lightly and not overly cynically. I loved Madame Max - her dilemma whether to do what the world would see as a great step up in life or whether to do what she herself valued is beautifully captured. "
— Sophie, 1/5/2014
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.