Now that we're facing a Winter with even more time inside than usual because of restrictions due to the pandemic I'm keen to get stuck into reading a series of books. I'm also keen to read some more classic fiction since I've been reading so many debut novels whilst being a judge on this year's Costa Book Awards. One author I've always wanted to read is Anthony Trollope. He's one of the only prominent 19th century authors whose work I've not read at all. Also, Trollope was my grandmother's favourite author and I think it'll be meaningful to read some of his books knowing how much she enjoyed his stories.
I've also been keen to join in more online reading groups since physical book clubs can't meet at the moment. The Trollope Society held a public vote during the month of October to determine the nation's favourite Trollope novel. The winner was “Barchester Towers” which is frequently cited as one of the author's most popular and beloved novels. Consequently, they are going to host a “Big Read” of the novel starting on November 9th. Every two weeks there will be online discussions from experts and Trollope super fans as we read the novel together. This will run through until January 4th. If you're interested in joining along with me you can register for free here: https://trollopesociety.org/pickupatrollope/reading-group/
I'm excited to start reading Trollope, but since “Barchester Towers” is the second book in his 'Chronicles of Barsetshire' series I'd like to start by reading the first book “The Warden”. I know that the second novel can be read independently, but I'd like to familiarize myself with the setting and characters which are established in the first novel. I really enjoy Balzac's novels and from what I've read it seems like Trollope's series similarly presents a realistic portrait of social and political conflicts in a series of stories whose characters sometimes cross over between the novels. With six novels in the 'Chronicles of Barsetshire' series I think this will be a fun project to embark on over the Winter months.
Let me know if you're keen to join in or if you have a favourite novel by Trollope!
