The Claverings

By: Anthony Trollope

Narrated by: Nigel Patterson

At the opening of The Claverings (1866) the beautiful Julia Brabazon jilts her lover Harry Clavering in order to make a marriage of convenience with a wealthy but dissolute earl. Harry licks his wounds, leaves London to train as a civil engineer, and falls in love with his employer's daughter, to whom he soon becomes engaged. But when Julia returns unexpectedly as a wealthy widow, the flame of Harry's old love is rekindled.

In his depiction of this quintessential love triangle, Anthony Trollope digs deep into the psychological make-up of a wonderful array of flawed characters: emotionally strong, determined women whose only prospects depend on making an advantageous marriage; a weak-willed, vacillating anti-hero who in a moment of weakness makes an impossible promise; and a memorable cast of secondary characters, from a suspected Russian spy and a feckless gambler to a zealous evangelical clergyman.

Public Domain (P)2018 Nigel Patterson

The Claverings

I totally enjoyed this slice of life book from the 1800's.It is very long but full of things we really no longer worry so much about.I find that fun.Nigel Patterson was the perfect narrator.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

One of my favorite Trollope books

This book has everything: imperfect but still likeable characters, interconnecting love stories, humorous minor characters, a complicated but understandable plot, and Trollope's strong voice throughout. Read this one. You won't be sorry.

Great Narration

Another engaging story by Anthony Trollope, and remarkable narration by Nigel Patterson. I enjoyed every second of listening.

Individual voices not always distinct

An unusual Trollope novel which poses the question of a gentleman's honorI against the imperfections of men. Henry Clambering may be Trollope's most wavering hero, and it takes a profound act of providence to save him from himself.

Painting from Nature

“Perhaps no terms have been so injurious to the profession of the novelist as those two words, hero and heroine. In spite of the latitude which is allowed to the writer in putting his own interpretation upon these words, something heroic is still expected; whereas, if he attempt to paint from Nature, how little that is heroic should he describe!”

This passage from The Claverings neatly summarizes why I enjoyed this, and indeed all the Trollope I have listened to on Audible. Unlike Dickens, his world isn’t divided between angels and demons. It’s full of humans.

Another reason for my state of Trollopian near-bliss is the performance of Nigel Patterson. Very occasionally he gets his character voices a little muddled, but the overall effect is splendid.