Oxford World's Classics: Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope

Richard Newbold: Listened to the radio adaptation of Orley Farm, at least I caught the first two episodes, then found the last one had been deleted! So, naturally, wanting to know the end, I plumped for the book, being a big fan of Trollope's Barchester and Palliser novels.

This is very much in the social comedy vein, with, inevitably, the issue of what the poor dear middle classes would do when their inheritance is threatened, taking centre stage. The legal "whodunit" scenarios are a bit laboured (and a tad unbelievable) and the fairly extraneous romantic sub-plots aren't very riveting, even by Trollope's indifferent standards.

However, the characterisations of the older characters, and in particular Lady Mason, Sir peregrine, Furnival and Dockwrath, are particularly well-drawn, and the novel is eventually very satisfying, if morally ambiguous in its ending.

United Kingdom on Mar 06, 2021

Jim Watson: Although it does not rank with his masterpieces such as 'Barchester Towers' and 'The Prime Minister', 'Orley Farm' has much to commend it. The characters are well drawn and sympathetic, but the heroine, Lady Mary Mason is one of Trollope's finest creations. Her dilemma is central to the plot and the way the emotional tension builds around her situation is very moving. As is usual in this author's work, which was in actual fact Victorian 'Chicklit' there are a couple of subsidiary romances and a bit of marital disharmony thrown in just to keep the ball rolling. Overall I would not hesitate in recommending this as a stonking good read.

United Kingdom on Mar 27, 2018

Frances Stott: I have read most of Trollope's novels over the years, but only just got round to this one. And I'm so glad I did! A big, broad beautiful novel, with all the usual ingredients: love, intrigue, fox hunting (of course!), perverse lawyers, blushing girls...this novel has everything. Of course it's wordy, as some reviewers have complained, but that's Trollope, and because he's such a great writer, it somehow doesn't matter. I won't got into the plot as others have already done so. Suffice it to say that the trial of poor Lady Mason over the codicil of her late husband's will - and hence the fate of Orley Farm - kept me guessing until the very end. Will she be allowed to keep it in the name of her son Lucius? Or will the farm go to his elder half-brother Joseph, who has already been amply provided for? Will Sir Peregrine overcome his misgivings and marry the woman he loves? All this hangs in the balance right up until the end of the novel.

Trollope fans will love this novel, but for anyone new to Trollope, I would suggest starting with a shorter book. This has to be one of the longest. But as I said, I absolutely loved it.

United Kingdom on Aug 21, 2017

Evelina: in this excellent and amusing work about a trial. Who has the right to Orley Farm, Lady Mason or Joseph Mason? Did Lady Mason forge the signatures on a will?

The perfect English girl/woman - Madeleine Staveley, artless, lovely, intelligent but not too clever contrasted with Sophia Furnival, calculating, looking to the main chance, artful, clever, not a point in her favor. Same kind of comparison is made with Lady Mason and Mrs. Orme.

The perfect English gentleman - Perry Orme is “better” than Lucius Mason, Lady Mason’s son. Perry is a natural aristocrat, one of the “curled darlings of the nation,” but unspoiled, good natured, unpretending, having no need to crow about his attributes, unlike Lucius. The conceit of the privately educated man is compared to the diffidence of the natural gentleman who attended a public school where any kind of showing off is unacceptable. Lucius thinks he knows better than everyone. Lucius fancies himself a gentleman farmer. He never farmed but thinks he knows more than people who do it for a living. Lucius puts faith in his theories and takes himself too seriously, he is conscious of his learning and intellect, unlike the...

United States on Mar 09, 2017

Brexit-Gegner aus England: Anthony Trollope (1815 - 1882): Orley Farm. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by David Skilton.(Oxford: Oxford University Press (World's Classics), 2008 - Verbesserter und durchgesehener Neudruck der Ausgabe von 1950. Paperback, XXIX, 410 und 421 Seiten. ISBN 978-0-19-953772-3.

"Orley Farm" erschien 1862 als gebundenes Buch und ist einer der längsten Romane, die Trollope verfasst hat - aber nicht nur einer der längsten, sondern nach Meinung der damaligen schreibenden Zunft einer der besten. Es geht hier um die Geschichte einer Witwe, die ein tragisches Geheimnis auf dem Gewissen hat. Trollope wäre jedoch nicht Trollope, wenn er nicht auch reichlich Jagd- und Liebesszenen mit eingebaut hätte. Wir erfahren hier jede Menge über Rechtsanwälte und ihrem Beruf (Trollope war selbst Anwaltssohn) sowie über den südenglischen Landadel und über die damals gängigen Gesellschaftsformen. Bei einem Ausflug in den Norden Englands lernen wir den gehässigen Joseph Mason und seine außerordentlich geizige Ehefrau kennen und verbringen einen Abend in einer Gaststätte mit den Handelsvertretern Moulder, Kantwise und Snengkeld. Wir machen auch die Bekanntschaft von Felix Graham,...

Germany on Oct 05, 2016

littlesue: "Orley Farm" is truly one of Trollope's best. It is a marvelous novel, with a suspenseful plot, wonderful, complex characters, especially the central character, the tormented Lady Mason and her gallant, aging friend Sir Peregrine Orme, and a realistic depiction of immoral, yet successful legal strategies we can all too easily recognize today. As in other Trollope novels, there is some tedious repetition- Lady Mason's" dignity, strength" etc., and a little too much detail about the fox-hunting that Trollope evidently enjoyed himself, but which this reviewer finds as abominable as did Oscar Wilde. As in other novels, Trollope sometimes speaks to us directly, which can be charming and insightful, but also occasionally retrograde: "When someone had once strongly praised Florence Nightingale in Lady Staveley's presence, she had stoutly declared her opinion that it was a young woman's duty to get married. For myself, I am inclined to agree with her." This, as most of Trollope's novels, is particularly focused on the issue of happy and unhappy marriages- at least as much as on the legal system.
As a lover of Dickens, I wish one reviewer had not found it necessary to negatively compare...

United States on Sep 04, 2015

Didier: If you have read anything by Anthony Trollope, chances are it was one of the Barsetshire- or Palliser-novels. Maybe you even became addicted to Trollope's unique style? Such was definitely the case with me, and I read, with great pleasure, the entire Barsetshire- and Palliser-series. All of these novels are so good that, perversely, I afterwards sort of overlooked the fact that Trollope had written plenty of novels besides these. I recently decided to remedy this starting with 'Orley Farm' and now, having concluded this lovely book, I am very glad I did.

The plot of 'Orley Farm' in itself is simple enough: 20 years before the action of the novel is set, Lady Mason's husband died and in his will left part of his inheritance (to wit, the property of Orley Farm) to her son, leaving the rest to his son by an earlier marriage. At the time however, doubts were raised by Lady Mason's stepson about the validity of the will, but the ensuing court case ruled in favour of Lady Mason and ever since she has lived with her son Lucius Mason at Orley Farm. But now, a lawyer with a grievance against Lady Mason claims to have unearthed new evidence proving that at the time she forged the...

United Kingdom on Nov 05, 2010