“The Eustace Diamonds is a novel about the scandal and yet the ubiquity of lying…That Lizzie…is such a source of pleasure to the reader, and commands reluctant admiration from many in the novel, is a consequence of her combination of quick-wittedness, youth, and complete absence of moral conscience.” Helen Small, fellow in English, Pembroke College, Oxford
Description
The third and least political novel of the Palliser series, The Eustace Diamonds concerns the beautiful pathological liar Lizzie Greystock. Determined to marry into wealth, Lizzie snares the ailing Sir Florian Eustace and quickly becomes a widow. Despite the brevity of their marriage, Lizzie still inherits according to the generous terms of Sir Florian’s will, which include the Eustace diamonds. When the Eustace family solicitor, Mr. Camperdown, begins to question her legal claim to the family heirloom, Lizzie begins to weave a tangled web of deception and crime to gain possession of the diamonds.
Enlisting the aid of her cousin Frank Greystock, much to the dismay of his fiancée, Lucy Morris, Lizzie seeks to both avoid legal prosecution and have a true love affair, first with Frank, and later with Lord George de Bruce Carruthers. Considered a satire of the acceptance of the corrupting influence of money and greed in Victorian society, Trollope’s novel blends elements of mystery, politics, and romance in a memorable and thought-provoking work.
Praise
“The Eustace Diamonds is a novel about the scandal and yet the ubiquity of lying…That Lizzie…is such a source of pleasure to the reader, and commands reluctant admiration from many in the novel, is a consequence of her combination of quick-wittedness, youth, and complete absence of moral conscience.” Helen Small, fellow in English, Pembroke College, Oxford
“For readers [Lizzie is] a masterpiece of comic invention. The brilliant so-polite-but-deadly dialogue, posh bitchy female spats, and hilariously unimpressed servants, make this a joy to read.” Daily Mail (London)
“Among narrator Simon Vance’s many talents is his flair for censorious dowagers, filling their voices with lofty pique and the creaking of stays…As with all Trollope’s novels, the author’s voice is ever at large examining the moral territory. To this editorial presence, Vance gives a limber pacing and genial tone that are exactly in tune with Trollope’s humane sensibility.” Washington Post
“Lizze Eustace is at the heart of the novel and it is Trollope’s success in portraying her in all her shabby weakness and her not-inconsiderable strangths that have ensured the continuing popularity of The Eustace Diamonds.” P. D. James
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Apr 12, 2011 |
| Release Date | April 13, 2011 |
| Number in Series | 3 |
| Series Display String | The Palliser Novels |
| Release Date Machine | 1302652800 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Craig Black |
| Categories | Literature & Fiction, Classics, Classics, Evergreen Classics, Evergreen Classics, Classics, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult |
Author Bio
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.
Narrator Bio
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.
Overview
The third and least political novel of the Palliser series, The Eustace Diamonds concerns the beautiful pathological liar Lizzie Greystock. Determined to marry into wealth, Lizzie snares the ailing Sir Florian Eustace and quickly becomes a widow. Despite the brevity of their marriage, Lizzie still inherits according to the generous terms of Sir Florian’s will, which include the Eustace diamonds. When the Eustace family solicitor, Mr. Camperdown, begins to question her legal claim to the family heirloom, Lizzie begins to weave a tangled web of deception and crime to gain possession of the diamonds.
Enlisting the aid of her cousin Frank Greystock, much to the dismay of his fiancée, Lucy Morris, Lizzie seeks to both avoid legal prosecution and have a true love affair, first with Frank, and later with Lord George de Bruce Carruthers. Considered a satire of the acceptance of the corrupting influence of money and greed in Victorian society, Trollope’s novel blends elements of mystery, politics, and romance in a memorable and thought-provoking work.
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