Can You Forgive Her?

By: Anthony Trollope

Narrated by: Timothy West

Length: 28 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Can You Forgive Her? is the first of the six in the Palliser series.

Trollope inextricably binds together the issues of parliamentary election and marriage, of politics and privacy. The values and aspirations of the governing stratum of Victorian society are ruthlessly examined, and none remains unscathed.

But above all Trollope focuses on the predicament of women. 'What should a woman do with her life?' asks Alice Vavasor of herself, and this theme is echoed by every other woman, from her friend, the uncomfortably married Lady Glencora, to her aunt, the coquettish Mrs. Greenow, as well as her clear-headed cousin, Kate.

Alice is torn between marrying her ambitious but violent cousin George or the bland but gentlemanly John Grey, ending up both accepting and rejecting each of them in turn and thus transgressing from the Victorian moral code.

In contrast, her friend Lady Glencora is forced to marry the rising politician Plantagenet Palliser to prevent the worthless Burgo Fitzgerald from wasting her vast fortune.

Trollope was considered one of the most successful and respected English writers of the Victorian era. With more than 40 published novels, they are regarded by some as among the greatest of 19th-century fiction. Many of his works covered political, social and gender issues. Fans of his work have included former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major.

Narrator Biography

Timothy West is prolific in film, television, theatre and audiobooks. He has narrated a number of Anthony Trollope’s classics, including the six Chronicles of Barsetshire and The Pallisers series. He has also narrated volumes of Simon Schama’s A History of Britain and John Mortimer’s Rumpole on Trial. Timothy West’s theatre roles include King Lear, The Vote, Uncle Vanya, A Number, Quarter, and Coriolanus. His films include Ever After, Joan Of Arc, Endgame, Iris, The Day of the Jackal. On television, Timothy has appeared in Great Canal Journeys, Last Tango in Halifax and Bleak House.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What a Combination!

To have the superb reading by Timothy West and the fantastic writing of Anthony Trollope is a dream come true. I cannot get enough of Timothy West's reading nor of this author. I just love this book and this performance. I highly recommend this reading.

Totally modern Trollope!

The central characters step out of the box in this Victorian novel. An insightful view of how women think, with that wonderfully dry British humor. My favorite of his books so far.

Entertaining

Good insight into Victorian aristocratic society. I always enjoy Trollope's clever use of language and his subtle humor.

amazing performance

What did you love best about Can You Forgive Her??

Just a quick appreciation for the reading by Timothy West: a wonderful job, including convincing regional accents and, perhaps even more impressive, subtle but effective response to the narrative.

I loved the Barchester Novels years ago but could never make much progress with the Palliser series; this reading has changed my mind; I find the reading, and the novel itself, rivetting. The kind of thing that gets you to clean up the garage just to have an excuse to keep listening.

What other book might you compare Can You Forgive Her? to and why?

As another reviewer suggested, I think, a newcomer to Trollope might be better off with Barchester Towers, but I liked Can You Forgive Her very much; a little like Mrs. Gaskell's North and South, without the social commentary. I'm no critic, but I think the exploration of female independence / willfulness has an interesting feminist dimension.

Great Trollope

Eighty chapters leave you wanting more. So many unforgettable characters. Many fascinating females and a few men. Cheers to you

Extraordinary narrator

I cannot believe how anyone could achieve such an amazing performance. The range of voices and the effective power of expression in each one adds so much life to this book. What a performance triumph!

Can you Forgive her by Anthony Trollope

I have read many Anthony Trollope stories and enjoyed all of them. I like his writing and I also enjoy the complexity of the plot and the perspicacious look at the lives it shows. I also enjoyed Timothy Wests reading of it. A perfect match with Trollope's story. Trollope wrote a lot of books. I will read more of them.

Brilliant reading!

The reader, Timothy West is a genius! Amazing reading of this wonderful novel. Thank you.

Fabulous Listen!

As usual, I was completely entertained with the narrator as well as the story of this Anthony Trollope novel. The characters are so alive. I usually listen to books-on-ipod when I am sewing: I found myself stopping just to really listen to the action of this novel!

Another great Trollope book

What made the experience of listening to Can You Forgive Her? the most enjoyable?

Like most of his books, Trollope has a wonderful way of talking aside to the reader as if he were narrating just for us- not just being an observer to the story.

Have you listened to any of Timothy West’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Great performance once again by Timothy West- I love how he adds to the characters with voices.

Any additional comments?

The frustrating part of this book is the space between chapters- can vary between 1 and 10seconds... the latter making you question if the recording has been accidentally paused.