Framley Parsonage

By: Anthony Trollope

Narrated by: Timothy West

Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

In the fourth audiobook in Anthony Trollope's series known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, the values of a Victorian gentleman, the young clergyman Mark Robarts, are put to the test. Though he lives a comfortable life, has a doting wife, children and a patroness in Lady Lufton, his ambitions stretch beyond the little village of Framley. Through a combination of naivety and social climbing, Robarts is compromised and brought to the brink of financial and social ruin by the disreputable politician, Sowerby.

Meanwhile, a romance develops between Mark's younger sister, Lucy, and Lady Lufton's son. He proposes, but the marriage is firmly opposed by his mother. Lucy recognises the difference in their social positions, which forces her to reject Lord Lufton's proposal unless his mother asks her to accept him.

Working with the prose of one of the most successful and respected English novelists of the Victorian era, narrator Timothy West captures Trollope's customary humour, offsetting the drama of the tale with great compassion. Like all in the Barsetshire series, it is an extraordinarily evocative picture of everyday life in 19th-century England that delves deep into the social issues of the time.

Narrator Biography

Timothy West is prolific in film, television, theatre, and audiobooks. He has narrated a number of Anthony Trollope's classic audiobooks, 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 and his films include Ever After, Joan Of Arc, Endgame, Iris, The Day of the Jackal. On television, Timothy has appeared in Broken Biscuits (BBC), Great Canal Journeys (across 3 Series), regular role of Stan Carter on EastEnders (BBC); Last Tango in Halifax; Bleak House, Bedtime and Brass.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Trollope is always current!

Such delightful language, marvelous characters! You can meet those kind even today! Read all his books!!

Character development.

The narration was wonderful, masterfully delivered. Insights of historic British family and aristocratic life was informative while being entertaining.

WHAT IS TO BE DONE TO MAKE T WEST READ MORE A.T.?

What did you love best about Framley Parsonage?

Every word written by Trollope and every word uttered by West.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oh, I love them all even the bad ones, as Trollope did I'm sure.

Which character – as performed by Timothy West – was your favorite?

My only complaint about Trollope is that he only wrote 46 novels.

Any additional comments?

I am facing a very nasty situation in that I have listened to nearly all Trollope novels narrated by Timothy West. Sadly, Trollope is now deceased and will never write more, but could not West be held captive in a Venetian palacio or English country mansion until he has recorded EVERYTHING.

Addicted to Trollope

Whether it's the author or the amazing narrator, Timothy West, I have fallen in love with the novels of Anthony Trollope. "Framley" is the fourth I've listened to. I began with "The Warden" and agree with other reviewers who suggest it's a good place to start.

A Perfect Novel, Perfectly Read

Framley Parsonage was Trollope's first big success, and you can see why. It's a perfect example of his great gifts of characterization, setting, humor and sympathy. This audiobook, narrated by the brilliant British actor Timothy West, captures every facet of Trollope's narration, the depths of his characters and the marvelous humor and insights that Trollope always brings to his tales of flawed human beings. I can't recommend this enough. And if you'd like to truly treat yourself, Timothy West has narrated all of the Barsetshire and Palliser novels. What a gift Trollope (and Timothy West) gave us.

Another Trollope winner

What made the experience of listening to Framley Parsonage the most enjoyable?

Timothy West makes all of Trollope's books special. As long as they are, he is such a professional in making every page and every voice interesting.

Loved it.

Beautifully read. Engaging characters. A.m. Enjoying listening too the whole of the Barsetshire Chronicles in order.

Such a joy to listen to

Love this book I love the actor, so many stories within one story, I learned how limited my vocabulary is

Another wonderful Trollope Barchester novel!

We continue to be totally engaged and enchanted with the Barchester series. We are whisked to another place and time, getting to taste the life and experiences of people we would never know, with great depth and emotion. Trollope is one of our favorite authors, and this book does not disappoint. The narrator is a wonderful, wonderful actor, who makes the series come alive. We are so happy there are still two more books in the series to enjoy.