The Eustace Diamonds

By: Anthony Trollope

Narrated by: Timothy West

Length: 25 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Who owns the Eustace Diamonds? Lizzie Eustace claims that Sir Florian Eustace, her late husband, gave them to her. But Mr. Camperdown, the family solicitor, insists that they are an heirloom, to be passed down from generation to generation. Lizzie is both beautiful and clever, yet Mr. Camperdown believes her to be a scheming liar. And Mr. Camperdown is right! The battle for the diamonds rages until a robbery intervenes and they disappear. Or do they...? Will the scheming and manipulative Lizzie ever get what she deserves?

The third and least political in Trollope's six-volume Palliser series, this audiobook features a most remarkable heroine. Humorously cynical, Trollope shows his insight into human nature, painting each character's flaws. But how will their flaws determine their fate?

Anthony Trollope was one of the most popular and prolific novelists of the 19th century and his work is considered some of the greatest fiction of the era.

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 Palliser series. He has also narrated volumes of Simon Schama's A History of Britain and John Mortimer's Rumpole on Trial.

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 and The Day of the Jackal. On television, Timothy has held the regular role of Stan Carter on EastEnders (BBC), as well as appearing in Broken Biscuits (BBC), three series of Great Canal Journeys, Last Tango in Halifax; Bleak House, Bedtime and Brass.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Slow start, but stick with it

Wonderful story, superb narration. Lady Eustace's first foxhunt is the funniest scene I've listened to on an audiobook. I laughed out loud (as I did every time West said "corsaire") and bookmarked it so I could play it many times. Truly entertaining!

She's a Scoundrel!!

Wonderful book in the Palliser series. The heroine is a brilliantly sketched woman of deep skulduggery, and her shenanigans play out beautifully here.

Wise, wonderful, hilarious story and great performance

Trollope is one of those writers whose work is much better appreciated read aloud! I’ve read this book before and remember liking it, but was not especially struck by its wisdom. Listening to this fantastic narrator, however, slowed down the pace and allowed this to seep in. Never a dull moment with hilarious full complex characters!

Perfect Story/Perfect Narrator

I read this book many years ago - too many to recall the plot -- so when this version of the audio book was recommended on a blog, I put it in my cart as some good, distracting reading. I'm so glad I did. Timothy West is nothing short of heaven breathing life into all the characters, and brings out the humor present in Trollope's writing. People have compared this book to Vanity Fair, and it does have as its centerpiece a woman who we'd probably refer to as a narcissist these days: she cares only for herself, and even though she is realistic in her assessment of her charms (and their limitations), she has one point of view, which is her own. She's the Erica Kane of this novel. (If you never watched All My Children, I don't know what to say.) But there are so many more other wonderful characters, whether we're with them for two pages, or two hundred.There are shysters and scapegraces, termagants and corsairs, henpecked fiances, poor relations, and a smattering of political characters from earlier Palliser novels. The story rolls you along as Lizzie moves from girlhood to marriage and widowhood basically in the space of a chapter, and then spends the rest of the book pushing forward through a series of legal misunderstandings and attendant suitors.

This can absolutely be read alone, without any connection to the earlier works, and it sounds from some of the reviews as if readers who are fond of the Palliser tales are not pleased to have their main characters shunted to the side of the stage here. I couldn't get enough of this book; by the time I saw I was down to my last 15 minutes, I had already downloaded another Trollope read by Mr. West. I just may have to invent a reason for a road trip so I can barrel through all these wonderful stories, read to me by an actor with strong talent and a definite understanding of Trollope.

One of the most entertaining

Timothy West brings to life all the Trollope novels he reads. This one, the main plot of which follows the intrigues around the diamonds of the Eustace family, is one of the best. It's a little hard to get into at first, since some of the main characters are quite disagreeable, but I listened on with horrified delight to see how Mr Trollope would bring it to a satisfying conclusion. A laugh-out loud listen, no little thanks to Mr West's superb voice acting.

Great Fun

What a fantastic listen! Lizzie Eustace is a woman that you learn to hate and also to love. All the characters of this novel are well drawn and delightful.
We listened to this while driving across the country (Canada). It made the trip fly by!

Classic Trollope

Another great yarn by Trollope. And Anthony West is again the perfect narrator. If you like Trollope, you'll enjoy this.

Timothy West is Trollope!

Any additional comments?

I am an Anthony Trollope enthusiast, and this is my first time to read The Eustace Diamonds. It is third in the Pallisers series but is definitely a stand-alone book--a character study of one very determined but unscrupulous widow and of the people in her world. Timothy West as narrator is definitely Anthony Trollope as narrator. The humor comes through superbly! Wonderful story, wonderful audiobook!

What wordsmiths they were!

The reader did a wonderful job. I will look up to see the other stories he reads. If you know Trollope it pure Trollope if don't give this a try👍🏼

Trollope is unique

Trollops command of English and societal portrayal is definitely unique among British authors. It’s been wonderful to listen to this series. Excellent narration.