Phineas Finn

If this had been my first Trollope novel, I probably would not have stuck with the read, but overall I liked it. The description of Parliamentary action many be too detailed for some readers, but as a Canadian with a similar system, reading such a portrait set in the period when Canada's own parliament was working for nation status was interesting.

The occasional "recaps" of plot betray that the novel originally appeared as a serial, and I found that bit annoying.

If you're new to Trollope, I'd recommend that you start with one of the Barset Chronicles rather than Phinneas.

I want to second an opinion expressed in another review. Phineas Finn is not a good introduction to Trollope; read Doctor Thorne or The Little House at Allington first. This is not to detract from this excellent book, it just not the place to start with Trollope. Robert Whitfield turns in a splendid performance as narrator.

Phineas Finn liked women and women liked him. His philosophy could be best stated in the words of that 60's song,"If you can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with". Restated: maybe a woman, in particular one Miss Mary Flood Jones, the girl back home, out of sight is a woman out of mind. Mr. Finn was a man of flexible principles and attachments. Clever, quick witted and handsome, he was scamp. I like him. He was a happy scamp, even a well meaning scamp. There were no mean bones in his body.

If you like inside politics, this is the book. He was a shooting star, flashing across the night sky suddenly appearing to be remarked upon then as suddenly gone. Elected to parliament without opposition at age twenty-five, the naive young man quickly finds himself at the center of political maneuvers and schemes. Then, suddenly, it was over but there is still the matter of the girl back home.

In the end the principal enjoyment in listening to Phineas Finn for me was the excellent narrator, Robert Whitfield. He is able to convey, by changing his tone and accent, a character's gender, age and class in a single line; he switches back and forth without missing a beat. It's an astonishing performance and for the first time I actually searched and added to my wish list other books based on narrator.
*Spoiler alert from this point on.*
The novel itself is enjoyable, very funny sometimes, but really very slight. I wanted to like it;I was actually named for a character in a Trollope novel, believe it or not. But I came to feel that the hero's character is not the best drawn one in the book. That would be Violet, who is merely the third most important character. When Phineas chooses a wife, I had no sympathy with his "noble" decision at all, since he takes the one-dimensional girl back home. There's an episodic quality similar to dramatic television, with stuff just happening to fill pages, and the end coming just because it's time for the book to end. I'll note that in the sequel Phineas Redux Trollope kills off the dull wife on page 3 and brings Finn back to London for another go-around.

Great book, very good voice, good recording quality.

I'm slowly listening my way through Trollope's novels, and having a great time doing so. I enjoyed the narration for this one, the narrator does a great job with the accents. There are occasional little jumps here and there in the audio, but they don't stop you listening to the book. I chose this version since the other unabridged one on offer had warnings that the last section of the book didn't download. This one is fine, and a really enjoyable listen.