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.

Mmmmmm!

A favorite! Have listened to over and over! It is HILARIOUS! I LOVE THIS BOOK

Great performance of a great story

Timothy West does another stellar job bringing to life another wonderful Trollope novel. I am reading all of these novels that West narrates, listening as I read as it gives so much texture to the story and I appreciate it fuller.

Heaven in the form of a novel

Did anyone ever write better novels than Trollope? I guess Henry James, but then, he didn’t quite possess the same sense of fun. What a delight!

Wow

So i needed something to listen to while i worked on a project. Something made me try this book. Really very different than things I usually read. I thought it was sort of boring for a while but was just interested enough to let it play while i was busy. It got better and better. I started to really get it. Why had i never heard of trollope before?! They could do a series the way they do period dramas! These people! But the characters are so recognizable. Apparently people have learned to change their clothes throughout the centuries and that’s about it...
So know i’m going to listen to more trollope.

Lizzie Rocks!

Timothy West's narration is so at one with the story that it sweeps the listener into another world. Brilliant story and beyond superb narration. Timothy reads with such passion. Listening to Trollope's stories has made me a lean, mean machine as I listen at the gym and sometimes end up staying for three hours rowing, cycling and running just so I can hear the next part of the story. I listen every day and these books are a huge chunk of my life. Bravo to Timothy West. He is totally magnificent. He has turned me into a Trollope tragic. I cannot write an objective review because I listen with gobsmacked love. A complete addict!

THE ERA IN WHICH THE STORY IS WRITTEN

Would you listen to The Eustace Diamonds again? Why?

I DON'T THINK SO.

What other book might you compare The Eustace Diamonds to and why?

I MIGHT COMPARE IT TO OTHER STORIES WHICH ARE SET IN VICTORIAN TIMES THAT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY ANTHONY TROLLOPE

What does Timothy West bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

HE BRINGS ANTHONY TROLLOPE'S CHARACTERS TO LIFE AND MR WEST READS SO WONDERFULLY

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

PERHAPS NOT.

Any additional comments?

I FIND LISTENING TO NARRATED BOOKS MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN READING THEM -- IT'S EASY TO GET TO KNOW THE CHARACTERS AND ALSO TO VISUALISE THEM.

Classic Trollope

Lengthy, full of detail, with absurd characters of Victorian aristocracy, about a strong woman the reader grows to love to hate.

Delicious Evil

The story of "poor Lizzy" and the Eustace family diamonds is one of the amazing Trollope's most inventive and enjoyable novels. Very good and thoroughly bad women, a slew of lawyers, mixed-up men, crime, and courtroom scenes populate a novel so marvelously read that the listener knows and recognizes each character's voice. A marvel in every way.

A Great Book

I loved this book. It's the 9th in a row that I've read by Trollope and I never want to read anything else. Which may be possible, since he was apparently the most prolific of all English authors. The narrator is also excellent. I'll only listen to his versions of these books, especially since the same characters occur in many of them so I want their voices to be the same. The only warning I must give is that you'll see in this book and others of that time period (The House of Mirth, for example, by Edith Wharton) a profound anti-semitism that's very hard to bear.

Good but not as good as the first two

As a story this is a bit patchy but it is so interesting to see how a Victorian author describes psychopathic characters.