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1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The Warden is the first of the six classic Chronicles of Barsetshire novels, Trollope's best-loved and most famous work.

Anthony Trollope's classic novel centers on Mr. Harding, a clergyman of great personal integrity, whose charitable income far exceeds the purpose for which it was intended. On discovering this, young John Bold turns his reforming zeal toward exposing what he regards as an abuse of privilege, despite the fact that he is in love with Mr. Harding's daughter, Eleanor.

Though the bishop and archdeacon stand behind him, the honest Reverend Harding is caught in a moral dilemma, questioning whether he truly deserves the money or should resign.

Set in the world of the Victorian professional and landed classes that Trollope portrayed so superbly, The Warden explores the complexities of human motivation and social morality.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      The incomparable Simon Vance parses Anthony Trollope's famously circumlocutory, phrase-filled style with aplomb in this first of the Barsetshire novels. In it, we follow Mr. Harding, the kindhearted warden of an old men's poorhouse, who is caught between his ambitious, conservative son-in-law and a reform-minded young man who wants to become his second son-in-law. Trouble ensues when the hapless Mr. Harding tries to avoid unpleasantness by agreeing with everyone. Vance's narrative skills help modern listeners hear the elegance of Trollope's writing and understand the writer's skewering wit. And his ability to create character-revealing accents, from the illiterate grumble of a local farmer to the nasal bray of a highborn clergyman, makes the nineteenth century live in our ears. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2007 Audies Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 2, 2013
      This first novel in Trollopeâs classic Chronicles of Barsetshire series pits reformer John Bold against Septimus Harding, the precentor of Barchester Cathedral and warden of Hiramâs Hospital, an almshouse supported by a bequest to the local diocese. As Bold works to expose the fact that more of the charityâs income goes to Harding than to its bedesmen, he begins to take a romantic interest in Hardingâs youngest daughter, Eleanor. In this audio edition, narrator David Shaw-Parker delivers a winning performance that keeps listeners engaged throughout. With a deep, accented voice Shaw-Parker brings this 19th-century novel to life. His timing and tone are spot-on and he creates distinct voices for the bookâs many characters.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Hearing Nigel Hawthorne's reading of The Warden is like attending fine theater. In the opening scenes Septimus Harding's sinecure as warden of Barchester hospital's twelve bedesmen is being questioned by young reformer John Bold--a situation complicated by Bold's love for the warden's daughter. Hawthorne's portrayals are so vivid that we see the interplay of characters--from the arrogant archdeacon, Dr. Grantly, and the London lawyer, Sir Abraham Haphazard, to the illiterate stonemason, Abel Handy. In this gentle satire Hawthorne transports us to the predicaments of a mid-nineteenth-century world. And when the curtain falls, we're relieved and delighted that the mild and honorable warden has prevailed. J.H.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Trollope's gentle and very funny novel, which explores moral questions of light contour and complex meaning, is wonderfully read by Jeremy Nicholas. Nicholas employs an old-fashioned, clerical voice--precise, cultured and slightly prissy--which accords perfectly with the mid-Victorian, cathedral town setting of the story. Nicholas's timing is impeccable and allows the listener to catch and savor the rich and subtle humor. His vivid portraits are achieved by granting individuals their specific idiosyncrasies of speech arising from gender, class and manners. He is equally adroit with all, from the gentle warden to his beadsman, to that comic pair, his elder daughter and her husband, the tyrannical archdeacon. This recording is pure delight. E.J.M. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      One of Trollope's most notable works tells the story of a clergyman who is set on doing right in the face of a judgmental legal system and press. Narrator David Shaw-Parker's reading is both thoughtful and sympathetic to the events of the story. With his mastery of British accents he captures the 12 temperamental bedesmen of Hiram's Hospital. His portrayal of the kindhearted warden is humble and warm while that of the grand Archdeacon Grantly is boisterous and commanding. Trollope's own narrator is not to be forgotten, and Shaw-Parker pays special attention to this strong authorial presence. His reading suggests a clear understanding of the tone and subtle intrigue of this Victorian novel. D.M.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1180
  • Text Difficulty:8-10

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