Perfection

This is one of Trollope's best novels. Phineas himself is a variation on one of his stock protagonists - the callow young man who finds himself simultaneously attached to more than one woman at a time. But he is a real character with a personality of his own, not a cardboard cutout. The Irish dimension adds to the interest and the picture of politics and the media is fascinating and never, ever dull. Lady Laura is one of Trollope's strongest and most interesting women, though as a man of his time he doesn't find her a way of exercising her talents. But that's how it was, and the waste of it is his point, even though he can't see a way out. And finally, as ever, Timothy West's reading couldn't be bettered. Roll on 'Phineas Redux' and the rest of the Palliser series.

13 people found this helpful

As good as it gets.

A beautifully read and fascinating insight into Victorian politics. Exactly the same problems and dilemmas face the modern politician. My great regret is that Audible have not yet bought the rights to other Trollope novels in the same series read by West. They are all there and can be found on tape.

11 people found this helpful

Another fantastic reading by Timothy West

Timothy West makes these books come alive - he reads all the characters so beautifully with the right, but not overdone, accents and intonation. It makes the stories sparkle. If you don't like classic fiction, this could seem overlong and quite uneventful, but the reading really makes you care about the characters and what happens to them. I am slowly working my way through the whole series!

7 people found this helpful

Trollope and West: As good as it gets

There are few writers that so deliciously capture the richness and wit of the English language. Once you have tuned in your ear, there is real delight to be had in both description and plot. These are cracking good tales:- heroes, heroines, villains, politics, romance, intrigue and deceit, laced throughout with humane, witty but absolutely acute observations of the follies and foibles to which we are all prey. This time round I am struck by how powerful the female characters are and how well drawn.



And Timothy West gives a master class in narration, ranging effortlessly from Irish brogue to Cockney slang as he brings to life even the most minor characters. I was so pleased to have discovered that he has narrated the enitre series and am now the proud owner of all 6 audiobooks. Go on....treat yourself!

7 people found this helpful

What a great listen!

The world of Party politics; idealism, high principles, dedication v. ambition, jockeying for position, egoism corruption, realism...



The world of the Media: slic reporting, skillful editing, (mis)representation...



The world of a young man trying to make his own way: admiration, confusion, mistakes made, laurels won, hurt pride, conflict, happiness....



All topical today yet written in the nineteenth century. A fantastic study of human nature most skillfully and beautifully read by Timothy West.

4 people found this helpful

Loose and baggy - and the better for that.

If you could sum up Phineas Finn in three words, what would they be?

Politics without politics.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Phineas Finn?

Laura Kennedy leaving Mr Kennedy.

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

He gets the pauses just right and expresses exasperation perfectly. Moreover, while Trollope is ostensibly a moderate conservative, his less obvious liberal sympathies come across in Timothy West's reading.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Vote Quintus Slide!

Any additional comments?

Two of Henry James’s criticisms of his contemporaries and immediate forerunners probably apply to Anthony Trollope’s “Phineas Finn” (1869). James disliked “loose and baggy monsters” and preferred “showing” to “telling.” “Phineas Finn” is certainly over-long and indulges in many sub-stories and character developments that a more form-conscious novelist, such as James, would edit out. As the novel drew to a close I just wished that Violet Effingham and Lord Chilton would decide whether to stay with each other or not. And Trollope remains the teller throughout, giving little to his characters’ consciousnesses. Yet there are qualifying comments to make in order to do Trollope justice.

On the showing and telling, while Trollope holds little back – they are his characters and they do what he wants them to do – he devotes chapters to their respective stories, with the result that the sum of the parts is far greater than the parts. Phineas, himself, gets viewed from different angles, even though it is – more than other Trollope novels – a quite traditional story of innocence to experience. As for the the looseness, it is what many readers like and here there is just so much going on in love (and property) and politics (and property) that, mostly, it is a delight.

On the politics, it is, of course, good to have a novel that takes politics seriously and is knowledgeable. However, like many political moderates, Trollope is, in the end, very interested in the processes and institutions but much less interested in the content of this or that parliamentary bill or issue, even important bills such as those on reform and Ireland. The Reform Bill, for instance, gives a structure and narrative to parts of the novel, rather than defining character and meaning.

But, for all that, Trollope is such a great read and if “Phineas Finn” doesn’t quite match “The Way We Live Now” or “The Prime Minister”, for me, it comes in well ahead of the Barchester novels.

2 people found this helpful

Fab Phineas!

I remember hearing this novel on Radio 4 (abridged) many years ago but had forgotten enough of it to make it seem as fresh as ever. Nobody reads Trollope as intelligently as Timothy West, nor makes the voices come alive the way he does.

This story combines a background of 19thC political and social history with the story of ambitious Phineas Finn, fresh from Ireland and intent on making a career in London. He starts with the Law and then enters politics. Characters from previous novels cross his path, like Plantagenet Palliser en-route to becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer, adding to the sense of returning to familiar friends.

You'll get impatient with Phineas as he vacillates between loves and political causes but he comes good in the end!

2 people found this helpful

.Thank Goodness for the Women...

Phineas Finn: my second Palliser novel listen/read and something of a labour to finish, unlike Trollope’s Barchester Chronicles. When Trollope really wants to he can crack along at a pace. Yes the plaint of men trying to make their way without money. Yes the way Parliament favoured those with inherited wealth and title. Yes the awful position of women in a male dominated society. Yes the laggard state of politics and true representation (but hoped this were made more of). No, thank you, for the fox hunt scene, Jew references, and much of the workings in Parliament. I now see why so many British politicians like the Palliser novels in that they can relate to the actual history of real events. As ever Trollope is fully at his best when focusing on women and is both sympathetic and convincing. When women are involved in the events things have verve and ‘bounce’. They have a great vitality unless they have given-in to be stalwarts of the status quo. Trollope’s main character, Phineas Finn, left me frustrated on too many occasions and a degree of distrust; too many forgive the man. The audiobook performance by Timothy West is exemplary and is the best of companions in the journey through Trollope’s major works. For those who do not yet know West’s Trollope they are well worth obtaining. With great thanks Audible often include these in their offers. I look forward to the next in the series, ‘The Eustace Diamonds’; I have a feeling that Lizzie Eustace will give some pure ‘crackle’ to the Palliser novels.

1 person found this helpful

loved it loved it <br />

narrated wonderfully I was totally sucked into the world of the hero Finn.

1 person found this helpful

A must for Trollopes (fans of that is)

Excellent telling. If you like Trollope this is a good 'read'. Is Phineas naive ? Unworldly? An Adventurer? Will he be happy? I suppose that means I'll have to listen to the sequel!

1 person found this helpful