The Small House At Allington Annotated

The Small House at Allington is the fifth novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire", first published in 1864. Wikipedia

The Small House at Allington is the fifth novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire," first published in 1864. It enjoyed a revival in popularity in the early 1990s when the British prime minister, John Major, declared it as his favourite book. The Small House at Allington is largely focused on the Small House's inhabitants, Mrs. Dale and her two marriageable daughters, Lily and Bell. The two girls, of course, have suitors: their cousin, Bernard Dale, his friend Adolphus Crosbie, and the local boy, Johnny Eames, whose career in London is to mark him as far more than the "hobbledehoy" that he has earlier been considered. Crosbie is a social climber, and his connection with the dysfunctional de Courcys of Barsetshire give the author a chance for a splendid portrayal of an aristocratic family in decline. As with many of AT's novels, there are subplots as well, and many pictures of rural life standing in contrast to that of London. Some critics have seen in the portrayal of Johnny Eames something of an autobiographical exercise on Trollope's part.

There are two houses at Allington. The Great House is the residence of Squire Christopher Dale, an unmarried, plain, seemingly dour man whose ancestors were squires at Allington for generations. In the Small House nearby lives his sister-in-law, Mrs. Dale, and her two daughters, Bell and Lily. Mrs. Dale is the widow of the squire's youngest brother, who died young and left his family in modest circumstances. When the squire offered his brother's widow the Small House rent free, she immediately accepted his offer, not so much for her own sake as for that of her daughters. The Dales are not the chief family of the neighborhood. Near the town of Guestwick stands Guestwick Manor, the home of Lord de Guest and his sister, Lady Julia. Although not intimate, the families have a tie by marriage. Years before, another of the squire's brothers, Colonel Orlando Dale, eloped with the earl's sister, Lady Fanny. The colonel did not make a career for himself and now lives with his wife in semiretirement at Torquay. Bernard Dale, their only son and a captain in the Engineers, is the squire's heir.

This novel, the fifth in Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire series, tells the tale of the Dale family, which is trying to make ends meet in the aftermath of the death of the family patriarch. A nearly impenetrable knot of romantic entanglements ensues shortly after the family moves into the small house of the book's title. Long admired by fans of Trollope's writing, The Small House at Allington gained more widespread attention after it was named as a personal favorite by then-sitting Prime Minister John Major.

The Small House at Allington is the fifth novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire", first published in 1864. It concerns the Dale family, who live in the 'Small House', a dower house intended for the widowed mother (Dowager) of the owner of the estate. There are two houses at Allington. The Great House is the residence of Squire Christopher Dale, an unmarried, plain, seemingly dour man whose ancestors were squires at Allington for generations. In the Small House nearby lives his sister-in-law, Mrs. Dale, and her two daughters, Bell and Lily. Mrs. Dale is the widow of the squire's youngest brother, who died young and left his family in modest circumstances. When the squire offered his brother's widow the Small House rent free, she immediately accepted his offer, not so much for her own sake as for that of her daughters. The Dales are not the chief family of the neighborhood. Near the town of Guestwick stands Guestwick Manor, the home of Lord de Guest and his sister, Lady Julia. Although not intimate, the families have a tie by marriage. Years before, another of the squire's brothers, Colonel Orlando Dale, eloped with the earl's sister, Lady Fanny. The colonel did not make a career for himself and now lives with his wife in semiretirement at Torquay. Bernard Dale, their only son and a captain in the Engineers, is the squire's heir.

The Small House at Allington is a novel by English novelist Anthony Trollope. It first appeared as a serial in the 1862 July to December edition of the Cornhill Magazine, and ended its run in the July to December edition of the following year. It was later published 1864 as a two volume novel. It is the fifth book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, preceded by Framley Parsonage and followed by The Last Chronicle of Barset. It enjoyed a revival in popularity in the early 1990s when the British prime minister, John Major, declared it as his favourite book.

The book is a romantic novel by famed author Anthony Trollope. It is set in the town of Oxney Colne, a farming town in Devonshire. Patience is the local parson's daughter and is quite close to him as his remaining parent. But when the celebrated Captain Broughton, son of a wealthy nobleman visits, young Patience falls in love with him. All that remains is for the Captain to ask for her father's permission to marry his daughter.