The Vicar of Bullhampton

By: Anthony Trollope

Narrated by: Peter Newcombe Joyce

This comprehensive novel consists of three subplots which interlink to form the whole and supply a trio of targets at which Trollope aims his proselytising pen. The first treats on the courtship of a woman by a man whom she does not love and with whom she is not compatible. Mary Lowther will not accept such a marriage of dishonesty. The second deals with the plight of a young woman who has fallen prey to the wiles of an evil seducer and subsequently adopts a life of prostitution. Trollope's argument was that the punishment for fornication was much harsher for women than men, although in most cases the latter were more to blame, and their victims were given no opportunity of returning to decent lives no matter how repentant they may have been.

The third subject to receive the benefit of the author's moral outrage is the hypocrisy and narrow vision of the landed gentry in the person of the Marquis of Trowbridge, who treats his tenants as serfs and whose social code appears to be 'might is right'. The common sense of the pragmatic protagonist, Frank Fenwick, apparently very like Trollope himself, is a joy to hear.

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A Trollope discovery

It was a pleasure to discover a fine Trollope novel in audiobook form, outside of the wonderful Barsetshire and Palliser series, which are well represented as audios. In this novel, which explores forgiveness in many forms -- from personal grudges, to family shame, to broken hearts and the acceptance of a fallen women -- Trollope gives us another view of the clergy. The vicar of Bullhampton himself is at the heart of the story, and he's a man who's quick to action, quick to fight, quick to be offended, quick to do good, but slow to forgive grievances. The other stories that surround him, from Mary Lowther's romantic guilt, to Carrie Brattle's tortured journey to a sort of redemption, are equally vivid.
The narrator Peter Newcombe Joyce imbues the scenes with a vigorous emotion, and you can hear his voice break with real feeling as the characters reveal to each other their conflicted states of mind. I hope that Assembled Stories, which produced this volume, offers us other Trollope gems -- there are many more wonderful novels that we fans of Trollope would love to hear brought to life in this way. Especially if they're narrated with the full-hearted engagement that Peter Joyce has brought to The Vicar of Bullhampton.

Delightful surprise

A lovely portrait of a small Wiltshire village in which we meet members of the landed gentry, clergy, and tradesmen of complex character. As always, Trollop refuses to stick to stereotype: the clergyman is an excellent man but does have a proud and stubborn streak, the salt-of-the-earth miller is honest but also proud and stubborn, not to mention an "old pagan" (the last description is something Trollope won't condemn or exalt), and the "heroine" is as frustratingly believable and flawed a person as you'll meet in real life. This is what I love about Trollope. I keep thinking I know what a character will do, based on what a similar character does in another book, and I'm wrong again and again. There are so many lines I "tag" and make a note of because they're such astute observations of human life.

The reader, Mr. Joyce, does an excellent job. I was prepared to hate him because I love Timothy West's readings of Trollope above all, but Joyce nailed it.

Trollope at his best

I've listened to all the Trollope books narrated by Timothy West , so it is difficult to find a better narrator for Trollope books. However, I think Peter Newcombe Joyce does a fantastic job bringing all the characters to live. Trollope's writing is engaging, his characters have flaws, and this book's plot doesn't disappoint. I definitely recommend this book to Trollope lovers and to people who are encountering him for the first time.

Excellent in every way

This has a strong storyline, and it's beautifully read. I think Trollope has the most understanding of the feelings of young women of any author I have read.

no Timothy West, but servicable narration

I'll listen to anything Trollope wrote and enjoy it. for my taste, the narration was vastly improved by slightly increasing the listening speed to 1.10X or so.

The many ladies of Bullhampton

Delightful characters. The vicar of bullhampton and his wife, Janet set to work matchmaking, but the best laid plans sometimes do fall through for their friends Mary and Harry. Two other subplots are concerned with a lady of the night who wants to come home to her parents and the robbing of an old gentleman of the village.Into this mix is added the building of a new church practically on the Vicar of Bull-
Hampton’s front yard. Many. Resolutions. It is a love story!
Mary &a Harry.

Narrator is angry!

The storyline is excellent. The cast of characters are great. However, the narrator makes everybody seem really angry and painful to listen to.

Engrossing

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially when the timing was adjusted to a bit faster mode. The deep voice of the narrator was hard to translate into women's voices, but the timing and intonation as well as emotion invested in the reading was excellent. This book gives one a better understanding of social mores of the time and treats them all with a rather objective, slightly sardonic way point of view.

DELIGHTFUL.

Insightful and witty, eloquently written. I truly enjoyed hanging out in Bullhampton and getting to know the people there. Trollope’s writing is remarkable. I often reread certain passages because they were so perfectly wrought. As for the narrator, Peter Joyce, he was absolutely superb. This one is a gem..

Hearts in love trying to act morally & true to their promises

Im making my way through all Anthony Trollope’s books. Early Brit class struggles, social climbing is handled by Trollope, i think, better than Jane Austin & Henry James.The characters in this romance , unlike T’s other works, dont go to Parliament. The Vicar is a good man, concerned for friends, playing match-maker with his wife, which upsets everyone . Trollope uses his witto elicit laughterat times, & his compassion for his character to move their desire to do good, to cause trouble. A recomended story of hearts try to love well, from parents, to couples to clerics.