Can you forgive her?

Ce roman raconte l'histoire et le destin de quatre jeunes gens, tous plus ou moins apparentes a l'oncle Bertram, un vieillard millionnaire. Chacun des protagonistes de cette famille a sa propre conception du bonheur, mais tous s'en eloignent en commettant des erreurs liees a leurs passions ou a un manque de discernement...

Les Bertram

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) est un observateur impitoyable de la société victorienne et, plus particulièrement, des mœurs politiques de ses contemporains qu'il a dépeintes dans son fameux cycle des "Palliser Novels ".
Avec ce quatrième titre publié par Albin Michel, nous retrouvons un personnage de Phinéas Finn, le duc d'Omnium, autrement dit Plantagenet Paliser, qui vient d'être nommé Premier ministre. Dans son entourage rôde un jeune homme ambitieux, Ferdinand Lopez qui fait la conquête d'une héritière de bonne famille, Emily Wharton. Mais le père de celle-ci s'oppose au mariage de sa fille avec ce parvenu d'origine étrangère. Discrimination sociale, racisme ou clairvoyance paternelle ? Habilement, Trollope dépeint les aveuglements de l'amour et nous amène à infléchir notre jugement premier.
Ayant recours - comme dans chacun de ses romans - à l'entremêlement de deux intrigues, il s'interroge sur le devenir de la démocratie dans une société hypocrite et corrompue.
La verve ironique de ce contemporain de Dickens, sa maîtrise de l'intrigue et du trait assassin brillent dans cette comédie humaine aux ramifications infinies et subtiles. Avec les années, sa prose rapide et sûre a pris, comme le dit Jacques Roubaud, " une certaine densité de nostalgie " qui, tout en restituant la complexité du monde victorien, nous fait sentir l' "engloutissement progressif " d'une société évoluant non pas vers une catastrophe finale, mais vers une mélancolie décadente.

Le premier ministre

I returned from Greytown and the waters of the San Juan to St. Thomas, spending a few days at Aspinwall and Panama on my journey, as I have before explained; and on this occasion, that of my fourth visit to St. Thomas, I was happy enough to escape without any long stay there. My course now lay to the Bermudas, to which islands a steamer runs once a month from that disagreeable little depot of steam navigation. But as this boat is fitted to certain arrivals and despatches, not at St. Thomas, but at Halifax, and as we reached St. Thomas late on the night of the day on which she should have sailed, and as my missing that vessel would have entailed on me another month's sojourn, and that a summer month, among those islands, it may be imagined that I was rather lively on entering the harbour; - keenly lively to ascertain whether the 'Delta, ' such is the name of the Bermuda boat, was or was not gone on her mission.

Story of the Bermudas

Anthony Trollope est né à Londres en 181 ; et mort en 1882. Fils d’un avocat raté et d’une femme de lettres qui eut une certaine notoriété, il fit carrière comme inspecteur des postes jusqu’en 1867. Entre 1847, date de parution de son premier livre, et sa mort, il publia près de cinquante romans. , ainsi que des nouvelles, et connut une grande célébrité.

La cure de Framley

The site of the present city of Washington was chosen with three special views; firstly, that being on the Potomac it might have the full advantage of water-carriage and a sea-port; secondly, that it might be so far removed from the seaboard as to be safe from invasion; and, thirdly, that it might be central alike to all the States. It was presumed when Washington was founded that these three advantages would be secured by the selected position. As regards the first, the Potomac affords to the city but few of the advantages of a sea-port. Ships can come up, but not ships of large burthen. The river seems to have dwindled since the site was chosen; and at present it is, I think, evident that Washington can never be great in its shipping. Statio benefida carinis can never be its motto. As regards the second point, singularly enough Washington is the only city of the Union that has been in an enemy's possession since the United States became a nation. In the war of 1812 it fell into our hands, and we burnt it. As regards the third point, Washington, from the lie of the land, can hardly have been said to be centrical at any time. Owing to the irregularities of the coast it is not easy of access by railways from different sides. Baltimore would have been far better. But as far as we can now see, and as well as we can now judge, Washington will soon be on the borders of the nation to which it belongs, instead of at its centre. I fear, therefore, that we must acknowledge that the site chosen for his country's capital by George Washington has not been fortunate.
I have a strong idea, which I expressed before in speaking of the capital of the Canadas, that no man can ordain that on such a spot shall be built a great and thriving city. No man can so ordain even though he leave behind him, as was the case with Washington, a prestige sufficient to bind his successors to his wishes. The political leaders of the country have done what they could for Washington. The pride of the nation has endeavoured to sustain the character of its chosen metropolis. There has been no rival, soliciting favour on the strength of other charms. The country has all been agreed on the point since the father of the country first commenced the work.

North America

Dr wortle's school

Les diamants eustace

Doctor Thomas Thorne is guardian to his beautiful but impecunious niece, Mary, whose parentage he has always kept secret. Mary falls in love with Frank Gresham, heir to the dwindling Greshamsbury estate, but when Frank proposes, his parents insist that he must marry for money to restore his family's fortunes. Frank is torn between his love for Mary and his sense of familial duty, whilst Doctor Thorne must decide whether to reveal the secret he has kept for so long. In Doctor Thorne Trollope explores themes of money and society and the conflict between tradition and the need for change. Part of the 'Chronicles of Barsetshire' series on which Trollope's reputation primarily rests, it outsold all of his other novels during his lifetime. This gorgeous edition features an afterword by Ned Halley. Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

Can you forgive her?

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