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Available
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Publication
Oxford University Press, USA (1993), Paperback, 656 pages
Description
Perhaps it was more the fault of Daniel Caldigate the father than of his son John Caldigate that they two could not live together in comfort in the days of the young man's early youth.
User reviews
LibraryThing member atheist_goat
Whoa. Trollope does Australia and scandal (serious scandal: our hero lives with a woman outside of marriage for quite some time). Kind of remarkable, and I do love me some Trollope. Not his best writing, but the matter-of-fact way he handles his audacious subject matter is impressive.
LibraryThing member MariaAlhambra
A minor Trollope with an unusually sensational theme, the story of a prodigal son who emigrates to Australia, returns rich, marries the daughter of a Purian family and is later accused of bigamy by his former mistress. Trollope abandons here his habitual narrative honesty when dealing with suspense
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and ends up handling the plot rather clumsily and dishonestly. There are echoes of Phineas Redux and The last Chronicle of Barset in its subject matter, but it lacks their psychological insight. It has nonetheless interest for Trollopians: the Australian scenes are fine, as well as the trial and investigation. A particular highlight is Samuel Bagwax, the ingenious post-office civil servant who solves the mystery, renouncing in the way to an all expenses paid trip to Sydney (no small sacrifice). Show Less
LibraryThing member ritaer
After unwise cohabitation in Australia, man is accused and convicted of bigamy in England. Perjury of accusers eventually proven.
LibraryThing member pgchuis
John Caldigate goes to Australia in disgrace after running up debts at university and being disinherited by his father. There he mines for gold and returns seven years later a rich man. He is reconciled with his father and marries the daughter of a very religious family, whom he admired before he
More than any other Trollope novel I have read, this is a really suspenseful page-turner. Trollope is sly in glossing over and then only gradually revealing the true nature of John's dealings with Mrs Smith, in contrast to his usual habit of being up front with the reader. The sections in Australia were brief enough to be interesting, the evidence turned up by Mr Bagwax was reminiscent of a modern crime novel and the Boltons were excellent characters. I struggled to believe much in the love Mrs Bolton and Hester allegedly felt for one another, but the determination of the Boltons to convict John was shocking and convincingly narrated. Trollope created an even more than usually morally compromised/nuanced character in John Caldigate and overall there was a pacy, "modern" feel to the whole story.
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went away. Then a woman he knew in Australia (Mrs Smith aka Mrs Caldigate) claims he is married to her and John is tried for bigamy.More than any other Trollope novel I have read, this is a really suspenseful page-turner. Trollope is sly in glossing over and then only gradually revealing the true nature of John's dealings with Mrs Smith, in contrast to his usual habit of being up front with the reader. The sections in Australia were brief enough to be interesting, the evidence turned up by Mr Bagwax was reminiscent of a modern crime novel and the Boltons were excellent characters. I struggled to believe much in the love Mrs Bolton and Hester allegedly felt for one another, but the determination of the Boltons to convict John was shocking and convincingly narrated. Trollope created an even more than usually morally compromised/nuanced character in John Caldigate and overall there was a pacy, "modern" feel to the whole story.
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Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1879
Physical description
656 p.; 7.24 inches
ISBN
0192828177 / 9780192828170