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The Eustace Diamonds (Penguin Classics)
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Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Author: Anthony Trollope
Publisher: Penguin Classics
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Our Price: $8.80
You Save: $ 2.20 ( 20% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Author: Anthony Trollope
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Average Customer Rating:
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The Eustace Diamonds (Penguin Classics) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780141441207
ISBN: 0141441208
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 800
Publication Date: 2004-12-28
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780141441207
ISBN: 0141441208
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 800
Publication Date: 2004-12-28
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Editorial Review of The Eustace Diamonds (Penguin Classics)
The third novel in Trollope’s Palliser series, The Eustace Diamonds bears all the hallmarks of his later works, blending dark cynicism with humor and a keen perception of human nature. Following the death of her husband, Sir Florian, beautiful Lizzie Eustace mysteriously comes into possession of a hugely expensive diamond necklace. She maintains it was a gift from her husband, but the Eustace lawyers insist she give it up, and while her cousin Frank takes her side, her new lover, Lord Fawn, declares that he will only marry her if the necklace is surrendered. As gossip and scandal intensify, Lizzie’s truthfulness is thrown into doubt, and, in her desire to keep the jewels, she is driven to increasingly desperate acts.
Customer Reviews of The Eustace Diamonds (Penguin Classics)
Customer Rating: 
Review Summary: The Eustace Diamonds is a glittering gem of a three decker Victorian classic by the pen of Anthony Trollope
Review: Why are Victorian novels so long? Among other reasons one which stands out is that they were often serialized in popular magazines. This novel of 1873 was serialized in "The Fortnightly Review." It is one of the six novels comprising the Palliser Series which deals with the British upper crust and politcs as the fortunes of Prime Minister Platangenet Palisser and his feisty wife Glencora are examined. In this novel they play a minor role sharing gossip about Lizzie Eustace and nothing much else.
Lizzie Eustace is the fetching and sexy young widow of Lord Eustace. She has given birth to a son. Lizzie is similar to the scheming Becky Sharp who proceeded her by fifty years and Scarlett O'Hara who came seventy years later and a continent away. Lizzie claims that a 10,000 necklace was given her by her late mate but the family wants it as an heirloom. That is the plot of this 800 page novel!
Lizzie is courted by Lord George Carruthers; refuses marriage to the stupid and dull Lord Fawn and is infatuated with her cousin Frank Greystock. Frank has tied up with the good but colorless Lucy Morris who is a governess to the Fawn family featuring Lady Fawn and several of her daughters.
The novel becomes a mystery story as the diamonds are stolen from Lizzie? Who took them and why? Check with Miss Crabstick her maid and rich
but dishonest jewel dealers in London. Trollope goes to Scotland Yard to follow the case as Lizzie comes under a cloud. Lizzie is exonerated but she is a nefarious lady who cannot tell the truth always searching for a handsome Corsair to whisk her away on a stallion of her romantic imaginings.
A good side tale is that of Mrs. Carbuncle and her ward Lucinda Roanoke who seek to wed a title and filthy lucre. Lucinda is to wed Sir Griffin but backs out as the man is an odious and offensive nonentity.
Trollope includes a few chapters on fox hunting of which he was a clumsy but devoted adherent. The book is filled with humor, mystery, romance and closely observed English aristocratic life in the 1870s.
Unlike other of his huge novels this one moves at a quicker pace though the reader is wearied with the umpteenth explanation of what happened to the jewels recounted by various characters.
Anthony Trollope deserves high praise for his storytelling abilities which place him in the top rank of Victorian and British authors. This is one of the best of the Palliser novels. Enjoy the complex Lizzie Eustace as she will take you on a journey through many pages with her panache and deceitfully sly ways.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Too much fun for words!
Review: Anthony Trollope was a writer well-known in Britain during the Victorian era, but until I was introduced to The Eustace Diamonds during a local book club, I had never heard of him. Trollope is famous for his lengthy "exposes" on middle class Victorian society, and this one is a real hoot! His prose is easy to read, and although the book is a bit lengthy, it is well worth the time. The Eustace Diamonds is essentially a Victorian "soap opera" but the characters and situations are so well-drawn that one can easily believe the same absurdities occurring in the modern world. What I like most about this novel is that the "heroine", if you can call her that, gets just what she deserves in a wonderfully ironic ending.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Hard to put down
Review: I suspect that Anthony Trollope who knew the language so well and used it so nicely would have sneered at the adjective "exciting" to characterize this exquisite novel. So over-used, so vulgar, so trans-Atlantic an epithet! Well,maybe so. Nevertheless, that is the word that springs inevitably to my mind--vulgar though it may be!--when I think of Trollope's picaresque heroine in "The Eustace Diamonds." Trollope's plots are usually pretty formulaic; we read him for his wonderful characters. But, in this novel, the plot of more than usually intriguing and the anti-heroine is a triumph.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: She Loves the Diamonds and Is Determined to Have Them: Still Amusing and Incisive
Review: Anthony Trollope's `The Eustace Diamonds' is sometimes referred to as the third of his Palliser novels, but this is misleading. This novel is only loosely connected with the series, and can be read and enjoyed without the knowledge about the other `Palliser' novels. And though many would prefer his earlier works, `Diamonds' shows considerable merit of its own with its satires on the world he lived in, and vivid portraits of the intriguing characters..
The novel is best remembered for beautiful Lizzie Eustace, strong-willed (and unscrupulous) heroine. She claims that her late husband Sir Florian Eustace `gave' the precious diamonds of the Eustace family to her, and she is determined to have them. Of course, such an expensive thing cannot be `given' so casually, and the family's lawyer Mr. Camperdown starts to fight to regain what he thinks is the heirloom of the Eustace family.
But no one can stop Lizzie. After brief mourning, we find Lizzie engaged to Lord Fawn, indecisive, but respectable gentleman. While timid Lord Fawn soon regrets his hasty decision, and hesitates to marry her, Lizzie has plenty of time to think about the alternative plans - how about Lord George, or her cousin Frank Greystock? Frank is already engaged to Lucy Morris, but Lucy is only a governess, and he is MP, isn't it? But whatever her final choice may be, Lizzie is determined to teach Lord Fawn a lesson before that.
But things get confusing when the diamonds are `stolen' by thieves in he middle of the night. (`The Eustace Diamonds' was originally published in 1872, only four years after the huge success of `The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins.) But what really happened to the diamonds is not the novelist's real concern because he reveals it very soon. I will not write that part. I can only say Trollope's idea is very ingenious.
`The Eustace Diamonds' is not a detective story, but the fate of the characters is as interesting as the discovery of The Moonstone. Will Lizzie get what she wants? Will Frank marry Lucy? Trollope, whose digressive habits sometimes damage his works, succeeds in creating the tightly-constructed plot here. Plus, there are some funny in-jokes. In one scene Lizzie changes the date of her letter, and the narratives about her action can be taken as Trollope's own commentary on the meticulous details of Collins' novels.
Not everything is good, I must say. The chapters about hunting are, I thought, a bit lengthy and Jewish characters, though they are relatively minor ones, will be called negative stereotypes.
But I find the book very amusing with the lively characters and interesting story, especially Lizzie Eustace, who often mistakes lies for poetry. `The Eustace Diamonds' shows the author's clear vision of the society. The satires are often biting, and the narratives are incisive. (Though very briefly, Lizzie appears again later in `Phineas Redux.')
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Everyone knows a Lady Eustace
Review: From the very start of this novel, you know that you're not going to like Lizzie (Lady Eustace), the main character. She's one of those women who does ANYthing she can to get her way...and she'll be damned if she doesn't get it. She can flirt, act sweet and innocent, step on other women's toes, turn on her tears in a timely manner...and all of the men are just bending over backwards to help her. She was born with nothing, and she's going to get what she wants in life. She starts out by getting herself a rich husband who will conveniently die right away and leave his riches and jewels to her. But, wait, did he "correct" his will in the exact manner Lizzie wanted before he died? Well, it doesn't matter, she'll get what she wants (the Eustace diamonds) in another manner---wear them around and refuse to take them off! It's difficult to contradict this extremely clever woman, but she has enemies who are certainly going to try. Some of her "tricks" to get her way just want to make you scream--she can be SO cruel and heartless.
Review Summary: The Eustace Diamonds is a glittering gem of a three decker Victorian classic by the pen of Anthony Trollope
Review: Why are Victorian novels so long? Among other reasons one which stands out is that they were often serialized in popular magazines. This novel of 1873 was serialized in "The Fortnightly Review." It is one of the six novels comprising the Palliser Series which deals with the British upper crust and politcs as the fortunes of Prime Minister Platangenet Palisser and his feisty wife Glencora are examined. In this novel they play a minor role sharing gossip about Lizzie Eustace and nothing much else.
Lizzie Eustace is the fetching and sexy young widow of Lord Eustace. She has given birth to a son. Lizzie is similar to the scheming Becky Sharp who proceeded her by fifty years and Scarlett O'Hara who came seventy years later and a continent away. Lizzie claims that a 10,000 necklace was given her by her late mate but the family wants it as an heirloom. That is the plot of this 800 page novel!
Lizzie is courted by Lord George Carruthers; refuses marriage to the stupid and dull Lord Fawn and is infatuated with her cousin Frank Greystock. Frank has tied up with the good but colorless Lucy Morris who is a governess to the Fawn family featuring Lady Fawn and several of her daughters.
The novel becomes a mystery story as the diamonds are stolen from Lizzie? Who took them and why? Check with Miss Crabstick her maid and rich
but dishonest jewel dealers in London. Trollope goes to Scotland Yard to follow the case as Lizzie comes under a cloud. Lizzie is exonerated but she is a nefarious lady who cannot tell the truth always searching for a handsome Corsair to whisk her away on a stallion of her romantic imaginings.
A good side tale is that of Mrs. Carbuncle and her ward Lucinda Roanoke who seek to wed a title and filthy lucre. Lucinda is to wed Sir Griffin but backs out as the man is an odious and offensive nonentity.
Trollope includes a few chapters on fox hunting of which he was a clumsy but devoted adherent. The book is filled with humor, mystery, romance and closely observed English aristocratic life in the 1870s.
Unlike other of his huge novels this one moves at a quicker pace though the reader is wearied with the umpteenth explanation of what happened to the jewels recounted by various characters.
Anthony Trollope deserves high praise for his storytelling abilities which place him in the top rank of Victorian and British authors. This is one of the best of the Palliser novels. Enjoy the complex Lizzie Eustace as she will take you on a journey through many pages with her panache and deceitfully sly ways.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Too much fun for words!
Review: Anthony Trollope was a writer well-known in Britain during the Victorian era, but until I was introduced to The Eustace Diamonds during a local book club, I had never heard of him. Trollope is famous for his lengthy "exposes" on middle class Victorian society, and this one is a real hoot! His prose is easy to read, and although the book is a bit lengthy, it is well worth the time. The Eustace Diamonds is essentially a Victorian "soap opera" but the characters and situations are so well-drawn that one can easily believe the same absurdities occurring in the modern world. What I like most about this novel is that the "heroine", if you can call her that, gets just what she deserves in a wonderfully ironic ending.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Hard to put down
Review: I suspect that Anthony Trollope who knew the language so well and used it so nicely would have sneered at the adjective "exciting" to characterize this exquisite novel. So over-used, so vulgar, so trans-Atlantic an epithet! Well,maybe so. Nevertheless, that is the word that springs inevitably to my mind--vulgar though it may be!--when I think of Trollope's picaresque heroine in "The Eustace Diamonds." Trollope's plots are usually pretty formulaic; we read him for his wonderful characters. But, in this novel, the plot of more than usually intriguing and the anti-heroine is a triumph.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: She Loves the Diamonds and Is Determined to Have Them: Still Amusing and Incisive
Review: Anthony Trollope's `The Eustace Diamonds' is sometimes referred to as the third of his Palliser novels, but this is misleading. This novel is only loosely connected with the series, and can be read and enjoyed without the knowledge about the other `Palliser' novels. And though many would prefer his earlier works, `Diamonds' shows considerable merit of its own with its satires on the world he lived in, and vivid portraits of the intriguing characters..
The novel is best remembered for beautiful Lizzie Eustace, strong-willed (and unscrupulous) heroine. She claims that her late husband Sir Florian Eustace `gave' the precious diamonds of the Eustace family to her, and she is determined to have them. Of course, such an expensive thing cannot be `given' so casually, and the family's lawyer Mr. Camperdown starts to fight to regain what he thinks is the heirloom of the Eustace family.
But no one can stop Lizzie. After brief mourning, we find Lizzie engaged to Lord Fawn, indecisive, but respectable gentleman. While timid Lord Fawn soon regrets his hasty decision, and hesitates to marry her, Lizzie has plenty of time to think about the alternative plans - how about Lord George, or her cousin Frank Greystock? Frank is already engaged to Lucy Morris, but Lucy is only a governess, and he is MP, isn't it? But whatever her final choice may be, Lizzie is determined to teach Lord Fawn a lesson before that.
But things get confusing when the diamonds are `stolen' by thieves in he middle of the night. (`The Eustace Diamonds' was originally published in 1872, only four years after the huge success of `The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins.) But what really happened to the diamonds is not the novelist's real concern because he reveals it very soon. I will not write that part. I can only say Trollope's idea is very ingenious.
`The Eustace Diamonds' is not a detective story, but the fate of the characters is as interesting as the discovery of The Moonstone. Will Lizzie get what she wants? Will Frank marry Lucy? Trollope, whose digressive habits sometimes damage his works, succeeds in creating the tightly-constructed plot here. Plus, there are some funny in-jokes. In one scene Lizzie changes the date of her letter, and the narratives about her action can be taken as Trollope's own commentary on the meticulous details of Collins' novels.
Not everything is good, I must say. The chapters about hunting are, I thought, a bit lengthy and Jewish characters, though they are relatively minor ones, will be called negative stereotypes.
But I find the book very amusing with the lively characters and interesting story, especially Lizzie Eustace, who often mistakes lies for poetry. `The Eustace Diamonds' shows the author's clear vision of the society. The satires are often biting, and the narratives are incisive. (Though very briefly, Lizzie appears again later in `Phineas Redux.')
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Everyone knows a Lady Eustace
Review: From the very start of this novel, you know that you're not going to like Lizzie (Lady Eustace), the main character. She's one of those women who does ANYthing she can to get her way...and she'll be damned if she doesn't get it. She can flirt, act sweet and innocent, step on other women's toes, turn on her tears in a timely manner...and all of the men are just bending over backwards to help her. She was born with nothing, and she's going to get what she wants in life. She starts out by getting herself a rich husband who will conveniently die right away and leave his riches and jewels to her. But, wait, did he "correct" his will in the exact manner Lizzie wanted before he died? Well, it doesn't matter, she'll get what she wants (the Eustace diamonds) in another manner---wear them around and refuse to take them off! It's difficult to contradict this extremely clever woman, but she has enemies who are certainly going to try. Some of her "tricks" to get her way just want to make you scream--she can be SO cruel and heartless.
This novel is a battle of wills...a woman and her enemies. You don't have to like her, but you must admit she's on a higher playing field than everyone else...and she should at least get credit for her effort and her cleverness! Everyone knows a woman like Lady Eustace and hopes she gets what she deserves. This book will show you if she does. It's very long, but the political plots that are a part of the other books in this series are left out and make for an entertaining, can't-put-it-down read.