Experimental feature: Order
Kept in the Dark from the UK, Canada, Germany or France by clicking an appropriate flag below.
Some items available at
Amazon.com are not available in all countries.
Kept in the Dark (1882) by Anthony Trollope, one of his final works, contains all the elements for which the author is so well-loved, the ups and downs, tragedy and joy of relationships, rendered with the sensibility of Jane Austen and the heartwarming cheer of Dickens.
Here, couples love and fight, engagements are made and broken, romantic deceptions, misunderstandings and wonderful revelations come to light, as only Trollope could write them.
Customer Rating: 



Review Summary: Secrets and the strength of love
Review: One of Trollope's later and shorter novels, this tells the story of a woman who keeps secret from her husband a previous engagement to another man; when he finally finds out about it he leaves her. What happens is this: Cecilia Holt decides to break off her engagement to the neglectful Sir Francis Geraldine. Later she meets and falls in love with George Western, who has also been jilted; he tells her about his past, but she doesn't reveal hers to him, and then they marry. But Sir Francis writes to Western and spills the beans; appalled by Cecilia's silence and soon suspicious of her motives, leaves her. By the end all is made right by Western's sister Lady Grant.
The central episode that drives the novel seems like a mountain made out of a molehill today, but Cecilia Holt is an excellently drawn character - strong and determined (maybe too much so). She refuses Western's money after he leaves her and expects him to apologize to her when he returns. Trollope's realism is in full control when at the end Cecilia has romantic notions regarding Western's return, but Trollope will have none of it; Western's stoicism is something Cecilia is just going to have to accept. Some of the secondary scenes, especially those involving Sir Francis and Miss Altifiorla, are quite humorous. This novel doesn't rank with Trollope's very best work, but it's still entertaining and interesting in its own way.
Customer Rating: 



Review Summary: Best Kept in the Dark
Review: I am an avid fan of Trollope, but even so, I was unwilling to work through this difficult-to-read double-column format wrapped in a garish cover. I presume the original was in a 19th century magazine and this is merely photo-offset, but the product is clumsy and wearisome to the eye.
Customer Rating: 



Review Summary: an affirmation of marriage
Review: An editorial review mentioned that this is a story about the near-destruction of a marriage. I see it, rather, as the affirmation of true marriage. Both the hero and heroine--having been misled about the character of previous betrothal connections must overcome feelings of distrust and personal pride to come to a true understanding . . . Trollope uses this novel to show that honesty and integrity are not just virtues; they are essentials. In a time when so many best-sellers end in divorce, Trollope's characters come to the end of this short novel stronger and more true--and still married. And those who are untrue are exposed along the way.