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Dr Wortle's School cover art

Dr Wortle's School

By: Anthony Trollope
Narrated by: Timothy West
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Summary

Can it be right to persist in a bigamous marriage? Mr. Peacocke, a classical scholar, has come to Broughtonshire with his beautiful American wife to live as a schoolmaster. But when the blackmailing brother of her first husband - a reprobate from Louisiana - appears at the school gates, their dreadful secret is revealed and the county is scandalised.  

With its scathing depiction of American manhood, it's jousting with convention, and its amiable, egotistical protagonist, Dr Wortle's School is one of the sharpest and most engaging of Trollope's later novels.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Dr Wortle's School

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Dr. Wortle.

Brilliant performance.
Hope for humanity, uplifting and exciting story.
Thank you for the experience.
Dr. Charles Carson.

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An interesting story, expertly told

I really enjoyed this book. There can be no finer narrator than Timothy West. He is a superb reader and has made me in a big fan of Trollope. An inspirational story, sensitively written with such insight into humanity.

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A great reading of a classic

Nice story by a classic realist author about a scandal in a small town. Very well read. in my opinion.

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A situation no longer remarkable

The moral dilemma Dr Wortle finds himself and to which he responds in what I think most of us these days would consider an enlightened and compassionate manner must have been pretty revolutionary at the time - at least, Trollope's treatment of it must have been. I read another review, suggesting Trollope's attitude was 'compassionate' and I think one can't improve on that description. That's one of the great joys of Trollope's writing: his attitudes to a number of things are way ahead of his time and his characters, particularly his women, have credible intellects and he appears to value their opinions - compare Dickens, whose women, though vastly entertaining, are almost all either monsters or ninnies.

So: another interesting and enjoyable story and, as ever, Timothy West is perfectly matched to the material. The man is a master of this. There seem to be some titles still that he hasn't recorded...can someone from Audible ensure he record the remaining ones and that as soon as possible?

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14 people found this helpful

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Very enjoyable.

Perhaps not to everyone's taste, but this is a very enjoyable narrative, and it is expertly read.

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Excellent reading of a minor Trollope

This may not have the breadth of some of the author's other works, but I much enjoyed his humane examination of what must have been a rather shocking subject at the time in which it was written. Superb narration by Timothy West.

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A book for our times

Wonderful. Deeply satisfying exploration of the complexity of wise decision making and the challenges facing a person who wants to take a principled compassionate stance in the face of passive aggressive gossip and media ridicule. Such insight into the best and worst of human nature and the parts in between. It could have been written yesterday.

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A Trollope Classic

A short story by Trollope standards but still the same length as a contemporary novel! Thoroughly enjoyable and expertly read as always. Loved it.

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Great storytelling, beautifully read

This is a short, stand alone Trollope novel revolving around morality and the clergy. The characters are well drawn and the moral dilemma at the heart of the story is dealt with compassionately.
I have listened to the Palliser and Barcherster series and Timothy West's reading of Trollope is a great treat.
The book was published more than a century ago and some of the ideas and language are peculiar to that time.

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Great shorter read

A shorter read than the majority of Trollope’s classics but an absorbing story exploring the usual moral values. Beautifully crafted; the story-line carries you forward to the end.

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