Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope

Published by Oxford University Press.

First published 1864-1865.

Some books take longer to read than others. This book took me quite a while. I have read it as my main book, read it as an occasional book, put it down for periods, picked it up again.... overall I think it's taken me four distinct periods of time to get through, with the last period (back as my main book) taking eleven days. It is an older book, written in a slower style, and having previously read Barchester Towers by the same author, I was aware of that going in. And yet Can You Forgive Her? was a much harder read. 

In saying that, the book was still enjoyable. Mostly. 

At other times (particularly when my brain wasn't in a 'slow-and-steady' place) attempting to read it was a struggle, even boring.

So, do I recommend this book?

It depends. How good are you with slower paced reads? How much do you appreciate texts from another era, with social norms far different to your own? Do you enjoy satire touching on politics and relationship issues, where (if the social norms were closer to our own) many of the issues would never arise?

If you like these things, you many enjoy this book. I enjoyed it for all these reasons (when I was enjoying it).

Will I read it again? Probably not. It was a long read. And I think it felt even longer, because when I started it I skimmed to the back and noted that there were 418 pages, then felt misled when I realised it was two volumes in one cover and was actually 841 pages! A much bigger investment than I had anticipated.

What about the story, though?

The main focus of Can You Forgive Her? is the idea of relationships, particularly why women make the decisions within relationships they do. We follow a number of women, each of whom makes different decisions that could be seen as the 'wrong' decision, but each of whom we are carefully helped to understand the logic of. So, Alice Vavasor is engaged to a man she loves but whom she finds a little distant (she is right) and 'too perfect' for her (she is wrong). She is persuaded by her cousin Kate to break the engagement, and renew a previous engagement with a much less suitable figure, who is mostly after her for her money. Separately, Alice's friend Glencora is married to a man whom she finds a little distant (she is right) and whom she doesn't think loves her (she is wrong). She is tempted by her former fling to run away with him, and begins making plans to do so, believing herself to still be in love with him. Thirdly, Kate's aunt Mrs Greenow - a widow - is pursued by two gentlemen who wish her hand (and fortune): the farmer Mr Cheesacre, and the ne'er-do-well ex-soldier Captain Bellfield. She, however, claims she is not interested in remarrying, and and instead tries to steer their attention to Kate. 

In each relationship it seems that the women are strong-willed and occasionally taking the wrong perspective on things. Meanwhile, the men are generally quietly confident in their relationships, sometimes a bit too relaxed about things and as a result come across as distant and uncaring. Yet as the novel progresses, all of the characters begin to understand the way their flaws have caused issues, and some even start working to change them.

There are moments of humour, and also moments when I found myself dreading the decisions the characters were on the cusp of making - yes, I was definitely invested in the relationships. And, in Victorian fashion, there are a few over-the-top moments of drama, that nevertheless suit the events that are unfolding.

If the book was a little shorter - perhaps a one volume version of the same story - it would be a more enjoyable read. But there are some gems hidden away within the mountain of story that still make it worthwhile as a one off.

Completed 29 October 2024.

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