Rating: 
Summary: Another Trollope Winner
Review: A deep story of confusion and love. Contains a horrid climax and odd conclusion. Read on!
Rating:
Summary: Extremely satisfactory sequel to PHINEAS FINN
Review: Combined, PHINEAS FINN and PHINEAS REDUX constitute one of the great yarns in Anthony Trollope's large catalog of novels. As art, they are not masterpieces and do not quite match up against his very best books, but as entertainment, they are unsurpassed. Together, they are easily as enjoyable as any that Trollope wrote. All of the major characters of the former novel are back with a vengeance, and a far more satisfying end to the Phineas Finn saga is provided than that provided by the first novel.By all estimations, PHINEAS FINN, while a thoroughly enjoyable novel, ended badly. So badly, that Trollope felt compelled essentially to delete the ending of the former novel, and provide a new ending in the form of a novel to correct the error of his ways. In his AUTOBIOGRAPHY, Trollope expresses his extreme dissatisfaction with the ending of that novel. Happily, he more than atones for his literary sins with the sequel. This novel, like its predecessor, is set against the background of a great political reform. In the former, it was suffrage (i.e., how many people would be given the right to vote), in this one, the disestablishment of the Church of England (i.e., breaking the tie of mandatory local taxes to support the Anglican Church). Perhaps for this reason, Phineas Finn's Catholicism, which was not alluded to in the former novel, is made much of. The same cast of parliamentary characters are brought back for this new controversy. One curiosity is that sometimes Trollope refers by name to the achievements of members of parliament such as Gladstone, Disraeli, or John Bright. What is odd about this is the fact that Gresham is pretty transparently based on Gladstone, Daubeny on Disraeli, and Trumbull on John Bright. Far more than the Barsetshire novels, a large number of increasingly familiar characters flit in and out of the various political novels. The major characters of one novels are found as minor characters in another. As one works through the novels in the political series, one sees such characters as Glencora Palliser, Joshua Monk, Mr. Rattler, Lord Fawn, Lord and Lady Cantrip, Lizzie Eustace, and a myriad of other characters. One of my favorite Trollope characters is prominent in PHINEAS REDUX, Madame Max Goesler. Dark in her features, thin, beautiful, extremely wealthy, widowed, extremely self-possessed, sharply intelligent, efficient, and very much a woman of action, she seems very much to be a woman before her time. One of the most remarkable things about Trollope, who was in many ways the epitome of the Victorian world, was his obvious love for strong, intelligent, exceptional women. Although there are many such women in Trollope's novels, Madame Goesler is easily the one I find most compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely satisfactory sequel to PHINEAS FINN
Review: Combined, PHINEAS FINN and PHINEAS REDUX constitute one of the great yarns in Anthony Trollope's large catalog of novels. As art, they are not masterpieces and do not quite match up against his very best books, but as entertainment, they are unsurpassed. Together, they are easily as enjoyable as any that Trollope wrote. All of the major characters of the former novel are back with a vengeance, and a far more satisfying end to the Phineas Finn saga is provided than that provided by the first novel. By all estimations, PHINEAS FINN, while a thoroughly enjoyable novel, ended badly. So badly, that Trollope felt compelled essentially to delete the ending of the former novel, and provide a new ending in the form of a novel to correct the error of his ways. In his AUTOBIOGRAPHY, Trollope expresses his extreme dissatisfaction with the ending of that novel. Happily, he more than atones for his literary sins with the sequel. This novel, like its predecessor, is set against the background of a great political reform. In the former, it was suffrage (i.e., how many people would be given the right to vote), in this one, the disestablishment of the Church of England (i.e., breaking the tie of mandatory local taxes to support the Anglican Church). Perhaps for this reason, Phineas Finn's Catholicism, which was not alluded to in the former novel, is made much of. The same cast of parliamentary characters are brought back for this new controversy. One curiosity is that sometimes Trollope refers by name to the achievements of members of parliament such as Gladstone, Disraeli, or John Bright. What is odd about this is the fact that Gresham is pretty transparently based on Gladstone, Daubeny on Disraeli, and Trumbull on John Bright. Far more than the Barsetshire novels, a large number of increasingly familiar characters flit in and out of the various political novels. The major characters of one novels are found as minor characters in another. As one works through the novels in the political series, one sees such characters as Glencora Palliser, Joshua Monk, Mr. Rattler, Lord Fawn, Lord and Lady Cantrip, Lizzie Eustace, and a myriad of other characters. One of my favorite Trollope characters is prominent in PHINEAS REDUX, Madame Max Goesler. Dark in her features, thin, beautiful, extremely wealthy, widowed, extremely self-possessed, sharply intelligent, efficient, and very much a woman of action, she seems very much to be a woman before her time. One of the most remarkable things about Trollope, who was in many ways the epitome of the Victorian world, was his obvious love for strong, intelligent, exceptional women. Although there are many such women in Trollope's novels, Madame Goesler is easily the one I find most compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Another Trollope Winner
Review: First, if you haven't read "Phineas Finn," be sure to read it first. "Phineas Redux" certainly can be enjoyed without knowing the earlier novel, but it would mean so much more if you saw how Phineas's character and his relationships with others have developed from the first. "Phineas Brought Back" (as the title means) really brings back Phineas Finn with a vengeance. The handsome, sincere young Irishman has always been a favorite with the ladies. In the first novel he was wounded by a jealous rival; in this one he is fired at by another and has his name scandalized in a newspaper. The high point of the novel is his trial for the murder of a political enemy. Trollope's genius for character development is superb in these 2 novels. Phineas grows from a naive political novice into a highly capable government official, but his conscientiousness keeps him from playing party politics and causes problems with other members of his party. Phineas maintains his total honesty, a trait which frequently is to his detriment in the real world. His reactions to his imprisonment, trial, and acquittal are exactly right, so perfectly true to the character which Trollope has built up through hundreds of pages. At the end of the novel, Phineas is still Phineas, but he is a much wiser and sadly disillusioned man. However, he receives the reward of a splendid mate, a woman who is truly worthy of him and whom he now has matured enough to appreciate. If only he had married her when she proposed to him in the first novel! But then none of his engrossing problems would have occurred. This is one of Trollope's most exciting novels, a true page-turner in the trial sequence. As always, every characterization is extremely well done by one of the world's greatest authors.
Rating:
Summary: The exciting climax of the Phineas Finn story.
Review: First, if you haven't read "Phineas Finn," be sure to read it first. "Phineas Redux" certainly can be enjoyed without knowing the earlier novel, but it would mean so much more if you saw how Phineas's character and his relationships with others have developed from the first. "Phineas Brought Back" (as the title means) really brings back Phineas Finn with a vengeance. The handsome, sincere young Irishman has always been a favorite with the ladies. In the first novel he was wounded by a jealous rival; in this one he is fired at by another and has his name scandalized in a newspaper. The high point of the novel is his trial for the murder of a political enemy. Trollope's genius for character development is superb in these 2 novels. Phineas grows from a naive political novice into a highly capable government official, but his conscientiousness keeps him from playing party politics and causes problems with other members of his party. Phineas maintains his total honesty, a trait which frequently is to his detriment in the real world. His reactions to his imprisonment, trial, and acquittal are exactly right, so perfectly true to the character which Trollope has built up through hundreds of pages. At the end of the novel, Phineas is still Phineas, but he is a much wiser and sadly disillusioned man. However, he receives the reward of a splendid mate, a woman who is truly worthy of him and whom he now has matured enough to appreciate. If only he had married her when she proposed to him in the first novel! But then none of his engrossing problems would have occurred. This is one of Trollope's most exciting novels, a true page-turner in the trial sequence. As always, every characterization is extremely well done by one of the world's greatest authors.
Rating: 
Summary: Five Stars On Any Other Scale
Review: How can one criticise a delicious chocolate in one's favourite box? Sheer enjoyment though by no means a perfect novel. The Bonteen murder thing does not survive re-readings. Madame Max never comes to life and as such one cannot envision Phineas's married life with her, though one is pleased that he ends the novel wealthy! The Phineas in this novel is a weaker depiction than the hero of "Phineas Finn" and this is not a consequence of the author's deliberate attempt to depict a more mature and jaded Phineas - Trollope presumes we should know him. What works in "Phineas Redux" are the tiny details which provide bulletins of the maturing marriage between Glencora and the Duke, virtually all of the contributing characters, and the world of Victorian politics; in this novel we are not quite so subject to the slavish accounts of parliamentary 'to'ings and 'fro'ings as we were in the first Phineas novel. And whilst we miss the energy of the wonderful "Eustace Diamonds" sandwiched between the two, we are grateful that Lizzie and her revolting husband reappear to be reviled and admired on cue. Trollope's depiction of Lizzie shows why he is an incredible novelist, and how, despite himself, he thought wildly outside the Victorian sphere of morality. He loves her as one would love a creature or specimen held within one's control, pinned to a butterfly board or caged in a zoo. He loves her animalism. And then he is dragged back down to Victorian ignorance by the anti-semitism rampant in his depiction of the reverned Emilius. Unfortunate, but it was of its time and few can escape their time - Dickens certainly could not. One closes this novel feeling they have partaken of the politics and society of Victorian Britain. One has brushed coats with the Duke of St Bungay, compassionated the fall of Lady Laura, and shared the warmth of the Chiltern drawing room. It's not Trollope's best work, but it would make stunning television were it to be remade with the modernity required by current audiences, and it carries the reader on to Trollope's next novels, with full assurance that he is one of the greatest pleasure givers of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars On Any Other Scale
Review: How can one criticise a delicious chocolate in one's favourite box? Sheer enjoyment though by no means a perfect novel. The Bonteen murder thing does not survive re-readings. Madame Max never comes to life and as such one cannot envision Phineas's married life with her, though one is pleased that he ends the novel wealthy! The Phineas in this novel is a weaker depiction than the hero of "Phineas Finn" and this is not a consequence of the author's deliberate attempt to depict a more mature and jaded Phineas - Trollope presumes we should know him. What works in "Phineas Redux" are the tiny details which provide bulletins of the maturing marriage between Glencora and the Duke, virtually all of the contributing characters, and the world of Victorian politics; in this novel we are not quite so subject to the slavish accounts of parliamentary 'to'ings and 'fro'ings as we were in the first Phineas novel. And whilst we miss the energy of the wonderful "Eustace Diamonds" sandwiched between the two, we are grateful that Lizzie and her revolting husband reappear to be reviled and admired on cue. Trollope's depiction of Lizzie shows why he is an incredible novelist, and how, despite himself, he thought wildly outside the Victorian sphere of morality. He loves her as one would love a creature or specimen held within one's control, pinned to a butterfly board or caged in a zoo. He loves her animalism. And then he is dragged back down to Victorian ignorance by the anti-semitism rampant in his depiction of the reverned Emilius. Unfortunate, but it was of its time and few can escape their time - Dickens certainly could not. One closes this novel feeling they have partaken of the politics and society of Victorian Britain. One has brushed coats with the Duke of St Bungay, compassionated the fall of Lady Laura, and shared the warmth of the Chiltern drawing room. It's not Trollope's best work, but it would make stunning television were it to be remade with the modernity required by current audiences, and it carries the reader on to Trollope's next novels, with full assurance that he is one of the greatest pleasure givers of all time.
Rating:
Summary: You'll want to read again.
Review: Phineas Redux is by far, in my opinion, the best of Trollope's works. I can't really say what makes it that fabulous, but once you started reading, you can't stop. Anthony Trollope had fully developed the characters, and made them very human. The feelings stitched into the story has made an impact on the readers' mind, enabling to feel for the characters themselves. This, I think, is a very important point why I consider this book one of his best.
Rating:
Summary: Good sequel to "Phineas Finn."
Review: The Pallisers carry on in this rambling Victorian novel. Phineas Finn's wife dies, and he again enters politics. He picks up with the various women in his life. Violet Effingham is now happily married. Laura Standish is married, but estranged from her husband. Marie Goesler is the eternal enigma. Love and money again wreaks havoc with Phineas's life. Trollope mesmerizes the reader with polished prose that adds a touch of elegance. Style prevails over substance in his novels. British politics are bewildering, but Victorian manners and morals are the real story. The mating dance that unfolds in drawing rooms and country weekends is amusing. Subplots abound. The novel has more drama than usual. Phineas is accused of murder. Trollope manages unexpected tenderness in his depiction of Laura Kennedy. She longs for Phineas, who once was her lover. Fearing scandal, she suffers a lonely life, and regrets what might have been. Lady Glencora and Plantagenet Palliser play a role in the book. They are now the Duke and Duchess of Omnium. Consequently, a new dilemma confronts Plantagenet. Lady Glencora is the tireless meddler, regardless. Marie Goesler is ever more important in Phineas's life. Trollope's work is lightweight, but refreshing. This book is good down time reading to escape the clamor and fast pace of modern life. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Good sequel to "Phineas Finn."
Review: The Pallisers carry on in this rambling Victorian novel. Phineas Finn's wife dies, and he again enters politics. He picks up with the various women in his life. Violet Effingham is now happily married. Laura Standish is married, but estranged from her husband. Marie Goesler is the eternal enigma. Love and money again wreaks havoc with Phineas's life. Trollope mesmerizes the reader with polished prose that adds a touch of elegance. Style prevails over substance in his novels. British politics are bewildering, but Victorian manners and morals are the real story. The mating dance that unfolds in drawing rooms and country weekends is amusing. Subplots abound. The novel has more drama than usual. Phineas is accused of murder. Trollope manages unexpected tenderness in his depiction of Laura Kennedy. She longs for Phineas, who once was her lover. Fearing scandal, she suffers a lonely life, and regrets what might have been. Lady Glencora and Plantagenet Palliser play a role in the book. They are now the Duke and Duchess of Omnium. Consequently, a new dilemma confronts Plantagenet. Lady Glencora is the tireless meddler, regardless. Marie Goesler is ever more important in Phineas's life. Trollope's work is lightweight, but refreshing. This book is good down time reading to escape the clamor and fast pace of modern life. ;-)
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