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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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Dr Wortle's School

Timothy West reads the book with great clarity. The characters are clearly delineated. Trollope has the ability to describe a character so that you are able to know not only what they look like but how they think and act. Timothy West does justice to the author and I was completely absorbed in the story from beginning to end. The mark of a great author is that even though this is set in a time far removed from ours as regards marriage, living in sin and other moral situations we can easily identify with the moral dilemmas.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful performance

As always, Timothy West reads perfectly. It is wonderful how he manages subtly to suggest the voices of the characters, even the American accent of Mrs Peacock.
His interpretation adds hugely to my enjoyment of the book, as does all his Trollope readings. I wish he would record more of them.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gentle tale

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes Because it is a very interesting reflection on the time it was written

Who was your favorite character and why?

The curate, because he was an old fashioned gentleman

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The reconciliation at the end

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No It was a book to listen to at leisure

Any additional comments?

Anthony Trollop's stories are all worth reading or listening to

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Masterful reading by Timothy West

It’s fun to discover the standalone Trollope novels and I cannot imagine a better narrator for this purpose than Timothy West. He is subtle and intelligent, bringing out all the dry wit and good humour, as well as the good-heartedness, which characterise Trollope.
An unusual story with very different and surprising elements, with a wonderful character at the centre and some genuinely interesting questions about true moral values.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Typically Trollope.

Brilliant narration . An excellent story with subtle humour and an intriguing plot.I feel that Dr.Wortle must be at the very least half cousin to Barchesters Archdeacon Grantly.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable.

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

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

I listened to this over a short space of time, good story, well narrated. The only reservation I have is Timothy West’s putting on of voices to read the characters which sounded more like parody (especially the American accents).

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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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1 person found this helpful