A tightly constructed and passionate study of enforced marriage in the world of Radical politics and social inequality. The novel records the lifelong attempt of Countess Lovel to justify her claim to her title, and her daughter Ann's legitimacy, after her husband announces that he already has a wife. Anna falles in love with the journeyman tailor and young Radical, Daniel Thwaite, but her mother wishes her to marry her cousin, heir to her father's title. Can Anna be allowed -- can she allow herself -- to change her mind? ...Trollope's ambivalence on the question is profound.

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Both Rachel Ray’s mother and elder sister are widows. They live a quiet life in their rural village, under the shadow of the nearby town of Baslehurst. When Rachel’s attractions catch the eye of Luke Rowan—a young man recently arrived in town to develop a brewery in which he has a commercial interest—reactions are varied. Her friends are jealous, her pious sister affronted; and Luke’s status in the town suffers a blow. While the nature of Rachel’s attachment to Mr. Rowan provokes speculation, the affairs of others in the town run their own course. Rachel Ray is a tale of obstacles to the course of true love, told in Anthony Trollope’s gentle and well-observed style. Yet Trollope laces this otherwise unexacting narrative with probing explorations of personal morals, religious integrity, and even political prejudice. It might now seem remarkable that this innocuous novel should have been the focus of controversy when it was serialized, but Trollope’s capacity to display the potentially hypocritical elements in Christian morality drew the ire of certain prominent ministers. If anything, the controversy only fueled its commercial success after it was published in a single volume. Since then, its charms have won for it a continuing readership, appreciative of the deft and delicate strokes with which Trollope depicts a few moments in the life of a Devonshire town. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

Contains articles which focus on a broad spectrum of significant figures in 19th century British fiction.