Review: The Eustace Diamonds

This is the second Anthony Trollope novel I've read. I was surprised to find I liked it much better than The Way We Live Now.

The Eustace Diamonds is an 1871 novel by Anthony Trollope. It's the third in the Palliser series, but can be read without knowledge of the previous books. (In fact I didn't realise at first that it was part of a series!) It was adapted into part of The Pallisers miniseries in 1974.

Our "heroine" (I use that term very loosely) is Lizzie Eustace, whose late husband owned the titular diamonds. The plot revolves around her theft of them, and her attempts to keep hold of them after she stole them. If you don't think that sounds like an interesting story, just read the book. You'll be surprised.

It must be said, some of the scenes in the novel didn't make a lot of sense when I first read it. I couldn't figure out why a minor character like Lady Glencora was given so much importance in the narrative. When I discovered this is a sequel to earlier books it made more sense. Knowledge of the previous books isn't required, but it might be a help.

Trollope has never been as popular as Dickens, and it must be said that in my humble opinion he isn't quite as good a writer as Dickens. Yet in this book at least he created characters who are more like real people than Dickens' larger-than-life eccentrics. Lizzie Eustace and Frank Greystock are loathsome in a more restrained, realistic way than the utter vileness of Fagin or Squeers. Lucy Morris, though weak-willed and far too forgiving, isn't as perfect as Kate Nickleby or Lucie Manette.

Speaking of Lucy, the resolution of her subplot utterly infuriated me. She knew Frank had betrayed her. He had done nothing to show he was sorry. He wasn't even sure he intended to marry her! Most women would never marry a man like that. But she married him, and this was portrayed as a happy ending for her?! 😒

Lizzie's final fate is likewise disappointing. It's darkly funny and serves her right, but after everything she did she gets off more or less scot-free. Being married to a snake like Mr. Emilius isn't exactly a happy ending, but she was never punished for her crime. I thought she would at least get some comeuppance.

Before this book I never realised Trollope could be funny. The Way We Live Now was rather lacking in humour, while The Eustace Diamonds certainly isn't. Several scenes made me laugh out loud.

Unfortunately the book has some moments when the Victorian era's Antisemitism shows all too plainly. I cringed every time "Jew" was used to describe some villainous characters 😣

If you can ignore those parts and focus on the main story, this is a very interesting book. Apart from anything else, it's a fascinating character study of a pathological liar.

Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg.

Rating: 8/10.