The Warden

1855 • 230 pages

Ratings20

Average rating3.5

The tranquil atmosphere of the cathedral town of Barchester is shattered when a scandal breaks concerning the financial affairs of a Church-run almshouse for elderly men. In the ensuing furore, Septimus Harding, the almshouse's well-meaning warden, finds himself pitted against his daughter's suitor Dr John Bold, a zealous local reformer. Matters are not improved when Harding's abrasive son-in law, Archdeacon Grantly, leaps into the fray to defend him against a campaign Bold begins in the national press. An affectionate and wittily satirical view of the workings of the Church of England, The Warden, the first of the Barchester Chronicles, is also a subtle exploration of the rights and wrongs of moral crusades and, in its account of Harding's intensely felt personal drama, a moving depiction of the private impact of public affairs.

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Series

Featured Series

6 primary books

#1 in Chronicles of Barsetshire

Chronicles of Barsetshire is a 6-book series with 6 released primary works first released in 1855 with contributions by Anthony Trollope and Andrew Maunder.

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Erica Simmons

I loved the first 50 pages of this book. They were brilliantly sharp and dry and laid out a situation for which a novel would never be written this century: a scandal of entitlement among local clergy in a small town in England. There were no women. (Why is it that I, a modern feminist, am most drawn to novels by the most committed misogynists? Is it their bitterness that I like? Or their complete lack of interest in the traditional love story?) But then it felt like Trollope just lost interest and kept writing the last 150 pages on autopilot. They served more to close out the wonderful opening than as a middle and end of a novel worth reading.

February 1, 2008

Hannah Morgan-Lewis

Really enjoyed this, I loved the delicately drawn characters and the way that Trollope depicted Harding's ethical dilemma.

May 7, 2014

Lexie Hardy

Séptimas Harding is such an endearing and delightful character. He endures such opposition...I have respected for him. This book does make me question why I'm not happy with what I have. Why do we always want more? Especially when we think others have more?

May 9, 2020