I always love reading Trollope, and even more so when lyzard leads a group read. I was particularly grateful that I read this one with the group read, because, being one of Trollope's earlier and more obscure novels, I needed some help to get the most out of it.

Like many of Trollope's books, this centers around money and marriage and what is deemed a success when it comes to the two. There are two would-be couples, George and Caroline and Arthur and Adela and there are plenty of obstacles (real and perceived) to them getting together. This book also includes some travel and the remote settings of Cairo and Jerusalem. There is, of course, a rich old man and everyone is waiting to see when he will die and what his will contains.

Overall I enjoyed this. It shows the germination of some themes that Trollope will later develop. It's certainly not his best work, but I'm glad I read it. ( )

Do you ever wonder what ever happened to the person identified as “most likely to succeed” in your high school yearbook? George Bertram would have received that designation. His cousin, Arthur Wilkinson, always finished a close second to George, to Arthur’s great sorrow. However, George’s innate talent did not lead to happiness.

Trollope seems to have intended The Bertrams to be a character study of George and Arthur, of George’s irresponsible father, Sir Lionel Bertram, and his miserly uncle, George Bertram, Sr.; of proud Caroline Waddington and constant Adela Gauntlet. Sometimes the plot seems forced to fit Trollope’s requirements for character development. Readers may get an ending that they like, but may wish that Trollope had arrived at it in a different manner. ( )

While I enjoyed the main plot of this book, I found the travel sections a bit wearisome. While they were a minor amount of the book, it was for these sections that I particularly wanted to read this book. There was a certain amount of humor (especially in the chapter about card parties) but on the whole, Trollope was more heavy-handed with his characters & opinions here than he was in his better books. ( )

Trollope has a knack for making characters that you almost want to sympathize with and almost do but not quite. George Bertram is too stubborn to take his uncle's money but you want to applaud him for standing on his principles. His uncle wants to care about him and in some odd way does but has no idea how to do it except through his money. And does George deserve the beautiful but perhaps too proud as well Carolyn? Meanwhile, the lesser light of Arthur Wilkinson continues to give in and give in to cruel fate until his thoroughly unpleasant mother finally gets taken down a peg and he can marry the girl of his dreams. I enoyed listening to this (the reader is American but has a nice voice and doesn't pretend accents) and am continuing to enjoy my voyage through Trollope.

George Bertram decides to become a barrister, since his rich uncle has made it clear that George will not be his heir. George's friend, Arthur (a minister), decides not to ask Adela to marry him because he believes he cannot afford it. George travels to Jerusalem to meet his father, the unreliable and selfish Sir Lionel and there meets and becomes engaged to Caroline, but their romance is broken off.

I delayed reading this novel because I thought it was set in Jerusalem, but in fact only a few of the chapters are set there (with a later section describing a trip to Egypt). Some of the observations about what the church has done to Jerusalem were very interesting and George's spiritual experience on Mount of Olives was quite moving, but there were many passages describing the local populations in terms which are wholly unacceptable today. In general in Trollope I have found references (usually to Jews) which grate, but this novel took things to a whole other level and made me understand that the Victorians did clearly believe that cleanliness is next to godliness - I think Trollope managed to describe almost every non-Christian character as dirty at some point.

That aside, I found this story very enjoyable. Adela was a delight. George and Caroline got what they deserved and then for a moment it looked as if Trollope was going to bless them with a second chance, but the very ending shows that he was not quite able completely to forgive Caroline for marrying without intending to love, which seems to be the unforgivable sin for Trollope. Miss Todd and Sir Lionel provided some comic relief, although I didn't really enjoy the chapter describing the trip home from Egypt - Mrs Cox and Mrs Price didn't seem to fit into the novel at all. I'm glad Mrs Wilkinson was humbled. ( )