Author:Anthony Trollope,N. John Hall
In the third novel of the Barsetshire series, Trollope continues his study of a small cathedral city and the surrounding rural community which he presents as a microcosm of nineteenth-century England. Through each of the Barsershire novels can be read on its own, the six together present an incomparable portrait of life and manners in the quiet but troubled heart of a great nation at the zenith of its prosperity. DOCTOR THORNE revolves round the characters of the doctor and his niece, Mary, but the complex social life of which they are a part, ranging in scope from great houses to poor cottages, is almost more important than individual characters. If God is in the details, these novels are indeed divine.
The greatest comic writer ever
—— Douglas AdamsThe funniest writer ever to put words to paper
—— Hugh LaurieP.G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century
—— Sebastian FaulksSublime comic genius
—— Ben EltonImpressive . . . Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia
—— The Washington PostRusska succeeds where [other books] of trendy Soviet-watching have failed ... Rutherfurd can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus and Henri Troyat
—— San Francisco ChronicleFast moving ... Rutherfurd believes in adding color and adventure to facts that are exhaustively researched, making history palatable if not delicious
—— Milwaukee Journal SentinelSprawling ... Rutherfurd's close observation of Russia's religious and ethnic diversity gives this epic a distinctive flavor
—— Publishers WeeklyRutherfurd literally personifies history
—— New York Daily News