The Warden Av Anthony Trollope

<p>Anthony Trollope''s <i>The Warden </i>is the first of his well-loved <i>Chronicles of Barsetshire</i>, edited with an introduction and notes by Robin Gilmour in Penguin Classics.<br><br>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, <i>The Warden</i> 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.