The Small House at Allington

The Small House at Allington is a book by Anthony Trollope, first published in 1864. It is the fifth novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, Trollope’s loosely connected series exploring provincial English life with sharp psychological insight. Set largely in the quiet countryside near Guestwick, the novel centres on the modest home shared by Mrs Dale and her daughters, Lily and Bell, and examines how personal values collide with social ambition in Victorian England.

The story follows Lily Dale, whose romantic hopes become entangled with the charming but morally uncertain Adolphus Crosbie, a man eager to advance his position in society. As Crosbie’s ambitions draw him toward wealth and status, Lily’s steadfast loyalty is tested, exposing the emotional cost of social climbing. Running alongside this is the quieter but equally compelling story of Johnny Eames, a young civil servant whose deep affection for Lily shapes his own moral development.

Trollope contrasts sincerity and integrity with vanity and self-interest, using a cast of vividly drawn characters including Bell Dale, Lady Julia De Guest, and the well-meaning but flawed Mrs Dale. The novel moves between domestic intimacy and wider social observation, offering a detailed portrait of middle-class life, romantic disappointment, and ethical choice. Its measured pacing allows relationships to unfold naturally, giving emotional weight to even small decisions.

Widely regarded as one of Trollope’s most emotionally resonant novels, The Small House at Allington is a classic Victorian novel of manners, noted for its realism, psychological depth, and compassionate understanding of human weakness. Readers interested in nineteenth-century literature, social realism, and character-driven storytelling will find this a rewarding and enduring work.