Book description
Following the death of her husband Sir Florian, beautiful Lizzie
Eustace mysteriously comes into possession of a hugely expensive diamond
necklace. She maintains it was a gift from her husband, but the Eustace
lawyers insist she give it up, and while her cousin Frank takes her
side, her new lover Lord Fawn states that he will only marry her if the
necklace is surrendered. As gossip and scandal intensify, Lizzie's
truthfulness is thrown into doubt, and, in her desire to keep the
jewels, she is driven to increasingly desperate acts. The third in
Trollope's Palliser series, The Eustace Diamonds bears all the hallmarks
of his later works, blending dark cynicism with humour and a keen
perception of human nature.
Anthony Trollope (1815 - 1882) enjoyed considerable acclaim as a
novelist during his life-time, publishing over forty novels and many
short stories. He maintained this alongside a career as a senior civil
servant in the Post Office.
Stephen Gill is a Professor of English Literature at Oxford
University, and a Fellow and Tutor of Lincoln College. John Sutherland
is Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at UCL.
Both have edited many other works for Penguin Classics.
