The Eustace Diamonds

By Anthony Trollope

Book Overview

Lady Eustace-more familiarly known as Lizzie-is very beautiful, very clever, and very rich. On closer inspection, she turns out also to be a "nasty, low, scheming, ill-conducted, dishonest little wretch." Her calculated marriage to a wealthy but sickly young baronet brought her the wealth she desired, including a spectacular diamond necklace which she wore in the days before her husband's demise. Upon his death, the lawyer for the estate is determined to recover it as a family heirloom. The young widow is equally determined to keep it as her own.But just as Lizzie sought a life of ease by marrying money, so too there are those who see in Lady Eustace their opportunity to acquire riches along with the beautiful widow herself. Given the relentless, even fierce, legal forces she faces regarding the diamonds, Lizzie is also alert to the benefit she would enjoy from having a husband to support her. But which is it to be? The tedious Lord Fawn, who would bring a title? Her cousin and confidant, Frank Greystock, who is a member of Parliament but saddled with debt? Or the debonair but dubious Lord George de Bruce Carruthers? Or perhaps none of them Lizzie's life of lies and calculation has echoes and mirrors in the novel's subplots. She falls in with an unsavory and scheming set which includes a desperately ill-suited couple being driven towards a potentially disastrous marriage. Meanwhile, the love life of her childhood friend, the plain, poor, and pure Lucy Morris, seems to be the antithesis to Lizzie's own.Anthony Trollope felt real ambivalence about the growing interest in mystery novels, whose popularity was burgeoning as he sat down to write The Eustace Diamonds. Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone had just been published to huge success, giving birth to the detective novel genre. Trollope would have none of it, and kept no secrets from his readers. That The Eustace Diamonds maintains a sense of drama and intrigue in spite of Trollope's forthright narration is a testament to his skill as a storyteller.There are also signs of Trollope plotting a future course for his Palliser series, of which The Eustace Diamonds is the third. Political life is not absent, but it is wholly subservient to the events that swirl around Lizzie and her companions. As the novel closes, Trollope winks at his readers, informing us that we haven't seen the last of Lizzie Eustace yet.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GQDL847M
• ISBN13: 9791043137310
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Les Prairies Numeriques
• Length: 936 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Start of a Beautiful Friendship

It's hard to adequately describe my affection for "The Eustace Diamonds." This was the first Trollope I read, and I did so more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. (I had heard of Trollope, and thought that I SHOULD read him, much in the way one thinks one SHOULD get a yearly prostate exam.) I expected a dense, difficult read on the lines of Henry James or Thomas Hardy, but was completely surprised -- blown away, frankly -- by how entertaining and funny a writer Trollope is. This is the book that started my love affair with his works, one that has only deepened with each new book. "The Eustace Diamonds," as you probably know, revolves around the vivacious Lizzie Greystock, who marries for money and goes to unimaginable lengths to hold on to it. She is a liar, a cheat, a wicked, wicked woman...and an utter delight. She ensnares every man she meets, and that seems to have included her creator, Trollope himself! I know that I find her irresistible, along with the novel in which she's the sun, moon and stars. If you haven't yet read Trollope, I might work up to this book by reading its two predecessors in The Palliser Chronicles, but be forewarned that the first of them, "Can You Forgive Her?" is not Trollope at his best. Certainly read "Phineas Finn," though, as the characters introduced there will factor into "Phineas Redux," which, in part, continues Lizzie Greystock's dubious adventures. But regardless of the order in which you decide to proceed, don't miss out on "The Eustace Diamonds," one of the great, most pleasurable contributions to English literature.

A Diamond

It is hard to choose my favorite Trollope but this is definitely right at the top of my list. It has everything a novel needs to pique your interest and keep you turning the pages--love, intrique, mystery, jealousy. It is a must read for a Trollope reader. And do yourself a favor. If you have kids, introduce them to this prince.

Awesome and hilarious

I had once heard a defination of a "classic as a book to be admired but not read." This book definately defied all that. It was great read. Funny, touching and warm. A witty husband, a pain for a wife. Do read. This is from a 18 year girl, so a must read for all.

The Forgotten Classic

With movies being adapted from books by Austen and Forster, what's left of Trollope. I stumbled across this book by accident, having never before heard of it's title and author. When I did some research on Anthony Trollope, by golly he was as popular as Eliot and Dickens in the Victorian Time Period. As for the book, this is a true classic of the Victorian Era. Romance, rivalry, jealousy, money, family feuds, death, and new life, this book is fabulous.Everyone should have this book in their library. It's a delight to read over and over again.

Tribulations of a beautiful liar.

The Lady Lizzie Eustace, a beautiful young widow, claims that her husband gave her the extremely valuable diamond necklace to be her very own. However, Mr. Camperdown, lawyer for the estate, says that it is a family heirloom and must be given up. Lizzie, for whom lying is always more natural than telling the truth, stubbornly clings to the diamonds, taking them with her everywhere, rather than entrusting them to some safe depository.But then there is a skillfully performed burglary, and the jewels are stolen from her hotel room in Carlisle. Or are they? Did Lizzie just use this scheme to make the diamonds disappear? Why is there a second burglary at her London apartment? The novel becomes a fascinating detective story.Lizzie longs for a husband to share her problems. But which man is it to be? There is Lord Fawn, to whom she is engaged, but who breaks with her because of the diamonds. Lord George, a rather shady character, intrigues her with his swashbuckling mann! ! er. Then there is her ever loyal cousin, Frank Greystock, but he is supposedly engaged to a penniless nonentity, Lucy Morris.Lizzie Eustace is one of Trollope's most interesting characters--beautiful, strong willed, intelligent in her way, but utterly untrustworthy, constantly scheming to get what she wants and always able to justify her actions to herself. It is no wonder that even the similarly mendacious Lord George is afraid of her. Lizzie alone makes this third novel of the Palliser series well worth reading.