I’m a little late with this blog, I have read a whole two other books since this one! So let’s see what I can remember.
The second in my chronological reading of Anthony Trollope’s books, The Kelly’s and the O’Kelly’s is the second of his “Irish novels” and in fact his second novel. I enjoyed reading this one much more than The Macdermots (even though, as it turns out I own that book and have read it previously and remembered nothing about it whatsoever).
Set against the backdrop of the trial of Daniel O’Connell (the first catholic Lord Mayor of Dublin and a staunch campaigner for the emancipation of Ireland, after whom the famous street in Dublin is named) for conspiracy in 1844, the book focuses on the love stories of two distant relatives Martin Kelly, and the wealthier landowner Francis O’Kelly, Lord Ballindine.
Martin, the son of an innkeeper and a tenant of Lord Ballindine, is in love with his neighbour’s plain but wealthy sister, Anastasia (Anty) Lynch. However, her brother, sore that their late father split his wealth between the two instead of leaving it all to him, is determined to get the wealth all for himself by fair means or foul, and is heartily against the match.
Meanwhile, Frank O’Kelly, Lord of a financially struggling manor with a preference for horse racing has fallen for the orphaned heiress, Fanny Wyndham, who is living with her uncle and guardian Lord Cashel. The engagement has been approved under the condition that they wait until Fanny is of age and that Frank will give up the horses, which at the begging of our story, he has yet to do with only a few months remaining until Fanny comes of age.
Under the firm guidance of her guardian, Fanny is convinced to break off the engagement, and is urged instead to marry her guardian’s bankrupt son, Lord Kilcullen.
How the two would be lovers fair in their quests, I will leave to the pages of the book to reveal.
Two favourite themes of Trollope’s get their first airing in this book, politics and the clergy. Trollope would go on to write two series of novels around these themes, The Chronicles of Barchester and The Pallisers.
This book was much more in the style of the Trollope that I know and love and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
The Kellys and the O’Kellys is available for free for Kindle on Amazon
