Chris Skilton is a trustee of the Trollope Society and a regular participant in the BIG READ. He introduces Chapters 13 to 24 of The Bertrams.

Chris is a former Archdeacon of Croydon and Archdeacon of Lambeth. He was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and ordained in 1981. After curacies in Ealing and Wimborne, he became Team Vicar of St Paul’s, Great Baddow. From 1995 to 2003, he served as Team Rector of Sanderstead.

The Bertrams follows the fortunes of George Bertram, an idealistic young man educated at Oxford, and his friend Arthur Wilkinson, a modest and dutiful clergyman. As the two men pursue their futures, George through travel, writing, and conflict with his wealthy grandfather, and Arthur through parish life, they both become entangled with Caroline Waddington, a clever and thoughtful woman who must choose between them. The novel ranges widely in setting, including scenes in the Middle East, London, and rural England. Trollope reflects on themes of ambition, belief, inheritance, and romantic disappointment, making this one of his more philosophically rich novels.

The Bertrams was originally published as a three volume novel by  Chapman and Hall, 1859.

Resources

• Plot summary and character listing for The Bertrams (contains plot spoilers)
• Download The Bertrams free of charge from Project Gutenberg
• Explore our Reading Guide for The Bertrams