'She had resolved to trust in everything, and, having so trusted, she would not provide for herself any possibility of retreat.'Lively and attractive, Lily Dale lives with her mother and sister at the Small House at Allington. She falls passionately in love with the urbane Adolphus Crosbie, and is devastated when he abandons her for the aristocratic Lady Alexandrina de Courcy. But Lily has another suitor, Johnny Eames, who has been devoted to her since boyhood.
Perhaps she can find renewed happiness in Johnny's courtship?The Small House at Allington was among the most successful of Trollope's Barsetshire novels, and has retained its popularity among modern readers. Lily Dale's stubborn constancy is a troubling reflection of Trollope's divided feelings about the need for progress and reform in the context of liberal thought and politics. Her story is a subtle exploration of loyalty and ambition, and the pressure for change in a rapidly evolving world.
