Faith running in the family - a tribute to Joanna Trollope

Following the death of author Joanna Trollope in December 2025, writer Ruth Leigh reflects on the legacy of the Trollopes; exploring faith, family and the enduring power of honest, character-driven fiction.

In 1991, when I first read Joanna Trollope’s, “The Rector’s Wife”, my immediate thought was that she must be related to Anthony Trollope. And so indeed she was, five generations down.

My favourite Victorian novelist has always been Anthony Trollope. I loved his blend of realism, character development and honesty. He had just as difficult a childhood as Dickens, but never capitalised on it.

The six novels in his Barsetshire Chronicles followed the fortunes of a group of clergy and their family, shining a light on the men behind the vestments. Trollope was adept at describing weaknesses and foibles, but never wrote in a judgemental way about his characters. His women are infinitely more believable than Dickens’ (who generally fall into either idealised angel or fallen Madonna types) and he is the only Victorian novelist ever to mention male prostitutes.